How did George Villiers’s The Rehearsal satirize John Dryden’s heroic plays?

George Villiers, 2nd duke of Buckingham, satirized the heroic play genre—and specifically the work of John Dryden—in his 1671 play, The Rehearsal.12

The parody targeted the conventions of the heroic play, which were characterized by rhyming pentameter couplets, superhuman characters, and themes centered on the exalted ideals of love, honor, and courage. Dryden, the most prominent writer of this genre, was the primary satirical victim of the work, appearing as the character "Mr. Bayes". Through this caricature, Villiers mocked the extravagance, bombast, and "rant" often found in Dryden’s successful plays, such as The Conquest of Granada.12

While The Rehearsal served as a witty burlesque of the genre's reliance on stage battles, exotic scenes, and blustering heroes, it did not immediately end the popularity of heroic drama; Dryden continued to write in the form for several years following the play's debut.12