The Life of Cowley

Essay | Samuel Johnson
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Why Can't Cowley's “Davideis” be Judged as an Epic?

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Why can't Cowley's “Davideis” be judged as an epic?

Dr. Johnson (1709-1784) gave his clear view on Cowley’s “Davideis.” He explained why this poem cannot be called a true epic. Though Cowley tried to follow the epic form, the poem did not match its rules. It was unfinished, unbalanced, and lacked proper action. Johnson gave strong reasons to support his opinion.

Unfinished Structure: Cowley wrote only four books though he planned twelve. The third part does not show a clear plan. The whole action remains unfinished. Because of that, the story is incomplete. The readers cannot feel a full journey. Characters are not fully shown. Their hopes and struggles are weak. Johnson said it is hard to judge an epic with such little material. The poem stops too soon to give full meaning.

Wrong Use of Subject: The subject of “Davideis” is serious. It talks about David and other Bible stories. But Cowley added s

cenes that felt strange. He described hell and used speech from Lucifer. The poet says,

“Here Lucifer the mighty Captive reigns;

Proud, 'midst his Woes, and Tyrant in his Chains.”

These parts looked more like old myths. They did not match the main theme. Such ideas made the poem dull and heavy. These long talks and speeches made readers tired. The joy of reading got lost in useless detail.

Lack of True Epic Parts: A true epic needs a great plan, strong action, and full characters. But “Davideis” lacks these parts. It has no big battles or deep emotion. Johnson said it used tricks from older epics, like flashbacks and visions. But even with these tools, Cowley could not move forward. He had no new way to fill the next eight books. His methods became weak. That may be why he left the work unfinished.

In fine, Johnson was right in his judgment. Davideis missed the key parts of an epic. It had good ideas but poor results. The story was short, the plan was weak, and the joy was missing. Though Cowley was wise and skilled, this poem failed as an epic.

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Samuel Johnson
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