Dryden's first two important poems commemorate which pair of events?

• A. The death of Oliver Cromwell and the restoration of Charles II
• B. The Glorious Revolution and the Act of Union
• C. The execution of Charles I and the accession of James II
• D. The Battle of Hastings and the signing of Magna Carta

Answer: (A)

Dryden’s earliest commemorative poems respond to two pivotal moments that reshaped England’s political landscape: the death of Oliver Cromwell and the Restoration of Charles II. The first poem is an elegiac tribute to Cromwell, written as the Commonwealth and Protectorate’s grip on the nation began to fade, capturing a sense of mourning and the longing for stability after civil strife. The second poem marks the return of the monarchy with Charles II, celebrating a renewed order and the perceived renewal of national life under the restored crown. Together, they reflect the royalist mood of the Restoration era and Dryden’s role in shaping public memory through poetry. The other events—centuries earlier or much later—don’t align with these early works in subject or historical moment.