Comparing the Male Characters of Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess
The creation of a plausible character within literature is one of the most difficult challenges to a writer, and development to a level at which the reader identifies with them can take a long time. However, through the masterful use of poetic devices and language Browning is able to create two living and breathing characters in sixty or less lines. When one examines these works one has to that they are quite the achievements for they not only display the persona’s of two distinct men but also when compared show large differences while dealing with essentially the same subject.
A brief examination of the structural aspects of “Porphyria’s Lover” is needed
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However, what is more important is that the words that are polysyllabic are quiet and unassuming. They do not break the tense tranquility of the piece. Burrows points out that, Much of the force of the narrative lies in its almost naïve simplicity and in the corresponding quiet, matter-of-fact tone of voice, a tone which in effect is not shouting ‘Horrible murder! Read all about it!’ but murmuring, ‘I am going to tell you a nice little bedtime story.’ (Burrrows, page 53) Despite the fact that the metrical pattern is often strayed from, some lines contain 3 or 5 stresses, the poem is rhythmically appealing. According to Burrows, “[the poem] suggests the accents and modulations of speech and also remains quietly unemphatic.” (page 56)
A similar analysis of “My Last Duchess” is also needed before the two can be compared adequately. The frigid decorum of the Duke is established by the imperceptible, but unfailing, rhyming couplets. The inability for the reader to notice these during recital of the poem is due to the extreme prevalence of enjambment within the work. According to Burrows, “It is decidedly the ‘open’ couplet that he uses, and there are many ‘run-on’ lines since syntactical pauses rarely coincide with couple-endings or line endings.” (page 116) The meter of the poem is iambic pentameter though the rhythm feels more irregular due to the deliberate disregard for the formal couplet pattern. This also creates the
Another important attribute of this poem is the rhythm and tempo that is kept throughout the poem. It does not stick to a strict syllable count per line, so in this way, the poem flows quite freely, and conveys the speaker’s thoughts in a more natural and informal manner. The sound varies from soft to loud, in particular, descending in inflection on the final lines of each stanza. The listener is able to understand the feelings of the speaker through the tone and intonation, which is an essential part in transmitting meaning and
communicates two interpretations concerning Both poems describe the behavior of people who are in loving, romantic relationships. There are several aspects common in both poems. Using the literary technique of dramatic dialogue, the author reveals the plot and central idea of each poem. Robert Browning tells each poetic story through a single speaker. Both poems reveal an account in which the admirer kills the object of his love. This paper will compare and contrast the following characteristics: the setting, the speaker, the mood and tone, and theme found "My
By connecting, considering and concluding the response gained from literary works, the reader can obtain a deeper, analytical understanding of these techniques and tools used by the authors of the various literature forms. For this assignment, I have chosen to compare and contrast two separate literary works from “Journey into Literature” (Clugston, 2010), with similar themes. . The poems I will discuss are “The
Robert Browning uses descriptive details to portray a theme of how darkness rises from warmth and happiness by showing us on how a man’s love for someone makes him turn to savagery. The narrator of the poem has very deep feelings for his lover, but he only thinks of himself and he never wants the girl to leave his side so he does the unthinkable. In the times that the girl was not home or was not with the narrator then there was coldness and darkness, but when she was with the man then the house would “blaze up, and all the cottage warm”. She created hope and the narrator needed that constantly, so he realized that his love was too strong to put on hold everyday when she would leave. The fact that the narrator had to watch his lover leave everyday
none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)' He acts like
When his lover takes off her hat she let “her damp hair fall” creating a sense of disorder in their relationship.
The Duke is going on and on and we only have one point of view. He is controlling what the audience perceive the characters as. Browning uses enjambment to make the rhyming couplets flow better in order to make the speech of the Duke more realistic. The easiness of the speech and the fact that it is flowing, shows that the Duke seems to have rehearsed everything that he is now saying to the agent. So he has had to think about what to say and wants to be able to manipulate the agent into taking his side and, indeed, wants to have control over the agent’s opinion of both him and his last Duchess. The duke's loss of control is also depicted through the rhythm of the poem. The enjambment in the poem reveals that the Duke is almost at ease with his wife's murder, because it is so flowing and he doesn’t get upset and almost doesn’t have to stop. Except for once; this is shown by the use of caesura, however as he only stutters once it seems as if he is just doing it for show. Near the end of the poem, the duke loses control. You can imagine the horrified agent rising to go and the duke's uneasiness as he loses control, and his desire to regain control of the situation as he says, ‘Nay we'll go down together, sir’ There is a caesura between ‘Nay’ and ‘we’ll’ which shows the Duke does not want to lose control but then has to pause as he thinks of a reasonable explanation for him saying ‘Nay’ to the agent leaving without him.
The first similarity that was noticed was how both these poems have the same rhyme scheme. A rhyme scheme is the pattern of how rhyme sounds occur . In the case of these poems, the last word in the line rhymes with the following, and then it starts a new word to rhyme with afterwards. In My Last Duchess, the twenty- first line rhymes with the twenty- second line: “For calling up that spot of joy. She had” (21) A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad,” (22). When looking at the similar poem, My Ex- Husband, the twenty- first and twenty- second lines rhyme with each other as well: “Half- hidden in a corner nook. Such stuff” (21) “Was all too well rehearsed, I soon enough” (22). This is an obvious similarity to both the poems because they show this throughout the whole reading. Although these simple similarities are pretty obvious, there are some similarities that require a bit more
Immediately, it is evident just how egoistic and possessive the Duke is. Even in the opening statement, “That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,” it seems to the reader that this Duchess was owned by the Duke. The word, “last”, adds to the subtle mystery: was this the Duke’s last ever Duchess? Or is this just his last one until he gets another one? Personally, after reading the poem several times, I believe that it is the latter of the two, and that if the Duke sees something that he dislikes in his next wife he will simply get another one.
The finest woks of Browning endeavor to explain the mechanics of human psychology. The motions of love, hate, passion, instinct, violence, desire, poverty, violence, and sex and sensuousness are raised from the dead in his poetry with a striking virility and some are even introduced with a remarkable brilliance.
Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Medusa’ and Robert Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ are two entirely different poems in many respects. Written in entirely different eras, some would say that they are as opposite as poetry could be. However, their central characters have some remarkable similarities that strike a chord with the reader and represent a common theme.
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 Duke takes control of the situation entirely as he is the only speaker throughout the poem and his way of speaking leaves no scope for interruption, by the listener. The way he addresses his listener, “That’s my last duchess”, calls attention to the peculiarity of his designation which he indicates in a very proud manner. The apparent pauses throughout the poem, shown by dashes, indicate hesitation as the Duke considers what to say. This clearly suggests his manipulative attitude. As soon as he points towards the standing portrait of his last wife, he asks his listener to sit down –“Will’t please you sit and look at her?” His way of asking is not very polite and is more of a command which shows the psychology of a man with power.
The general public knows Robert Browning as the writer of “The Pied Piper” a beloved children’s tale, and the hero of the film The Barrett’s of Wimpole Street. Most recognize him for little else. The literary world recognizes him as one of the most prolific poets of all time. However, his grave in Westminster Abbey stands among the great figures in English history. At his death at age seventy-seven, Robert Browning had produced volumes of poetry. He had risen to the heights of literary greatness. Robert Browning received little acknowledgement for his work until he was in his fifties. “He had been following a blind
A Comparison of the Dramatic Monologues of Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning