'...Just this
Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,
Or there exceed the mark,'
Lines 37 - 39
'...and if she let
Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set
Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse.'
Lines 39 - 41
Finally, the Duke gets so frustrated and so annoyed with his wife's persistant 'unconventional behaviour', that he gives 'the signal' and from then on, 'all smiles stopped'. Even here, when he is talking about the poignant subject of death, he still manages to state that all the time, she was in the wrong, and that really, she deserved everything.
We assume that the Duke is talking to the envoy of a Count, who has visited in order to make arrangements for the possible marriage of the Duke to the daughter of the envoy's master. The Duke has therefore told all his displeasure with his 'last duchess' in order to make clear to the second woman what sort of conduct he will expect from her, like a warning to his future wife. At this point, the Duke has referred to the Count's daughter as his 'object'.
In the second dramatic monologue entitled 'Porphyria's Lover', Robert Browning gives the reader a dramatic insight into the mind of an abnormally possessive lover. Love poems often express the wish that time would stand still so that a particularly intense moment of love will last forever. The lover in this monologue feels this too, but his way of immortalising that moment is, to say the least, unusual.
This poem begins with the use of sinister personification and from this we can assume that browning is setting the scene for what is to happen in the poem. From here, the scene changes to the inside of the house. In addition, the tone changes when Porphyria arrives. Here, Browning begins to use several 'soft' and 'gentle' words to portray a cosy atmosphere inside of the house, whilst outside, savage weather rips through the atmosphere.
'She shut the cold out and the storm...'
Line 7
'Blaze up, and all the cottage warm.'
Line 9
We then get the reasons as to why Porhpyria is actually at the house, as we are told of how she tries to seduce her lover by slowly and sensually 'withdrawing' her cloak, 'untying' her hat, 'lying' her gloves down and 'letting' her damp hair fall. The 'letting' down of her blonde hair would be seen as very erotic, as would the revealing of her 'smooth white shoulder'.
From here however, an atmosphere of suspense and tension is created as the lover doesn't respond to the attempted seduction on the part of Porphyria and the fact that she actually has to force him to respond.
'And, stooping, made my cheek lie there.'
Line 19
Browning goes on to reveal to us that the speaker is actually infatuated with Porphyria. Firstly, he tells us how the lover sees Porphyria as his possession, as shown by the repition of possessive words.
'That moment she was mine, mine...'
Line 36
Secondly, Browning portrays the speaker as a jealous lover. The speaker is almost disgusted at the fact that Porphyria feels that she can 'glide' in whenever she feels like it, whilst he is constantly waiting for her arrival. We sense that her 'other life' has given her substantial wealth and status as she would be attending high social functions, whilst he was waiting for her, feeling incredibly lonely. It is here that we find out that the speaker's obsession has grown to tremendous jealousy, which leads us to question his mental state at this point. The use of the word 'pale' indicates that the speaker is lovesick.
'But, passion sometimes would prevail,
Nor could to-nights gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale....'
Lines 26 - 28
From here, we are given an insight into the psychological mind of Porphyria's Lover as he tells us how he wound her long, blonde hair 'three times her little throat around, and strangled her'. The speaker then believes that in strangling Porphyria he has maintained the purity of her looks, which he would have otherwise ruined by killing her any other way. He then tries to minimize to himself the true extent of the fact that hehas just killed a human being, which is just one way in which Browning shows the speaker's madness.
'...No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain.'
Lines 41 - 42
Another way in which Browning illustrates the speakers madness is when he tells of how the lover tries to justify to himself that Porphyria isn't actually dead. He tells of how her blue eyes were 'without a stain' and how 'her cheek once more blushed bright beneath my burning kiss.'
However, at no point during the poem are we notified of any remorse the speaker feels over the crime he has comitted. Instead, the speaker uses a tableau as he attempts to paint a picture of how cosy and 'together' they were.
'And thus we sit together now,
And all night, long we have not stirred.'
Lines 58 - 59
Finally, the speaker mentions that 'God has not said a word'. Once again, he attempts to justify to himself that he has done nothing wrong by reassuring himself that had he done anything wrong, he would have been punished by God.
