Brownings Dramatic Monologues

Authors Avatar
Discuss the Reasons Browning's Characters Have for Murdering Their Victims in Three of his Dramatic Monologues

Robert Browning was an English poet who lived from 1812-1889 He was known for his use of dramatic monologue. Three of his best known dramatic monologues are; My Last Duchess, Porphyria's Lover and The Laboratory. The earliest of which was Porphyria's Lover which was first published in January 1836. Set in a cottage during a storm, Porphyria comes to see the cottager, who quite shockingly murders her, with her own hair. The Laboratory, the second of the three poems, was published in June 1844. But is set in the 18th Century. Many believe that the Marquise of Brivilles may have influenced Browning. It's believed that poisoning was common in this era. The murderer is a strong and determined, but very jealous and embittered, young woman, who's believes her husband is having an affair. My Last duchess the most famous of Browning's dramatic monologues, is set late in the Italian renaissance period, it was the last to be published in 1845. The Duke is giving a tour of his gallery to an emissary when he reveals the painting behind a curtain. Many believe this poem was influenced by Alfonso II fifth Duke of Ferrara and his wife Lucrezia di Cosimo de'Medici who married in 1558, but Lucrezia died three years later in suspicious circumstances - she was thought to have been poisoned. The Duke was then set to marry Barbara who's father the Count was arranging the marriage. The Count's chief courier Nikolaus Mardruz was suspected to be the silent listener.

A dramatic monologue is a type of poem, developed during the Victorian period, in which a character in fiction or in history delivers a speech explaining his or her feelings, actions, or motives. The monologue is usually directed toward a silent audience. In My Last Duchess the listener is the emissary, the speaker's words are influenced by a critical situation for example the cottager in Porphyria's Lover, when he saw in Porphyria's eyes that she 'worshipped' him. Another important factor in Browning's poetry is irony. Irony is used a lot in My Last Duchess one example is at a glance you might think that the Duke is looking at a picture of his deceased wife on the wall and mourning her beauty and playful personality. This is part of the irony in that he was not mourning her beauty but instead trying to cover up his jealousy. Browning also uses irony by projecting the characters differently to how they view themselves. In Porphyria's lover the speaker believes it is perfectly okay to lie with a corpse of his lover all night, however the reader views this as obscure and deranged. Although the irony can be quite obvious to some it only works if the reader of the poem shares the same morals as Browning in a shocking situation, if a jealous woman who murdered her lovers ex was to read The Laboratory, they might not see anything wrong with what is going on.
Join now!


My Last Duchess and Porphyria's Lover are two Dramatic monologues written by Robert Browning that contain themes of love, jealousy, inadequacy and obsession. In both the poems the male characters are striving for control as they both have women that are too independent and free spirited, both women are also too sexual for the men. Porphyria because she freely goes to the cottage whenever she feels like it and is the controller in their relationship. She shakes her 'yellow hair' is the one to put his head against her chest, there is also irony here because the cottager ...

This is a preview of the whole essay