Which neoclassical satire by John Dryden attacks the poet Thomas Shadwell?

John Dryden's *Mac Flecknoe* is the neoclassical mock-heroic satire aimed at the poet Thomas Shadwell.

Dryden wrote the poem around 1678 and published it in 1682. Its full title, *Mac Flecknoe; or, A satyr upon the True-Blue-Protestant Poet, T.S.*, signals both its political setting and its personal target. The poem arose from a literary quarrel between Dryden and Shadwell involving comedy, Ben Jonson, dramatic style, politics, and accusations of plagiarism.

Dryden presents Shadwell as the chosen heir of Richard Flecknoe, an older poet whom Dryden treats as the ruler of a kingdom of poetic dullness. The mock-heroic technique gives an inflated epic ceremony to an intentionally ridiculous succession. Elevated language, classical allusions, rhythm, and rhyme make Shadwell's supposed coronation resemble a grand heroic event while satirizing his literary reputation.

The other options are different works and targets. Swift's *A Tale of a Tub* and Pope's *The Dunciad* are later major satires, while Dryden's *Absalom and Achitophel* is chiefly a political allegory rather than the poem centered on Shadwell.