Alexander Pope by Michael Dahl, from National Portrait Gallery
Alexander Pope (born May 21, 1688; died May 30, 1744) was an English poet and satirist, famous for such poems as An Essay on Criticism (1711), The Rape of the Lock (1712-14), The Dunciad (1728), and An Essay on Man (1733-34). Aside from the poems that Pope is famous for, he also accomplished notable work as an editor and translator. In 1720, he completed a verse translation of Homer’s The Iliad, a translation that was the greatest labour of his life (“Alexander Pope”). During 1725-26, Pope, along with William Broome and Elijah Fenton, completed a translation of The Odyssey (“Alexander Pope”). Due to the success of both these translations, Pope was able to live free of debt (“Alexander Pope”). However, Pope approached both his translations from a subjective perspective, substituting accuracy for a version that he felt Homer would have written if he lived in England during the 18th century (“Alexander Pope”). This method of interpretation is one that Pope also uses in his editorial work for Shakespeare.
Pope’s satirical works and poems were constantly under attack from other critics during his time. His 1725 Works of Shakespear saw a significant amount of criticism. Pope edited and modified the plays of Shakespeare in the style of a literary editor, aiming to increase the appeal of the plays for contemporary consumers (“Alexander Pope”). In 1726, his practice was attacked by scholar Lewis Theobald in Shakespeare Restored; or, A Specimen of the Many Errors As Well Committed As Unamended by Mr. Pope, in His Late Edition of This Poet, who condemned Pope for his liberal amendments and corrections of Shakespeare’s work (“Alexander Pope”). Pope was enraged by this attack, and published The Dunciad in 1728, making Theobald the primary target of his attack while also defending his own standards as those pertaining to civilized society (“Alexander Pope”). Regardless of one’s opinion towards Pope’s practices, his works, both editorial, satirical, and poetic, inspired a large degree of controversy, one which his work on Shakespeare exemplifies. Additionally, his work translating and editing The Iliad and The Odyssey prove that Pope is well suited to the task of collating and editing Shakespeare’s plays.