Robert Browning was a poet known for his incorporation of dramatic monologue in his poetry. Today, he ranks among Alfred Lord Tennyson as one of the greatest Victorian era poets. Of Browning’s greatest poems, his two most moved are by the names of “Porphyria’s Lover” and “My Last Duchess”. These poems have both similarities and differences. Three similarities of the poems “Porphyria’s Lover” and “My Last Duchess” are: They both deal with murder, One addresses only one lover and the other addresses two lovers, and they both have main character who have obvious mental issues. The first similarity between Last and Lover is that they both deal with murder. In Lover, Porphyria, the girl, comes home to her lover who is sitting in the pitch dark, unlit cabin while there is a storm outside. Porphyria …show more content…
This one is a given. Both of these characters murder at will, szo there is something wrong with them mentally. In “Porphyria’s Lover”, on page 984, lines 44-45, it states: “I warily oped her lids: again laughed the blue eyes without a stain”. This quote is very creepy and perfectly portrays this man’s mental state throughout this poem. In a journal article by Catherine Ross entitled “Browning’s Porphyria’s Lover”, she expands on the main character’s mental state: “ Many of Robert Browning’s early poems were part of what Isobel Armstrong has called a “systematic attempt to examine many kinds of neurotic or insane behavior, and in particular the pathology of sexual feeling” There are many theories out there that lead to the things that went on in these two men’s brains. Another author addresses the Duke’s mentality in “My Last Duchess”: “Because the Duke draws a curtain to display the painting to his auditor, some critics have compared him to a theatrical producer.” The main character’s mental states in both of these poems say a lot about their similarities and
obert Browning, on the surface is a celebrated poet. But what was on the inside? We may have a glimpse into his mind through his poems. Specifically, his two poems My Last Duchess, and Porphyria’s Lover. These two texts share some startling similarities, and some thoughtful differences. “Social comparison is important.” (Festinger) Browning’s two poems My Last Duchess and Porphyria’s Lover follow a similar idea, and in the following text, will be compared in three main areas.
Porphyria’s Lover and The Laboratory “Porphyria’s Lover” and “The Laboratory” both deal with crimes of passion. Explore ways Browning explains ways of obsessive nature of his character and analysis the effects of literary techniques. “Porphyria’s Lover” is a poem about a crime and passion. Porphyria is a young, wealthy girl who seems to have abandoned her family’s tradition of choosing wealthy men as lovers. Her lover remains anonymous, this could be because he has murdered her and does not want his name releasing.
“My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover” are two poems that go together in many ways. For instance, Robert Browning wrote both of the poems and the men are very psychotic. The many similarities and differences of the two poems show how women are treated as objects, how the women are killed, and how the men felt about their women. The many similarities in the poems are what connect the two. In both poems, the two men each get jealous very easily.
There are many similarities and differences between these two writings that can be compared. In contrast, Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess are different in one way through the actions of premeditation
The poem “My Last Duchess” is a historical event that involves the Duke of Ferrara and Alfonso who lived in the 16th century. Robert Browning "My Last Duchess" presents a narrative about a recently widowed Duke who talks with an emissary had come to an arranged marriage with another lady from a powerful and wealthy family. In the perspective of Duke, power and wealth were integral in marriage and was determined to be married to a wealthy lady from a famous family. As the Duke orients the emissary through the palace, he stops and shows a portrait of the late Duchess who was a lovely and young girl. The Duke then begins by stating information about the picture and then to the Duchess. Duke claims that the Duchess flirted with everyone and did not appreciate the history of the family: “gift of a nine hundred years old name.”(33) However, when an individual continues to read the poem, it is evident that the Duke played an important role in killing the lady. Duke states that “he gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together”(45-46) he used these words to define the death of his beloved Duchess. The aim of the essay is to analyze literary devices that emphasize the content of the poem, which includes rhetorical questions, exclamation mark, and em dash.
communicates two interpretations concerning Both poems describe the behavior of people who are in loving, romantic relationships. There are several aspects common in both poems. Using the literary technique of dramatic dialogue, the author reveals the plot and central idea of each poem. Robert Browning tells each poetic story through a single speaker. Both poems reveal an account in which the admirer kills the object of his love. This paper will compare and contrast the following characteristics: the setting, the speaker, the mood and tone, and theme found "My
These stories closely relate to each other while still remaining different. Browning’s monologues are different in Porphyria’s Lover by how he kills his girl, in My
Browning varies in how he describes the fate of the women in his writings. In My Last Duchess, the killing itself is not detailed; truely, it requires a reading between the lines, as it were, to interpret the narrators true meaning. Conversely, in Porphyria’s Lover the act of murder is very blatantly depicted. A pattern begins to emerge in the writing of the two stories: the former being more subtle in nature, the latter being rather literal, even in its
Robert Browning is an amazing poet. He wrote many poems in the late 1800’s that are connected with storylines, characters and plot. “My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover” are examples of Browning’s connected poems. Both are considered to be dramatic monologues in which the character narrates his story of love. The Duke from “My Last Duchess” and the speaker from “Porphyria’s Lover” are known as “brothers in character and action”. They share many similar personality traits and the make many of the same actions. Both the Duke and speaker manipulate other characters from the poem. They are both possessive over women and objects, love the feeling of power are both over confident. Manipulation is a very important action of both the
Porphyria’s Lover is a disturbing monologue about a man, who’s warped love drives him to strangle his lover, Porphyria, with her own hair. Most of Browning’s narrators are sinister characters, and in this case, the man narrating is believed to have psychosis, which causes him hallucinate and dissociate from reality. The poem’s eeriness can be attributed to the narrator, who adopts a chillingly calm tone that contrasts the horror of the murder. The woman is named after the disease, Porphyria, which was first identified a few years before the poem was written. The disease damages the nervous system and induces madness, alluding to how the man’s lover is the ultimate cause of his mania and unhealthy obsession.
“My Last Duchess”, by Robert Browning, is narrated through dramatic monologue from the perspective of the nonchalant Duke. Through his narration, the reader develops a wanton view of the Duchess, and a sense of superiority that the Duke bestows upon himself. The Duke, consumed by his own superior ego, illustrates the statue of Neptune and the seahorse, and this becomes the most memorable part of the poem. Within the final lines of “My Last Duchess”, the Duke makes note of his statue of Neptune taming a wild seahorse, and how it is cast in bronze.
“My Last Duchess,” written by Robert Browning, is simply about a male who was not specially treasured by his, now dead, spouse. The parody of Browning’s poem, “My Ex-Husband,” written by Gabriel Spera, is in a woman’s point of view pondering on a past relationship where she felt she was not properly respected. In both poems, the speakers are reflecting on past relationship conflicts pertaining to the importance they had in their spouse's lives. The speakers' in “My Last Duchess” and “My Ex-Husband” each have different personalities and values, which prompts each individual to react in different ways.
Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” depicts the typical Renaissance man and his peculiarities such as his jealousy and severity as a husband, but also his love for money and art. This essay seeks to demonstrate that ‘love’, ‘marriage’ and ‘death’ are all occurring themes that stand by the principals of this poem. Prior to the beginning of the poem, the word ‘Ferrara’ is thoughtfully placed by the poet in order to assert not only the location, but also the ambience of “My Last Duchess”. Set in Renaissance Italy it is natural to assume that the speaker is an opulent Duke of Ferrara, who has been married many times before, this being explicitly suggested from the very beginning.
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.
Porphyria's Lover also demonstrates several of Robert Browning's defining characteristics as a poet. It contains his criticism towards the beliefs and practices of self-restraint and his traditional use of dramatic monologue to expose a single character's personality, which in turn often provides an additional depth to his works in coordination with his use of unpoetic language. Also taking into account the author's own personal experiences with his wife, the poem can also be perceived as a representation of the development of their relationship. Browning's criticism of the idea of self-restraint is evident throughout the poem "Porphyria's Lover" as it was shown in the internal debates both characters underwent as they decided whether or not they should consummate the love between them.