Dear Doctor, I Have Read Your Play

 My first reaction when I saw this poem was that it was going to relate to the medical field in a way because it has the word “doctor” in it. But to my utter surprise that is not the case at all. Even though this poem does not relate to us medical students at CAL I have decided to deepen our understanding on this short poem by Lord Byron.
This poem was actually a response that John Murray, Byron’s publisher, asked him to write for a "tragedy submitted by Byron's erstwhile friend, Dr. J. W. Polidori”. While I was still researched this poem I stumbled across another blog that made me understand the context of the poem even more. The blog explained the background information of how this poem became what it is and I will share it.
The whole poem is actually a rejection to Dr. J. W. Polidori, who is in reality Lord Byron’s personal doctor. John Murray goes to Byron and urgently asked him to write this rejection letter to the doctor, this whole thing is awkward for Byron, but he does it anyway and writes the rejection in verse. Long story short, this poem explains the rejection, where Byron refers to some unsuccessful play previous to the letter and does a really good job of writing a poem.
Dear Doctor, I Have Read Your Play was written on August 21^st, 1817 and was first published in 1830 by Moore in Letters and Journals of Lord Byron. This poem only takes like 5 minutes to read and I recommend that you read it fully so that you understand it better.
Once you know that this poem is a rejection to the doctor, written by Byron, from John Murray it is easier to understand. 

              1 Dear Doctor, I have read your play,

              2 Which is a good one in its way,

              3 Purges the eyes, and moves the bowels,

              4 And drenches handkerchiefs like towels

              5 With tears that, in a flux of grief,

              6 Afford hysterical relief

              7 To shatter'd nerves and quicken'd pulses,

              8 Which your catastrophe convulses.
These are the first lines of the poem that introduce the rejection. I understand that John Murray (who is the one that gave the rejection the actual thoughts) is telling Dr. Polidori that he has read the play and that the play is good in its own way, that it is gruesome, gut wrenching, it makes one come suddenly with emotion, it affords funny release to nervous bodies, because of those are the causes that his catastrophe gives off (referring to the feeling the play convokes). 
This is the way the whole poem goes, a funny rhyming thing going on. Toward the middle is when Byron writes how the play has been a failure and is compared to other plays including a play written by Byron himself (Manfred).
At first it seemed to me like there was no significance to this poem, but upon further readings and with help of the two websites I visited I was able to understand the meaning below all of the rhymes and, in reality, funny words. I really recommend that you read this because it's a better way to understand some of the things Lord Byron did for his friends when asked. It shows his strong character because it was awkward to reject his personal doctor but he did it. And thanks to that rejection on behalf of Byron we have this poem that you really should read.