There is not really any obvious imagery in this poem, which gives the impression that the Duke is a very blunt and straightforward person. There are no twists and turns in what he says and nothing should be misinterpreted.
The rhyme scheme for this poem is rhyming couplets. This shows that the Duke is an ordered person and prefers things in an organised fashion. However, there is no set rhythm throughout the poem. This makes the poem sound more the like the speech it is supposed to be. However, the lines each have the same number of syllables and enjambment is used.
Another of Browning’s poems is “Porphyria’s Lover”. There are a lot of things the narrator of this poem says that give me the impression that there is something psychotic about him. “And strangled her No pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain,” is a good example of this. The repetition gives the impression that these are not the words of a sane person. He does not show any signs of remorse or guilt, and does not realise the consequences of what he has done. A person of a stable mind would at least consider this.
The language he uses in this poem seems very unnaturalistic, and does not sound like normal every day speech. This makes the character sound like a very unrealistic and dreamy person, who needs to put their feet firmly on the ground. For example, “When glided in Porphyria; straight she shut out the cold and the storm, And kneeled and made the cheerless grate Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;” gives the impression of someone who has a vivid imagination and lives in a dream world. There are no separate verses in this poem and the lines carry on from one line to the next. Both of these things give us quite a good prospect of the way his mind words: ongoing without any pause for rhyme or reason. The tone of the poem is quite cynical and has a dark air to it. This is created through the character and what he does. “And strangled her” sets quite a scary mood. There are some separate pieces of imagery throughout this poem. I think this carries on the sense that the narrator is in his own little dream world. An example of imagery in this poem is: “As a shut bud that holds a bee”. This adds to the mysterious and mad air of the narrator because it is talking about something concealed and secret.
The rhyme scheme for this poem is an A-B-A-B-B pattern for the majority of the poem. There are also eight syllables in each line for most of the lines. Having a regular rhythm and rhyme scheme throughout the poem that he knows what he is going to do in his mind, but may have no prospect of what it will actually mean. The occasional irregular lines show some insecurity and jealousy.
“The Laboratory” is yet another of Robert Browning’s poems. The narrator of this poem is created mostly through what she says. For instance, “What a drop! She’s not little, no minion like me! That’s why she ensnared him” shows that she is openly jealous of this woman who has taken the partner she wants. There are also some quotes that bring out the evil side of her character e.g. “As thou pliest thy trade in this devil’s-smithy – which is the poison to poison her, prithee?” In this quote she is contemplating how to poison the woman she has planned to kill. This character’s language seems very similar to Old English. For example, “Now that I, tying thy glass mask tightly”. This type of language shows that she is probably a well educated person was brought up in quite a wealthy family. There is a regular verse-form of 4 lines to each stanza throughout the whole poem. This shows she is a very ordered person who knows exactly what she wants from things in life. The tone of this poem is again quite cynical because of the content of the poem. This brings out her character. There is not much imagery throughout this poem. This shows that the woman knows exactly what she wants and how she intends to get it. She shows this by everything she says being literal.
Although all three of these poems are written by the same poet, the characters are created in different ways. There are key features that are used in all of them, but they use one main idea to develop the character. For instance, the narrator in “My Last Duchess” is created very much through what he says and the way he says it. However, the narrator in “Porphyria’s Lover” is created through the way the poem is set out i.e. the verse-form.
The next poem is “The Lady of Shalott” by a different poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson. This character says two lines in the entire poem. They were also both negative comments: “I am half sick of shadows” and “The curse is come upon me”. This creates a major part of her character because it shows she does not have the authority or confidence to speak. It also shows she is very insecure and has no rights. She does not have a voice to speak her opinion. She is completely passive.
There is very little description of the Lady of Shalott considering the length of the poem. However, the little that is used is very poetic and pretty. This illustrates that she is a part of a fairy tale that people make up about her in their own heads, and she has no power over herself or anything that is going on around her. A quote that shows this is: “And sometimes thro’ the mirror blue The knights come riding two and two: She hath no loyal knight and true, The Lady of Shalott.”
This poem is set out in neat little verses of nine lines each. This brings out the stereotypical fairy-type creature she is supposed to be. Everything is perfect. The rhythm and the rhyme scheme in this poem are very ordered. This, again, shows the perfect world outside the tower she is trapped in, and what she is expected to be.
The tone of the poem seems to be very jolly and happy if looked at in a very simple way. However, if you dig deeper into the depths of the poem, there is a dark and ominous tone to it. This is the same with the Lady of Shalott. Outwardly, she is described as a “Fairy”, she is, however, controlled by an evil curse. The quotes that show this are “Listening, whispers, ‘’Tis the fairy Lady of Shalott’” and “Heard a carol, mournful, holy, chanted loudly, chanted lowly, Till her blood was frozen slowly, And her eyes darken’d wholly”. The language used in the second quote is very cynical in comparison to the description of a “fairy”.
There are small pieces of imagery to add effect to the imagery to the description in the poem. This again draws attention away from The Lady of Shalott, as if she has little or no significance in life e.g. “The gemmy bridle glitter’d free, like to some branch of stars we see Hung in the golden Galaxy” is not about her, neither does it mention her.
Another of Tennyson’s poems is “Ulysses”. Because this poem is a dramatic monologue, the character is created majorly through what he says. He talks mainly about his life and what he has achieved e.g. “I am a part of all that I have met; Yet all experience in an arch”. He is obviously a very experienced man and his character has developed through that. This suggests that his attitude to life is that a person is created through their experiences.
The language he uses is very strong, bold and confident. He speaks his mind and is not afraid to do so. An example of this is :”Vext the dim sea: I am become a name For always roaming with a hungry heart”. The nature of the language he uses is reflected in his character. The active verbs in the poem show that he has not necessarily left all those things in the past, and may still want to live that life.
The verses in this poem are completely irregular, there are a different number of lines in each stanza. This represents the excitement he wants and craves in his life. The adrenaline of not knowing what comes next is probably what kept him going. Again, the rhythm and rhyme is completely irregular and follows on from the verse-form.
The tone of this poem is contrasting as you go through it. This shows that he may be indecisive, but knows his own mind. The first half of the poem seems quite resentful and bored – “barren crags”, “savage race”, “idle king” and “aged wife” are phrase that show this. However, it then changes to quite a hopeful tone e.g. “We are not now the strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are: One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield”. There are small parts of imagery in the poem, but it does not really create a strong sense of character.
The two poems written by Tennyson are opposite ends of the scale, and do not use as many techniques as fully as Browning does. “The Lady of Shalott” does not say very much at all and yet her character is created vividly through other descriptions, whereas “Ulysses” is developed mainly through what he says, because the poem is in the form of a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue lets us get a good insight into what the character really thinks and feels, whereas in a narrative piece we are only hearing how someone else views them.
