Summary of the poem an epistle to dr arbuthnot by alexander pope
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An Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot, written by English satirist, poet, writer – Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744), was published in 1735.
The satirical poem is written as a reply to his terminally ill friend, Dr. Arbuthnot who had asked him to be considerate, while attacking others in his writings.
In the poem, Pope looks down upon upcoming poets and also derides a few famous ones. He insists that writing is his passion and his writings are not out of any compulsion. He calls his detractors ‘fools and donkeys’, though he tries to be friendly with them sometimes.
He requests critics to let him live in peace and do what he likes. He criticizes Lord Hervey, an English courtier and writer, who he says is ‘not capable of differentiating satire from a poem’.
In the closing part of the poem, he describes
his own virtues to Dr. Arbuthnot.