Christopher Browning

In his poems, “The Bishop Orders His Tomb”, “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”, and “My Last Duchess”, Browning explores a few sins that link to Victorian ideas yet continue to be compelling commentary on some of the modernity’s biggest contradictions. These characters process the world according to their own selfish ideologies, filtering into dramatic monologues that challenge and comment on the time’s social norms and growing institutions. The narrator of “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” is

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,

Robert Browning and the Power of the Dramatic Monologue Form The dramatic monologue form, widely used by Victorian poets, allows the writer to engage more directly with his reader by placing him in the role of listener. Robert Browning utilised the form to a famously profound effect, creating a startling aspect to his poetry. In poems such as “Porphyria’s Lover,” and “My Last Duchess,” for example, Browning induces a feeling of intimacy by presenting the reader as the ‘confidant’ to the

Controlling Males in Browning's Porphyria's  Lover and My Last Duchess        The death of the female beloved is the only way deemed possible by the insecure, possessive male to seize her undivided attention. This beloved woman represents the "reflector and guarantor of male identity. Hence, the male anxiety about the   woman's independence for her liberty puts his masculine self-estimation at risk"   (Maxwell 29). The jealous and controlling males in Robert Browning's "Porphyria's  Lover"

‘My Last Duchess’ is a poem written by Robert Browning in 1845. It’s a first person narrative of a duke who is showing the ambassador around his palace and negotiating his marriage to the daughter of another powerful family. As they are walking through the palace, the duke stops and looks at the beautiful portrait of his lovely last duchess. The duke speaks his thoughts about the girl, and as the poem progresses we begin to realize that his last duchess had been murdered. “…I gave commands

In Robert Browning's dramatic monologue 'My Last Duchess'; there are two characters that many people can be compared to in the world today. The two characters are Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara and his Duchess. Throughout the monologue the duke is described as being conceited, arrogant and perhaps maybe even psychotic. While his Duchess is the opposite of him, a person who enjoys life and everything it has to offer.      The Duke is somewhat of a conceited person because of

A Comparison of 'My Last Duchess' by Robert Browning and 'Ulysses' by Alfred Lord Tennyson These two poems, or monologues, were written by Robert Browning (My last Duchess) and Alfred Lord Tennyson (Ulysses), in the 19th century during the reign of Queen Victoria. Many other influential writers were also born in this period. During this time, Britain’s population doubled from 17.5 million to 37 million. Britain was a very powerful nation with a strong economy, and had

methods of critiquing social norms. The short story, A Telephone Call by Dorothy Parker paints a harsh reality from the perspective of a highly anxious woman forced into a lifestyle that many would relate to in the 1900s. “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning exposes the duke and the terrible social norms he reinforces through a poetic format allowing the reader to interpret his strange behavior on their own. Their Eyes Were Watching God, a novel, by Zora Neale Hurston attempts to defy social norms and

The Victorian period was an era concerned with the role assigned to gender, from a social and political standpoint, particularly the role of women in society. From this controversy, the “Women Question.” The Women Question tackled concerns and open debates about gender inequality from a political, economical, social and educational standpoint about the role and nature of women. However, the shift in the economy challenged the role that was customary for women. The beginning of the Victorian period

is no understanding, without the understanding there is no trust. Without communication, understanding and trust, there is no love, the relationship is dead. This quote correlates to the overall theme in the poem “ My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning; and how a communication can have a major impact in one’s relationship/ marriage. There is a duke that is on a search for a new wife, but he talks about a paint of his dead wife and how his wife was very flirtatious to a complete stranger. The cause