Comparing My Last Duchess 'And Porphyria's Lover'

Both poems have similar themes and both speakers describe a particular character found in both stories. Both poems have a beautiful woman as its main character and their themes describe the relationship between two lovers. In "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover," Robert Browning conveys two distinct portraits depicting the love shared between two people. The qualities of beauty, selfishness, and jealousy appear in both poems. In both works, the author explores the hidden influence death has upon the relationship shared by two lovers.

Robert Browning provides a critical view of gender and power relations in his dramatic monologues “Porphyria’s Lover” and “My Last Duchess.” The dramatic monologue, as S.S. Curry has written, "reveals the struggle in the depths of the soul” (11). Browning delves into the minds of characters to show their conceptions of women and ideas of power. He explores the mental processes of the characters, and invites readers to question societal ideas of power and gender. The mental pathologies of the speakers is emphasized, which forces readers to examine the sanity of their own notions of gender dynamics.

none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)' He acts like

The early nineteenth century poem by Robert Browning, “Porphyria’s Lover”, is filled with examples of figurative language. Browning uses metaphors, similes, and personification to bring the poem to life. The use of figurative language allows Browning to raise from the dead a poem with the unemotional tonee of the speaker. He exposes the mind of a psychopath, an insane lover, mastering the art of the dramatic monologue.

look at but he feels as if the Duchess takes him for granted and she

only way this is possible is to kill her. This occurs to him after he

involving him with her life and would only use him as an escape from "vainer

In Robert Browning's dramatic monologue, "Porphyria's Lover," the love-stricken frustrations of a nameless speaker end in a passionate, annihilating response to society's scrutiny towards human sensuality. Cleverly juxtaposing Porphyria's innocent femininity and her sexual transgression, Browning succeeds in displaying society's contradictory embrace of morality next to its rejection of sensual pleasure. In an ironically tranquil domestic setting, warm comfort and affection come to reveal burning emotional perversions within confining social structures. The speaker's violent display of passion ends not with external condemnation, but with the matter-of-fact sense of

“My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover” are two poems that go together in many ways. For instance, Robert Browning wrote both of the poems and the men are very psychotic. The many similarities and differences of the two poems show how women are treated as objects, how the women are killed, and how the men felt about their women. The many similarities in the poems are what connect the two. In both poems, the two men each get jealous very easily.

Robert Browning’s "Porphyria’s Lover" contains the methodical ramblings of a lunatic; it is a madman’s monologue that reveals the dark side of human nature. Power and passion coalesce to form the strangulation of the beautiful and innocent Porphyria, and at the same time strangle the reader’s ability to comprehend what is occurring and why it is occurring. The murder’s monologue depicts a heinous crime. The simple fact that the monologue is issued from the murderer himself creates a sense of distrust. There is no doubt that the man is disturbed, but the level of his lunacy remains uncertain. In one short poem, Browning provides an intense glimpse into the mind of a homicidal maniac,

He tells how she was charming and that this portrait could not recount her love of everything, her blushing at the attention of men. He then leads into how she never quite appreciated him and how unimpressed she was with his “nine-hundred-years-old name.” From this, the reader begins to see the distant relationship between the Duke and his wife. This essay will talk about the theme of “My Last Duchess” and how Robert Browning uses rhyme and other metrical devices that supports the overall meaning of the poem.

The two Browning poems, ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ were written to convey to the reader how women were treated in that era; as possession, as assets. Both of these poems can be read from different points of view and they also both are what is

Robert Browning’s poems “Porphyria’s Lover” and “My Last Duchess” depict a mastery of the dramatic monologue style. Said style contains a narrative told by a character’s point of view that differs from that of the poet.The character’s monologue consists of them discussing their particular situation that they find themselves within, this is meant to convey their internal information to the reader or audience. This in turn allows the reader a glimpse into the personality of the narrating character. Within “Porphyria’s Lover” and My Last Duchess” these monologues are used along with poetic devices to develop unique male personas. Between these two personas there are evident differences in class and within each class social issues arise within each work.

The dramatic monologue “My Last Duchess” was penned down by Robert Browning. In this poem, the narrator is the Duke of Ferrara, and the listener is the count’s agent, through whom the Duke is arranging the proposed marriage to a second duchess. The poem is ironical and reveals its rhetorical sense, gradually. In the later part of the poem, the Duke claims that he does not have a skill in speech, but his monologue is a masterpiece of subtle rhetoric. While supposedly entertaining the listener by showing his wife’s portrait, he clearly reveals his character. Through his formalized tone of rhyme, he reveals his egoistic and jealous attitude.

A Comparison of the Dramatic Monologues of Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning