The poem illustrates Shadwell as the heir to a kingdom of poetic dullness , represented by his association with Richard Flecknoe , an earlier poet already satirized by Andrew Marvell and disliked by Dryden .
The poet does not use belittling techniques to satirize him .
The poem illustrates Shadwell as the heir to a kingdom of poetic dullness , represented by his association with Richard Flecknoe , an earlier poet already satirized by Andrew Marvell and disliked by Dryden , although the poet does not use belittling techniques to satirize him .