Christopher Browning

The poems “My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover” are dramatic monologues written by Robert Browning in 1842. Browning was a writer that knew little fame while he was alive, but has since become an important and influential author. The short stories were part of a collection of poems, Bells and Pomegranates No. III: Dramatic Lyrics, which were mostly ignored while Browning was alive due to previous failure earlier in his career. This collection, along with another Bells and Pomegranates No.…

We all have an inner monologue in which we contemplate our world and our lives. These never-ending internal conversations are what guide our thoughts and actions and even our perception of the people around us. Robert Browning is famous for his poetic style of dramatic monologue, which he often uses to create the illusion of continuous thought. Utilizing a variety of techniques, he is able to bring about the effect of spontaneity, as exemplified in his poem “My Last Duchess.” Within this…

In “A Poison Tree” by William Blake and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe have the same concept in the matter of characters and conflicts. In the poem by Blake, the speaker of the poem is angry with its “Foe” but the foe doesn’t know of the feelings of the speaker. In the short story by Poe the main character Montresor was furious with Fortunato, the other main character, for reasons that Fortunato is not aware of and same with the reader. The poem and short story are similar because…

mind and he himself contradicts himself as he talks has already been discussed, one interesting aspect to consider is how Browning writes the speech of the speaker, in iambic pentameter. This creates a much more lyrically pleasing poem, as it using clever rhyme and meter to accentuate the intelligence and speaking skills we perceive the Duke to have. The words be used by Browning, and ultimately the Duke are very meticulously chosen, as he opts to phrase things in a particular fashion to paint…

Chaucer wrote of The Book Duchess as an eulogy for Blanche of Lancaster, the wife of his friend, patron and employer John of Gaunt. The poem is organized as a dream vision and as such is build in circles that are closed and interlinked with around each other. At the core of the poem is the Man in Black’s lament for his queen and on the most outer circle is the poet, tormented by a personal loss, that remains unexplained within the text. While the Knight is entirely overcome with his grief and…

Myrna Pena-Reyes’ “Breaking Through” and William Carlos William’s “This is Just to Say” expresses the relationship of the persona with another person through the use of different figurative devices. In “Breaking Through”, we see the persona as the daughter and the “you” in the poem as her father. Meanwhile, in the poem “This is Just to Say”, the persona of the poem is the husband, while the “you” in the poem refers to his wife. These two poems present a similar conflict – the persona is…

“The Importance of History in Literature” Two English poets, John Donne and Margaret Cavendish, wrote during the periods known as the Renaissance and the Restoration respectively. “The Sun Rising” by Donne details a scene in which the speaker berates the sun for rising and disturbing him and his lover. “A World in an Earring” by Cavendish discusses the idea that on the inside of an earring there is a smaller version of our world. In the Donne poem, the speaker utilizes personification such…

objectification of women that Browning suggests makes him unpaired, and unmatchable. Browning’s choice to use these contrasting couplets, then, calls into question the logic of the speaker himself. If there is irony in the physical nature of the poem, does Browning suggest there is an irony that exists in the content of the Duke’s words themselves? It sure seems that way. By contrasting the use of these poetic couplets with the Duke’s words in “My Last Duchess,” Browning is able to bring…

An instant, authoritative voice is found present in Browning’s words during this scene. Even after she dies, Porphyria is not allowed the freedom to understand her own feelings (Buron). Through this particular work, Browning reveals that Victorian women had no freedom in almost every aspect of their life. The one true power that was held, such as expressing one’s feelings, is taken away. By doing so, men take away the purpose of being. The persona simply declares 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…