How do Brownings poems - Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess - tell us about the position of women in previous centuries? Was this a reflection of Browning's personal view?
How do Brownings poems - Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess - tell us about the position of women in previous centuries? Was this a reflection of Browning's personal view? * Robert Browning's poems give us an insight into the way men considered women in previous centuries; and the conclusions are actually quite shocking. From 'My Last Duchess', it is made perfectly clear that the Duke considers his wives as little more than possessions that are able to be disposed of if less than perfect. He says at the beginning of the poem; 'That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive'. He shows not a trace of remorse for his act and it is even as if the painting means more to him and is more valuable than his real wife when she were alive. Browning is writing from the Dukes viewpoint and we have to remember that not only was the Duke three/four hundred years prior Brownings time, he would have also been brought up in a family where it was socially acceptable to discard wives as possessions and even to have had them killed if they did not satisfy their wants. This, in itself, is an injustice towards women, making it seem as though they are there merely for men's sake only and are second class citizens - ranking far from males. The Dukes attitude towards the Duchess reminds me of a peacock's display of its tail during mating season. The Duke flashes about
Compare 'my last Duchess' With 'Porphyria's Lover', taking into consideration subject and theme, setting and atmosphere and the choice and arrangements of the words.
Compare 'my last Duchess' With 'Porphyria's Lover', taking into consideration subject and theme, setting and atmosphere and the choice and arrangements of the words. Robert Browning was born on May 7, 1812 in Camberwell. The majority of his education came from his father who worked as a bank clerk. In 1828 he enrolled at the university of London, but soon left as he found he was happier learning at his own pace. Robert tried to become a playwright as well as a poet but he was unsuccessful. In 1846 Robert Browning married Elizabeth Barrett who was also a poet. He settled down with her in Florence, but then moved to London when she died in 1861. It was then that he wrote some of his finest poetry. Both 'Porphyrias Lover' and 'My Last Duchess' are written in single stanza form but have a different rhyme scheme, 'My Last Duchess' is written in heroic couplets making it sound more rhythmic and methodical whereas 'Porphyrias lover' is written in the rhyme scheme: A-B-A-B-B-A with eight syllables per line and 'My Last Duchess' has 10 syllables per line. Both poems are written as a monologue and from the first person point of view this makes the poems more personal. 'Porphyrias Lover' begins with a romantic and seductive mood but turns into a cold, calculated mood with little or no emotion showing through "while I debated what to do". 'My Last Duchess' is quite formal which in
How does Browning Illustrate the Relationships he portrays in 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's Lover'
How does Browning Illustrate the Relationships he portrays in 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's Lover'? By reading both of the poems presented by Browning there were several features that seem to be closely related. 'My Last Duchess', although written in the 19th Century, was set back in the Renaissance era which was between 14th and 15th century. This is not the same as 'Porphyria's Lover', which has no indication of being set any other time than when it was written (which was also in the 19th century.) They were however both set with the same quite similar theme of a man killing his partner. The killings are quite a dire exposure into the thinking of a man in a position of power over his partner. They are shown in a way that 20th century readers feel uncomfortable with. This although is from my perspective as a modern reader, so would people have been as shocked to read poems such as these in the 19th century? Male authority would probably have been more widely accepted back then, so even though people would have turned a blind eye to this sort of act it would not have been uncommon. 'My Last Duchess' is written from behind the eyes of a duke. A Renaissance nobleman who is now a widower and has had a painting done of his deceased wife which he always keeps behind a curtain. This picture he is showing to a messenger of another noble family of which has a daughter he wants
Compare and contrast the poems 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's Lover'.
Compare and contrast the poems 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's Lover' By Robert Browning These poems by Robert Browning were written in the Victorian era. The Victorians from the outlook seemed to live on high standards and rules, but underneath they craved for scandal and gossip. Robert Browning gave this to them through his poems. They were filled with adultery, passion, sexual tension and murder. 'Porphyria's Lover' starts off with pathetic falacy which reflects the narrators mood, he does this by using personification which also sets the scene. "Sullen wind was soon awake," "Did it's worst to vex the lake" Although outside the weather is described as being harsh and fierce, Porphyria brings a comforting warmth to the house. "Made the cheerless grate blaze up, and all the cottage warm." The start of 'My Last Duchess' doesn't initially set the scene like in 'Porphyria's lover' but it introduces the main theme of the poem, the Dukes last Duchess. "That's my last Duchess on the wall, looking as if she were alive." This makes us feel for the Duke for the loss of his wife. But as you read on you begin to see the true side of the Duke. "Fra Pandolfs hands worked busily a day." This makes you feel that he sees her as just another piece of artwork, a prize, a trophy, not as a lover or a companion. The man in 'Porphyria's lover' sees her as in control, "She put my arm about
The Laboratory by Robert Browning
"The laboratory" by Robert Browning The poem "the laboratory" is written by Robert Browning. Robert Browning was born in Camberwell, south London, as the son of Robert Browning, a wealthy clerk in the Bank of England. Browning received scant formal education. However, his father encouraged him to read and he had access to a large library, which founded a passionate love with poetry. The laboratory consists of 12 stanzas and has 4 lines to each stanza. Creating an image of the lab right from the opening 2 lines, the poet gets us hooked. We can almost picture ourselves there, as the speaker refers to what they are doing as devils work but it does not stop her, it entices her. She only refers to the other couple as 'he' and 'she' as they remain nameless, as they have done something that does not warrant being given a name. There are frequent references to gold and jewels in the poem compared to the grimness of the lab. Is the poet trying to tell us that money is the root of all evil? The poet in the poem seems almost too polite e.g. asking questions in contrast to the nature in which she asks them. The poet has created a situation, which we care not for the intended victim because they deserve some punishment even though this is too excessive. The title may suggest that the poems setting will be situated in a laboratory however this is not the case as the poems storyline
Compare the two poem "Porphyria's Lover" and "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning. In what ways do they form part of the literacy tradition?
Compare the two poem "Porphyria's Lover" and "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning. In what ways do they form part of the literacy tradition? Tom Griffin Both poems are dramatic monologues written by Robert Browning in the nineteenth century. A dramatic monologue is a poem written showing only one point of view, which is that of the narrator, and in "My Last Duchess" it is the Duke. Browning has carried on a tradition of dramatic monologues from Shakespeare. His soliloquies in "Macbeth" when he is alone and debating whether to kill the King or not. Also Allen Bennett produced a television programme entitled "Talking Heads" which shows one person talking to a camera, which is another example of a dramatic monologue. In the opening paragraph of "Porphyria's Lover" Browning describes a storm brewing outside by using words such as "vex, sullen, spite" which personifies a storm raging in the narrators head. We tend to think Porphyria has an unreal quality as she "glided" in which suggests she is very elegant, in comparison to the storm. She then "shut the cold out and the storm, and kneeled and made the cheerless grate blaze up, and all the cottage warm." The repetition of the word "and" suggests the narrators increasingly excited state of mind as one thought runs into the next. He is like the "cheerless grate" and wants to "blaze up" when he sees Porphyria, yet his pride permits
Compare and Contrast Tennyson's 'Mariana' with Browning's 'Porphyria's Lover'. What is the emotional state of each speaker and how effectively is this conveyed?
Compare and Contrast Tennyson's 'Mariana' with Browning's 'Porphyria's Lover'. What is the emotional state of each speaker and how effectively is this conveyed? Tennyson and Browning were contemporary Victorian poets. During his lifetime, Tennyson was made Poet Laureate. His poem 'Mariana' is very cyclical and minimal. The mood is depressive, which reflected Tennyson's family traits, as Tennyson himself was very susceptible to depression. However, Browning's 'Porphyria's Lover' is very linear as the action clearly moves from one stage to another and is not so repetitive. The remote and rural location of each poem portrays a sense of loneliness and isolation that is directed towards the central character. This heightens feeling and emotion and enables them to be introspected and egocentric. Both Mariana and Porphyria's Lover as people are unhappy with their current lives. They both desire love, as they feel frustrated because of their lovers. However, the two are slightly different. Mariana has been dejected whereas Porphyria's lover needs to control the relationship. In verse one of 'Mariana', the overall theme is one of isolation and neglect. The 'rusted nails' and 'broken shed' set the scene that Mariana too is neglected throughout the poem. 'My life is dreary' is Mariana showing her depression and also turning the misery in on herself; her lover 'cometh not'. Verse two
In some poems the poets write about their feelings towards people. Compare 3 poems in this collection: the Laboratory, Havisham and My last Duchess
In some poems the poets write about their feelings towards people. Compare 3 poems in this collection: the Laboratory, Havisham and My last Duchess The poems 'The Laboratory' by Robert Browning, 'My Last Duchess' by Robert Browning and 'Havisham' by Carol Ann Duffy all write about their feelings towards the characters in their poems. The laboratory is about a lady making poison to kill the man she loves ladies that he has chosen over her. In My Last Duchess it is about a man talking about his last duchess and what she did wrong and that the end result was murder. Havisham is about a lady who has gone mad over a love she once had who she was engaged to but at the last moment broke off their wedding and she never moves on from that day. In the poem 'The Laboratory' by Robert Browning the persona of the poem shows that she is very bitter towards her love as she wants him all to herself and not have to share him with others. She wants revenge on the times that she has missed out on without him and also for the times when 'they believe my tears flow' (Line 6+7) when this is untrue. She has worked out a way to get her revenge by making a poison that they will en joy even though it is going to kill the person who drinks it. In 'Havisham' by Carol Ann Duffy the persona of the poem who is Miss Havisham is filled with bitterness like the lady in the Laboratory. Miss Havisham
Compare the effectiveness of the poet's use of the dramatic monologue in 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's Lover'.
Assignment 2: English Literature: pre 1914 Compare the effectiveness of the poet's use of the dramatic monologue in 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's Lover' These two poems are both about love and a relationship; however they are not the type that ends happily ever after. They both represent a man's love for a woman and reveal faults they have in their relationships. As in all dramatic monologues the personality of the narrator is revealed through what he says, the words he uses and his point of view about events. For instance, in 'My Last Duchess' we see an example of a man with too much pride from his line 'I choose to never stoop'. We then see possesiveness and insecurity in 'Porphyria's Lover' when the protagonist strangles his love because he wanted her to 'give herself' to him 'for ever'. In both poems setting is very important in revealing character. The scene is set in Porphyria's Lover at the beginning with personification, saying that the wind 'did its worst to vex the lake'. It also states 'the sullen wind was soon awake' to give a feel of mystery. These features also seem to represent the character's feelings towards his love as he is moody, stubborn and unenthusiastic when she comes in as well as deep in thought. He is 'sullen' as when she 'called' him 'no voice replied'. The other poem shows character even in the title 'My Last Duchess' with its possessive
A comparison between "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning.
By George Cadogan A comparison between "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning. "My Last Duchess" is a poem about an arrogant and extremely powerful Duke who is describing his deceased Duchess. From the word "last" in the title it is implied that the duke has had more than one duchess. In this poem, the Duke is extremely egotistic. He says, "I choose never to stoop." The duchess would look at everyone in the world as being equal no matter what class they are. The duke however cannot do this. He is too worried about his appearance. "Porphyria's Lover" is a poem in which a man describes an evening in which his lover, Porphyria, visits him and he unexpectedly murders her. In this it is unlike "My Last Duchess" because Porphyria 'worships' her lover unlike the Duke From the title "My Last Duchess", we immediately learn that this is a personal poem to the duke. It is a love and murder poem. It is a dramatic monologue and is written as a single stanza. Both poems also have a silent listener. In 'My Last Duchess' the silent listener is the Ambassador for the Count, who is the father of the Duke's next bride whereas in 'Porphyria's Lover' the silent listener could be a number of people it could be a police officer, or he could just be telling the story to a friend. There is no evidence in the poem, which tells the reader who he is talking to. The tone in