Poetry Of Robert Browning
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Robert Browning used his poetry as a way of self-determination as many of the ideas expressed in his poems go against the current of the Victorian era. His poetry should be included in the texts list for the HSC because they not only offer examples of classic poetry but also provide insights into the 19th century English society in terms of behaviour, gender roles and religion. Three poems that are fine examples of this are “Porphyrias Lover”, “My Last Duchess” and “The Laboratory.” “Porphyrias lover” presents a man who is so restricted by his societys traditions and mores that he is driven to murder and sees it as a just action. “My Last Duchess” introduces a Duke who becomes consumed by his need to feel superior and in complete control, which also leads him to murder. “The Laboratory” concerns a woman driven by jealousy, defying all morals to achieve her own wants.
Porphyrias Lover, My Last Duchess and The Laboratory are all excellent examples of Brownings use of the dramatic monologue. This is a style of poem in which the narrator unwittingly reveals a dark secret or action of theirs whilst attempting to rationalise their actions to the audience and or their listener in the poem. The dramatic monologue allows the reader to enter the characters psyche and develop a deep understanding of their mindset. The poems are more about the state of mind of the speaker rather than the act they have, or plan to, commit.
Nineteenth century England was a time of gender inequality. Women were seen as inferior to males and, as evidenced in “Porphyrias Lover” and “My Last Duchess”, objects of desire. Browning seems to comment negatively on this view of women, as the crimes against them and those who committed them in these 2 poems are portrayed as wrong and the reader empathises with the women. In “The Laboratory” the main character defies the social mores placed upon her and becomes a strong and ruthless character.
In “Porphyrias Lover”, the narrators obsession and “love” for a woman leads to her death. This poem conveys how women were seen as possessions to be kept at all costs, even to the point of destroying them rather than loosing them. Though, Browning challenges the submissive role of women by reversing their roles. Porphyria becomes the dominant one in the partnership, “She sat down by my side and called me.” The traditional male and female roles of dominance and humbleness seem to be reversed, providing a new and unwelcomed idea. Once Porphyria is killed they are returned to their traditional roles. The narrators dominance is accompanied by his possessiveness, “That moment she was mine, mine.”
Brownings “My Last Duchess” addresses the issue of Victorian women being seen as objects. The Duke saw the Duchess as his possession and he is driven by his need to feel as though he has complete control of her. Similar to the speaker in Porphyrias lover, it is his longing for control that leads to his actions. Even after her death, he still attempts to be in command of her, seen in his aside “Since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I.” The Dukes view of woman being items to own is evident from the opening line where he refers to her as “my last Duchess.” Through the Duke, Browning is commenting on the treatment of women in the Victorian era, revealed through his slightly sarcastic but unobtrusive tone, “twas not her husbands presence only, called that spot of joy.” The Duchess is constructed as a loving, friendly young woman, this portrayal acts against the Dukes attempts to rationalise himself as the reader feels empathy only for the Duchess.
In “The Laboratory” the speaker is a strong, assertive female who breaks the social mores of femininity. In moments, she speaks as though she is a polite, sweet woman, which is juxtaposed with her diabolical plans and her passionate anger. She is a far cry from the submissive woman of the time. The speakers strong verbs convey her strength and hardness “grindmash…pound.” And her emotive, poetic, romantic words remind us she is feminine, “Soft…exquisite…sweetly.” She appreciates beauty and visual pleasures yet she seeks to make deadly potions and end lives. Her use of feminine language is ironic, “To carry pure death in an earring, a casket, a signet, a fan-mount a filigree basket.” Though she does require help to carry out her plan, the fact that she is conducting her scheme shows that she has broken from the submissive mould to become dominant. She even begins to believe she is poisonously powerful “My own eyes…one half minute fixed, she would fall.” The speaker is different from the Duchess and Porphyria as they are both constructed as positive women for whom the reader empathises.
Another element of 19th Century English society that Browning addresses is the tight social structure of the time. Social classes were an extremely important part of Victorian society and were strictly adhered to. Peoples daily lives were dictated by their rank in society and it defined their entire life. Social classes of the Victorian era are evident in all poems, Porphyrias Lover, My Last Duchess and The Laboratory. In these poems Browning explores the faults of the system and the underbelly of the Victorian society.
The constraints social classes placed upon people in the Victorian era is perhaps the most evident theme in “Porphyrias Lover.” Porphyrias high social class is evident as the speaker says she has just arrived from “to-nights gay feast. ” He sees them keeping their relationship secret as “For pride and vainer ties.” The couple cannot make their relationship public because their society would not approve of mixing social classes. It is the strict social class regulations that cause the speaker to feel as though he must kill Porphyria for them to be together, “all it scorned at once is fled.” Browning is commenting on the Victorian social ranks by using this extreme example.
In “My Last Duchess”