Comparison Between Poems 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's Lover'
Robert Browning's poems 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's Lover' were both written in the form of a dramatic monoloque, meaning that the narrator is also the protagonist. Both poems show a similarity because they are narrated from a male's point of view. Even though the Duke is talking to a emissary in 'My Last Duchess', it is still a monoloque, just a monoloque within a dialoque. Since the poems are written in this manner, the reader can become more involved in the male's very strong emotions. Both poems are also written out with no stanzas, indicating the insanity of the two males with no actual structure to the poem.
Between the two poems there are four mian characters, with the two male protagonists only speaking. Between the two of them there is a huge difference, one is a Duke, coming from a wealthy background, only getting the best assets in life, while the other protagonist is a handsome low class man, who is like a male prostitute for Porphyria. Both men are clearly from different backgrounds and it is shown by their behaviour, not just by the way they look. The Duke is very arrogant and a show off, everything that he has is the best and he has to show it off. The portrait he has of his Last Duchess was painted by the best, by “Frá Pandolf's hands”. Porphyria's Lover is the opposite of this and is very shy, but he changes and kills Porphyria. Both men represent the macho man in society today, with the attitude of men still being the same today as it was four hundred years ago. The two protagonists are both determined to get what they want in the end. The difference between the two here is that the Duke “gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together” because he had the money to do so, whilst Porphyria's Lover had to carry out the murder himself. The Women are in control most of the time, especially Porphyria, until they are killed. The Men have to have complete control and this is achieved when the women are dead. The men have craved to have control over the women, especially the Duke because he did not want his Duchess to smile at anyone except for him and now it is his “object”. The worst part about these two individuals is that they do not regret anything that they did and they are not afraid of what might happen to them in the future. Particullary in 'Porphyria's Lover', the protagonist trully believes that he has done nothing wrong, “And yet God has not said a word”.
