but a crooked heart A daring pilot in extremity This means Achitophel is bold and fearless even in dangerous situations He is ready to risk everything to gain power His clever mind helps him plan the rebellion very carefully Flattering Absalom s Pride First Achitophel flatters Absalom again and again He tells him that people love him more than King David He reminds Absalom of his beauty youth and charm He says the people already see him as a future king He makes Absalom feel special and proud Dryden warns us against pride and says it is a great sin Desire of greatness is a god-like sin Achitophel fills Absalom s heart with pride Slowly Absalom starts to believe that he deserves the throne Questioning David s Rule After flattering Absalom Achitophel targets King David s rule He does not openly insult the king Instead he speaks gently and wisely He says David is old and weak He says the nation needs a young and energetic ruler Achitophel suggests that the country is in danger under David s rule He says that people are unhappy and want change In this way he creates doubt in Absalom s mind about his own father In reality Achitophel wants the power himself Dryden writes that Achitophel is Resolv'd to ruin or to rule the state This shows how some men use others to get power Using the Issue of Illegitimacy One of Achitophel s strongest tricks is the issue of Absalom s birth Absalom is not a lawful son Achitophel tells him that this should not stop him from becoming king He argues that merit is more important than birth He says nature itself has marked Absalom as a ruler Achitophel makes Absalom forget the law and think only about his strength and popularity Creating Fear and Urgency Achitophel then creates fear in Absalom s heart He says that if Absalom does not act now his enemies will destroy him He warns that once David dies others may seize power He presents rebellion as self-defense This makes Absalom feel that rebellion is not a crime but a necessity Absalom s Weak Resistance At first Absalom is gentle and loyal He loves his father and does not want rebellion But Achitophel s words slowly poison his mind His ambition grows stronger than his loyalty Dryden shows Absalom as a good man led astray by bad advice To sum up Achitophel persuades Absalom through flattery fear false logic and clever speech He uses Absalom s pride popularity and ambition to turn him against his own father Dryden clearly shows that rebellion does not begin with swords but with words