Analyzing 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's Lover'

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‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’

‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ are both dramatic monologues written by Robert Barrett Browning.

‘Porphyria’s Lover’ is one long stanza, written in a conversational style and there is no direct listener where as ‘My Last Duchess’ consists of 28 rhymed couplets, is written in iambic pentameter and there are a direct listener.

‘Porphyria’s Lover’ is Browning’s first short dramatic monologue.

The subject of ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ is obsessive love. Porphyria’s Lover gets so obsessed with her that he kills her to make him his forever.

Alternatively the subject of ‘My Last Duchess’ is obsessive love. The Duke wanted the Duchess to be his and more like an object than a person.

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The rhythm in ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ is ababb however in ‘My Last Duchess’ it is abab.

‘Porphyria’s Lover’ tells the story of a man who obsesses over his lover (Porphyria) who is of a higher class than him. Eventually this leads to him killing her to make her his forever.

“And, stooping”, this is ambiguous and could mean that she is stooping to someone of a lower class or that she is physically stooping to his level. This along with “glided in Porphyria” indicates that Porphyria is from a higher class than her lover.

Porphyria is also a married woman. “From pride, ...

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