Porphyria's Lover And My Last Duchess

none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)' He acts like

Comparing and Contrasting the Theme of power and control between Porphyrias Lover, La Belle Dame Sans Merci and My Last Duchess

When one travels, it is easy to observe differences in social norms from country to country. One may also observe differences within a country, for example, the social norms of a small town or village versus those of a large metropolis. Differences in social norms can also be observed in literature. This essay will focus on two dramatic monologues, which were written by poets who lived in England during the same period. Robert Browning published My last Duchess in 1842, the same year that Alfred Tennyson published Ulysses. Both poets lived in England during the Victorian era. However, by examining characters from their poetry, namely Alfonso in My Last Duchess and Odysseus in Ulysses, we can see that they express opposite norms concerning

"Porphyria's Lover" is one Browning's first dramatic monologues, published 1836 in a magazine using the title “Porphyria”. This form of his dramatic monologues is a first person narrator who presents an exceedingly subjective perspective on a story, with Browning's message isn’t seen in the text but through the ironic disconnect of what the speaker rationalizes and what is apparent to the audience.

The speaker in Porphyria’s Lover does things that make the reader believe that he is acting irrationally, but from his perspective the logic behind his actions could be seen as reasonable. He is in love with a woman who is love with him and everyone else. He makes a decision that can be seen as irrational but in the end, it works out and you see why he did it and what positive aftermath was after it. In this poem, the speaker is in love with Porphyria but he doesn’t receive the love and display of affection that he wants from her. He sees her withdrawing her clothes and this brings in even more passion than he already had for her.

The nonchalance of the speaker in “Porphyria’s Lover” reveals his inability to comprehend Porphyria’s extreme affection. Both speakers judgmental and critical attitudes towards women also contribute to these messages. The Duke’s impulsive decision to kill the Duchess creates an unsettling mood, and Porphyria’s unwanted affection creates a disturbing mood. Overall, Browning’s message based on both of these poems is it is best to have an equal balance of affection in any

involving him with her life and would only use him as an escape from "vainer

does to her lover because he loves her so much and can not be with

The speakers of Browning’s “My Last Duchess” and Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” are both men who are accustomed to having what they want and when they want it. Both speakers show that they have little to no intention for women other than to please themselves. The poets show their speaker’s true character with literary devises throughout the poems by alluding to their desire for power, their self-serving nature, and their attitudes that they are superior to women.

While some differences between “My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria's Lover” are evident, the similarities are salient and through the use of chillingly descriptive imagery and vivid personification, Robert Browning conveys the unmerciful nature of love. One principal similarity is that the theme of the poems is about love and in the both poems the protagonists kill their lovers in order to keep their woman just to themselves. In the dramatic poem “My Last Duchess” the Duke kills the duchess because of his suspicions against her which was a result of self love and jealousy from the Duke. In the poem “Porphyria's Lover” the protagonist murders his lover in order to keep her to himself because he loved her so much. Another similarity between the

The Victorian Age was a time of relative prosperity, improvement and stability. At the same time, there was also a strong emphasis on individuals becoming more educated and in two seemingly normal pieces of literature, “My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover” written by Robert Browning, are in actuality so twisted that the lovers of each poem are characterized as deranged. Both monologues incorporate unique aspects of love that deviate from the norm because it is nowhere close to a happy ending. The lovers of each poem provide contrasting views on love that convey their haughty attitude towards love and their irrational reasoning that justifies their behavior. Disturbing images are prevalent in both poems creating a mysterious and elegiac tone. Browning also includes fervent diction to contrast the different behaviors of each speaker in the poems and convey that pursuing love comes along with inevitable consequences.

These two dramatic monologues by Robert Browning there is Porphyria’s Lover and the Dutch of My Last duchess. These dramatic monologues are similar in the ways that the two lovers of the women each kill their lover. They are also similar in the way that the lovers talking are both giving this story after it has happened. The contrast that this story has is that Porphyria’s lover killed Porphyria because he wants to spend forever with her, and My last duchess killed his wife because he gets jealous because she gives attention to other men. Theses two dramatic monologues have a very similar story yet have two very different men that act in such ways that cause there to be two different story lines at the same time.

Love is a fleeting feeling amongst mankind. Within a single moment, love can become hate. There is a vicious cycle of love and hate that will continue for many years to come. Its part of the human nature. That nature is revealed in two poems. These poems are “Porphyria's Lover” and “The Last Duchess,” both by Robert Browning, are actually quite similar and yet different.

The dramatic monologue “My Last Duchess” was penned down by Robert Browning. In this poem, the narrator is the Duke of Ferrara, and the listener is the count’s agent, through whom the Duke is arranging the proposed marriage to a second duchess. The poem is ironical and reveals its rhetorical sense, gradually. In the later part of the poem, the Duke claims that he does not have a skill in speech, but his monologue is a masterpiece of subtle rhetoric. While supposedly entertaining the listener by showing his wife’s portrait, he clearly reveals his character. Through his formalized tone of rhyme, he reveals his egoistic and jealous attitude.

A Comparison of the Dramatic Monologues of Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning