Difference and Similarities

Authors Avatar

Year 10 Pre-1914 Poetry Coursework

In these poems Browning gives us an insight into minds corrupted by jealousy. Discuss how Browning makes effective use of the dramatic monologue to reveal the characters of the narrators, and shock the readers. Which did you find most shocking and why?

A dramatic monologue is s type of poem. It is like a speech which reveals a character’s thought and feelings. The poet takes on the role of this character and speaks as them. All dramatic monologues are written in the first person. The effect of this is to make the poem more personal.

Robert Browning wrote his monologues in the 19th Century. “My Last Duchess” was set in 14th Century in Italy in a patriarchal society. “Porphyria’s Lover” was set in 19th Century in England and lastly “The Laboratory” was set in 18th Century in France. Robert Browning’s poems were popular because in the Victorians times it was a patriarchal society and the people who lived in the Victorian times were very strict and also had a restricted life. Therefore reading this in those times would have been especially strange and unusual to read about psychotic people killing their loved ones.

The similarities between the characteristics of the narrators in the three poems. The first similarity is that the three poems have disturbed narrators who treat their lovers as a possession. In “Porphyria’s Lover” we know this when he tells us:

“Give herself to me” 

this tells us that he only wants her to himself and no one else whereas in “My Last Duchess” we know this when he tells us:

“since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you but I” 

this tells us that he is possessive even after her death but in “The Laboratory” the narrator tells us that she wants to poison two females but also wants the king to suffer by saying:

“He is sure to remember her dying face”

this tells us that even though she doesn’t want him dead she wants him to suffer as much as the two female who will be poisoned.

In addition another similarity is that all three poems the three narrators don’t have any sense of guilt for what they have done. They also think they have gotten away with the murder and that they didn’t do anything wrong or need to regret for anything. In “Porphyria’s Lover” he tells us:

Join now!

“and yet God has not said a word.”

This tells us that he thinks that he hasn’t done anything wrong because he has not been punished by God yet. In “My Last Duchess” he tells us:

“Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet the company below.”

This shows us that he’s got no emotions, he’s controlling and has a normal tone and relaxed about what he has done. In “The Laboratory” she doesn’t feel any guilt for what she is doing and for what she is just about to do, we know this by:

“And her breast and her arms and ...

This is a preview of the whole essay