Titus Oates as "Monumental Brass" in Absalom and Achitophel

John Dryden's characterization of Titus Oates as a "monumental brass" evokes the two-dimensional brass effigies that had been installed in English churches since the Middle Ages. Since extreme Puritans regarded effigies as akin to idols, this characterization turns Oates's own values against himself. To antiquarians, however, effigies were valuable testimonies to the history and achievements of the wellborn. Dryden's description thus pretends to flatter Oates, while insinuating that he was a social climber. Oates's literally shallow effigy projects the falsity of his carefully crafted public image, while remaining a true representation of him as an utter imposter.