Robert Browning Poems My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover

Robert Browning is one of the most celebrated poets of the Victorian age. His two poems I am working from, My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover, are just samples of his eminent work. Browning wrote a range of monologues when living in Italy with his wife, Elizabeth Barret. Dramatic monologues are the basis of the essay. I will discuss whether (or not) each poem creates a character who reveals himself in what he has to say. My Last Duchess is a monologue spoken by the Duke. He talks about his relationship with his recently deceased wife. Through the words of the poem, he reveals the true demise of the Duchess and the reader is shown the Dukes feelings and opinions of this woman.†¦show more content†¦It can also give him leeway to committing abnormal actions. Both poems share many similar qualities. In the case of themes of a poem, they both have connotations of power, control, love, society, possessiveness, and jealousy. As the poems are monologues, these themes will come from the thoughts and feelings of the male character. If we look at the two males of the poems, it is clear both yearn for a branch of power and feeling of superiority over the lover. The Duke wanted to obtain the supremacy he expected over his wife. The Duke had expectations, from his position in society, that the Duchess should obey him and show only love and gratitude towards him. Now she is fossilised in a painting, he holds all the power and the Duchess is completely reliant upon him. For example, when the Duke talks about the curtain surrounding the painting, he says: (Since none puts by The curtain I have drawn for you, but I) It is clear that the Duke is aware of the control he holds now. He is the only person that can open the curtain. The veil around her cuts off her life as a painting. The Duke can choose to present her to the world or draw her away from the stare of the people. Though, now she is dead and kept hidden in this painting, the Duchess must hold something over the Duke to make him open the curtain and look at her. The feelings of power that the Lover inShow MoreRelatedAnalyzing How Robert Browning Uses Dramatic Monologue to Portray Madness in His Poems My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover1438 Words   |  6 PagesAnalyzing How Robert Browning Uses Dramatic Monologue to Portray Madness in His Poems My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover A dramatic monologue is when a character in a piece of writing speaks their thoughts and feelings out loud. It is used because it gives an insight into the persons mind. Browning chose this form for the two poems because it makes the poem feel more realistic and you know everything the character is feeling it also subconsciously makes the reader feelRead MorePorphyrias Lover And My Last Duchess Comparison789 Words   |  4 PagesOf Brownings Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess (An Analysis of Comparing and Contrasting Brownings poems called Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess) Robert Browning was a Victorian poet. He portrayed an understanding of gender rules in his poems. Browning’s poems are similar to a puzzle, which makes the reader have to figure out what is really being said in the poem. Browning wrote two famous dramatic monologue poems called Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess. 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