Why does Dryden structure his essay as a dialogue? Why use different characters to represent different points of view rather than write an essay? How might the argument change if it did not rely on dialogue?

Why does Dryden give his companions (and himself) Latinate names? Why does he not use the actual names of those involved, especially given that their identities were widely known? How would the essay be different if he had used their real names?

What (according to Crites) are the qualities of the ancients that make their writing superior? What qualities (according to Eugenius) hinder their writing? Write an essay comparing and contrasting the relative strengths and weaknesses of the ancients, as the essay depicts them.