The second type of love that grabbed the attention of many Victorians was poems of seduction. This was also the most successful 'genre' of poem in the Elizabethan era, and one of the more famous poems of seduction to come from this period of history is Andrew Marvells, 'To His Coy Mistress'.
'To His Coy Mistress' is a 'metaphysical' poem. In it, the poet constructs an argument in an attempt to make his lady see things from his point of view. However, at times, it does seem more than a seduction poem.
The first stanza is fabricated of words and phrases that are used in an attempt to flatter the lover of Marvell. From the opening few lines, we can gather that his lady his coy, and in the same sense, the 'conventional' female. However, it seems that Marvell is impatient and does not really want to wait for her and so uses flattery in order to speed up the process of deliberation on her part.
'Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, Lady, were no crime.'
Stanza 1. 1 - 2
Marvell then goes on to use a comparison of the Ganges rand the Humber to differentiate between their current suroundings. He speaks of the riches that surround the girl whilst by the Ganges, and of the dull, boring surroundings that the poet is witnessing by the Humber. In the same way, we can also interpret this statement as an insight into the current psychological state of Marvell - he feels dull and boring as if he is by the Humber, whilst his lady is full of life and enjoying herself, as if she were by the Indian Ganges surrounded by riches.
'Thou by the Indian Ganges' side
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide
Of Humber would complain.'
1. 5 - 7
Marvell continues to pay compliments to his lady, telling her that if time were on their side, he would spend a hundred years adoring each eye, then two hundred to adore each breast, thirty thousand years to adore every other past of her body, and then with the time remaining will adore her heart. Really, Marvell is using these manipulation tactics as a ploy for seduction.
The second stanza is full of images of death and decay. This is the point where we see Marvells' impatience. He always makes reference to the fact that time will not stand still whilst his lady makes her decision, and also makes some reference to death, saying how showing not only impatience but incredible arrogance and sheer desperation.
'Time's winged chariot hurrying near...'
2. 1 - 2
'Thy beauty shall no more be found,
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound
My echoing song...'
2. 5 - 7
The most amazing point of the whole poem really, is when Marvell begins to mock his lady as she is attempting to uphold her honour, and that is the only reason why she is taking time to think over what Marvell has previously told her. He belittles her for being 'conventional', which I find quite suprising. In other poems studied, such as
'My Last Duchess', the lady in question actually lost her life for being 'unconventional', and here, Marvell is mocking his lady for being 'conventional'. This really does emphasise my earlier point that women were considered second class citizens and had little or no rights as compared to men.
'And your quaint honour turn to dust...'
2. 9 - 10
In the third and final stanza, Marvell 'sums up' his argument. He begins by using 'soft and 'affectionate' language, once again as an act of persuasion, that he previously used in the first stanza.
Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew...'
3. 1 - 2
He then goes on to voice his 'opinions' on what he feels his lady should do for the best. Again, as in the first stanza, Marvell uses images of death and time in an attempt to appeal to her sense of sympathy, yet immediately after this quote, tells his lady that if they act on their desires and mutual feelings for each other now, they will be able to devour time.
'Now let us sport us while we may...'
'And now, like amorous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour...'
3. 5 - 7
Marvell then begins to get tired of waiting, and as in the second stanza, begins to belittle and mock his lady for correctly wanting to uphold her honour. Again, this goes back to my earlier point that women were basically ignored and seen as objects of possession rather than human beings. The use of physical words can be interpreted as an enticement to physical activity.
'Let us roll all our strength and all
Our sweetness up into one ball
And tear our pleasures with rought strife...'
3. 9 - 11
The third and final type of love that fascinated the Victorian age was poems which featured love as an illlness. One poem which features love as an illness is 'First Love', by John Clare. Clare grew up in extreme poverty and this humble background made it impossible for him to marry the daughter of a wealthy farmer. This disapointment made a lasting impression; after studying this poem, we can begin to imagine how devastating he would find such setbacks.
