In 'Porphyria's Lover' and 'My Last Duchess', Browning uses several features of dramatic monologue in order to engage and sustain the interest of the audience. This style of monologue is spoken by a
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The differences between the poems' stories are the reasons why each man chose to kill his partner. Perhaps Porphyria's lover's reason can be justified more than the Duke in 'The Last Duchess', as the lover was obsessed with Porphyria and so could not bear for her to be involved with anyone else. The Duke's pitiful reason of his wife's death was due to her treating him with the same respect as every other man, with him telling the emissary that, "she smiled, no doubt, whene'er I passed her; but who passed without much the same smile?" This suggests that the Duke was too possessive not because of his love for his wife, but instead because of his love for her name, thus leading him to hire one who could kill both her and her title.
Browning's usage of language is a very important factor in engaging and sustaining the interest of the audience. The imagery, particularly in 'Porphyria's Lover' is the main aspect of effectiveness, with both the opening description of the weather, and the picture of Porphyria throughout the poem allowing the audience to view the scene and so …show more content…
Throughout the poem, strong emphasis is placed on "how she loved me", which is vital because her love is the main aspect that leads the lover to kill Porphyria. 'My Last Duchess' is not a continuous tale of the Duchess' life, as the Duke's story is split up with him pausing to discover if his listener is attentive, by continually referring to him as, "Oh, sir" and such like. This poem is also simply the story behind a piece of art, shown by the Duke leading the emissary from one painting to another, and after having finished the story of his "last duchess", asking, "Will't please you rise?" signifying that his last wife's death is now simply part of everyday conversation. Browning portrays the story of the duchess' life as a performance played to those that the Duke is trying to make an impact on.
A strong contrast can be made between the aims of both narrators in the poems. As alleged above, the Duke's aim in 'My Last Duchess' is to impress his listener with the power he possessed when "I gave commands". Throughout 'Porphyria's Lover', the audience learns more and more about Porphyria through her lover's recollections. Her
The differences between the poems' stories are the reasons why each man chose to kill his partner. Perhaps Porphyria's lover's reason can be justified more than the Duke in 'The Last Duchess', as the lover was obsessed with Porphyria and so could not bear for her to be involved with anyone else. The Duke's pitiful reason of his wife's death was due to her treating him with the same respect as every other man, with him telling the emissary that, "she smiled, no doubt, whene'er I passed her; but who passed without much the same smile?" This suggests that the Duke was too possessive not because of his love for his wife, but instead because of his love for her name, thus leading him to hire one who could kill both her and her title.
Browning's usage of language is a very important factor in engaging and sustaining the interest of the audience. The imagery, particularly in 'Porphyria's Lover' is the main aspect of effectiveness, with both the opening description of the weather, and the picture of Porphyria throughout the poem allowing the audience to view the scene and so …show more content…
Throughout the poem, strong emphasis is placed on "how she loved me", which is vital because her love is the main aspect that leads the lover to kill Porphyria. 'My Last Duchess' is not a continuous tale of the Duchess' life, as the Duke's story is split up with him pausing to discover if his listener is attentive, by continually referring to him as, "Oh, sir" and such like. This poem is also simply the story behind a piece of art, shown by the Duke leading the emissary from one painting to another, and after having finished the story of his "last duchess", asking, "Will't please you rise?" signifying that his last wife's death is now simply part of everyday conversation. Browning portrays the story of the duchess' life as a performance played to those that the Duke is trying to make an impact on.
A strong contrast can be made between the aims of both narrators in the poems. As alleged above, the Duke's aim in 'My Last Duchess' is to impress his listener with the power he possessed when "I gave commands". Throughout 'Porphyria's Lover', the audience learns more and more about Porphyria through her lover's recollections. Her