Compare and Contrast Tennyson's 'Mariana' with Browning's 'Porphyria's Lover'. What is the emotional state of each speaker and how effectively is this conveyed?

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Compare and Contrast Tennyson's 'Mariana' with Browning's 'Porphyria's Lover'. What is the emotional state of each speaker and how effectively is this conveyed?

Tennyson and Browning were contemporary Victorian poets. During his lifetime, Tennyson was made Poet Laureate. His poem 'Mariana' is very cyclical and minimal. The mood is depressive, which reflected Tennyson's family traits, as Tennyson himself was very susceptible to depression. However, Browning's 'Porphyria's Lover' is very linear as the action clearly moves from one stage to another and is not so repetitive.

The remote and rural location of each poem portrays a sense of loneliness and isolation that is directed towards the central character. This heightens feeling and emotion and enables them to be introspected and egocentric. Both Mariana and Porphyria's Lover as people are unhappy with their current lives. They both desire love, as they feel frustrated because of their lovers. However, the two are slightly different. Mariana has been dejected whereas Porphyria's lover needs to control the relationship.

In verse one of 'Mariana', the overall theme is one of isolation and neglect. The 'rusted nails' and 'broken shed' set the scene that Mariana too is neglected throughout the poem.