The first line is an immediate introduction into how John Clare sees love. He mentions the word 'struck' which is an extremely powerful verb and it produces the idea of someone or something being brutally hit. This tells us that for Clare, love hasn't been so kind. The first stanza is full of words and phrases that indicate to us that love has made the speaker ill. Firstly, Clare tells us of how his lover has 'stole me heart away', which portrays the idea of a crime being comitted. Secondly, the speaker tells of how his 'face turned pale as deadly pale'. The repetition of the word 'pale', indicates that love has made the speaker ill and that love has inflicted a fatal injury on him. He then goes on to say how his 'legs refused to walk', conveying the idea that because of the extent of the injury that love has incured on him, his body has now turned against him. Finally, the speaker tells us that his 'life and all seemed turned to clay'. Clay is a malleable product which is able to be moulded, and in the same way, love is moulding his life into a dull existence.
In the second stanza, we learn that not only has the physical state of Clare changed, but so too has his mental state, as his senses have now become affected by the power of love. Firstly, Clare tells us how when blood rushes to his head, his sight is taken away from him, signifying the total devastation he is feeling because of this rejection.
I believe that he is feeling this downhearted because this rejection was unfairly based on his 'social standing', rather than whether or not he is a nice person.
'And then blood rushed to my face
And took my sight away...'
Stanza 2. Lines 1 - 2
He then goes on to tell us that because of his sudden lack of sight, daylight no longer exists and therefore, night is constant.
'...seemed midnight at noonday.'
2. 4
Finally, the biggest indication we get that Clare is suffering from sensory deprivation is when he tells us that he is no longer in control of what he is saying.
'Words from my heart did start,
They spoke as chords do from the string...'
2. 6 - 7
In the third and final stanza, Clare begins with a use of rhetorical questions,in order to portray the fact that wishes can't always be granted for things that seem to be beyond the course of nature.
'Are flowers the winter's choice?
Is love's bed always snow?
Stanza 3.Lines 1 - 2
With the first rhetorical question, he is asking 'Are flowers the winter's choice?' This indicates that although flowers may be wanted by winter, the climate that it is accustomed to makes this impossible. In the same way, he is saying that his love may share in his wishes, but his humble background makes it impossible for them to be together.
Another poem which portrays love as an illness is 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci', by John Keats, who had an immense love of nature and used nature to reflect his strong emotions. This poem in particular shows nature's link with the mental and physical state of man. This convention is known as pathetic fallacy. Here, we see Keats' imagination at its most powerful, as he uses myths and folklore to express his feelings about life and death.
This poem uses two speakers for accuracy. This dialogue technique is extremely effective and striking because it enables us to find out both the physical and mental state of a person viewed by somebody else, which forces a response as to why the person is in such a mental and physical state.
'O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms...'
Stanza 1. Line1
'And this is why I sojourn here...'
Stanza 12. Line 1
Keats cleverly uses a 'knight-at-arms to signify the power of love. A knight is a famously tough, brave character, but in this poem is 'palely loitering', showing the effects of falling in love. The repetition of the word 'pale', which has been used in a few poems that we have studied, are astutely used to emphasise the extent of how powerful love actually is. In 'First Love', we hear about how the speaker's 'face turned pale as deadly pale' after being 'struck' by the power of love. In 'Porphyria's Lover' we hear about how a 'sudden thought of one so pale' would refrain his lady from attending social functions and instead be with him. This signifies the effect that love has had on the speaker's emotions, as he waits for his lady to call, alone and ill with love.
We suspect from the information given that the lady that the knight dreams about is possibly more than she seems, and has hypnotised the knight with her powerful charm and beauty. The significance of the knight's dream is that a man, with extreme power and bravery has been reduced to a lovesick fugure, emphasising the power of love.
'I met a lady....
Full beautiful - a faery's child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light.
And her eyes were wild.'
Stanza 4. Lines 1 - 4
The poet uses nature to reflect emotion in the poem by using positive nature to reflect a positive mood and negative language to reflect a dark, unhappy mood.
'I met a lady in the meads...'
4.1
'On the cold hill's side...'
Stanza 9. Line 4
The poem is actually quite sad because the poet truly fell in love with the faery and hoped his love was requited, but the faery was infact taking him for a fool and did not really care about how much she hurt the knight in the process of her fun and games. At the time of writing the poem, Keats must have been feeling strong emotions to link enchantment and magic to love and its effects on others.
The poems that we have studied were written in the Pre 1900s, and the majority share the same conventions - jealous lovers, love triangles and violence. Enthralling poems like these, along with plays of similar plotlines, fed the hunger of the majority of Victorians for more sexuality, violence and scandal.