Finding Solace in Death in Faulkner, Browning and Shakespeare Literature

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Even though William Faulkner, Robert Browning, and William Shakespeare came from different backgrounds and were born centuries apart, these three well known men of literature had a great deal in common. Shakespeare was a poet, an actor and a playwright, born in Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1564. Throughout his life he wrote several sonnets and poems and was the creator of many words still used today (“William Shakespeare”). Shakespeare has remained one of the most popular literary men in the world. Browning was born in 1812 in London and wrote many poems and had them published in several volumes. Faulkner was not a playwright but he was a novelist, a poet, and an author of famous short stories. He grew up in Mississippi where he based all of his works’ locations. “A Rose for Emily”, “Porphyria’s Lover”, and Hamlet are hauntingly beautiful and tragic pieces. All are different but the one thing that connects them is the character’s fascination with death and whether or not it affects them psychologically.
The first character that may have been fascinated by death is one Ms. Emily Grierson in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner; published in 1931. “A Rose for Emily” is labeled a Southern Gothic short story (“William Faulkner”). The short story is about the aftermath of the death of Grier. The townspeople want to know why she always stayed in her house, never came outside and what the smell was that came from inside. Much to their horror and surprise, Miss Emily had killed her husband and slept next to the corpse. It all fell into place after the townspeople got inside. The reason Emily slept near a dead corpse after murdering him could stem from childhood problems or events that happened. The people in her life could have been a key co...

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...or not it affects them psychologically.

Works Cited

Barnet, Sylvan, William Burto, and William E. Cain. “A Rose for Emily.” Literature for Compostition: An Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New Jersey: Pearson, 2014. 249-56. Print.
Barnet, Sylvan, William Burto, and William E. Cain. “Hamlet” Literature for Compostition: An Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New Jersey: Pearson, 2014. 249-56. Print.
Best, J.T. “Porphyria’s Lover”—Vastly Misunderstood Poetry.” “Porphyria’s Lover”—Vastly Misunderstood Poetry. The Victorian Web, 8 June 2007. Web. 21 Apr. 2014
Browning, Robert. “Porphyria’s Lover.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2014. Web. 21 Apr, 2014
“William Faulkner-Biography.” William Faulkner. The European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014
“William Shakespeare.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 1997. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

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