Similar But Different
(Comparing and Contrasting Robert Browning’s Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess)
Robert Browning was a wonderful and talented author during the Victorian era. He produced many popular and extraordinary pieces of work throughout his life. One form of literature he is known for today is his dramatic monologues. Two of Browning's famous dramatic monologues include Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess. Browning was not only able to catch the reader's interest with his work, but was able to invoke thought. Browning used the dramatic monologues strategically to encourage thought by making the reader identify the speaker and the listener of the piece. In Robert Browning’s Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess there are …show more content…
The male figures motives behind his actions are one of the biggest difference between these two dramatic monologues. In Porphyria’s Lover the motive is love. This made the lover think of how he could make her wish come true. His thought process is described as, “porphyria worshipped me; surprise made my heart swell, and still it grew while I debated what to do… I found a thing to do, and all her hair in one long yellow string I wound three times her little throat around, and strangled her.” (lines 33-41) It is obvious that love is the motive behind what he did. He wanted to insure that she would be able to stay with him forever, and now she could. He fulfilled her wish. Consequently, because motive is the biggest difference between these two dramatic monologues, the Duke’s motives in My Last Duchess is far from love. He was driven in fact, by the opposite of love. The Dukes motive for murder was spite, anger, and hatred. AS he described in his story to the lawyer, his wife was always happy because of someone else. This did not sit well with the Duke. The Duke hated that she found happiness from anything but him and even more so that she found happiness despite him. By murdering her he was able to use her as an
(Comparing and Contrasting Robert Browning’s Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess)
Robert Browning was a wonderful and talented author during the Victorian era. He produced many popular and extraordinary pieces of work throughout his life. One form of literature he is known for today is his dramatic monologues. Two of Browning's famous dramatic monologues include Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess. Browning was not only able to catch the reader's interest with his work, but was able to invoke thought. Browning used the dramatic monologues strategically to encourage thought by making the reader identify the speaker and the listener of the piece. In Robert Browning’s Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess there are …show more content…
The male figures motives behind his actions are one of the biggest difference between these two dramatic monologues. In Porphyria’s Lover the motive is love. This made the lover think of how he could make her wish come true. His thought process is described as, “porphyria worshipped me; surprise made my heart swell, and still it grew while I debated what to do… I found a thing to do, and all her hair in one long yellow string I wound three times her little throat around, and strangled her.” (lines 33-41) It is obvious that love is the motive behind what he did. He wanted to insure that she would be able to stay with him forever, and now she could. He fulfilled her wish. Consequently, because motive is the biggest difference between these two dramatic monologues, the Duke’s motives in My Last Duchess is far from love. He was driven in fact, by the opposite of love. The Dukes motive for murder was spite, anger, and hatred. AS he described in his story to the lawyer, his wife was always happy because of someone else. This did not sit well with the Duke. The Duke hated that she found happiness from anything but him and even more so that she found happiness despite him. By murdering her he was able to use her as an