A study of Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess by Robert
Browning.
The first poem “Porphyria’s lover” is about class and control. A woman
shows her control over her lover by seducing him to get attention,
moving him to a position she likes and treating him like she is the
boss of him and his possessions. The man eventually goes to extremes
to get control and kills her. The second poem “My last Duchess” is
also about control. The man is showing some important guests around
his palace and stops to brag about his recent wife and how he ordered
her death. Both of the poems are similar because both women in the
poem were killed over control. The murders were deliberate and
calculated in both poems though in the second poem the husband did not
actually commit the crime he just ordered it. In the first poem it’s
the woman who has control in the second it’s the man.
In Porphyria’s lover by Robert Browning, the narrator who is also the
lover in the poem, describes a story in which an upper class woman
treats him as if she owns him like a possession rather than as a
lover. She walks into his house and rearranges the way he is sitting
to show she has power and is in control. Porphyria , the woman, calls
his name but he is angry and hurt that he was the least important
thing on her list of things to do so he does not reply
“And last, she sat down by my side and
called me. When no voice replied, She
put my arm about her waist, and made
her smooth white shoulder bare.”
Porphyria shows power again by trying to get his attention by seducing
him and telling the narrator she loves him. This surprises the
narrator but still he sticks to his plan. The narrator puts Porphyria
into a false sense of security t...
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...to use and show off than a loving wife for
him to cherish. In Porphyrias lover the narrator describes the setting
of the poem, it tells you about the weather, what they look like, what
clothes they are wearing and it gradually sets the scene with visual
detail. In my last duchess it just tells you what’s happening straight
away without setting the scene. This is because in my last duchess the
poem is about a man showing guests around so the audience is the
guests but in Porphyria's lover the reader is the audience so they
need to describe everything in detail to help us imagine what it looks
like as we are not there to see it. The main differences between the
poems are the murders themselves in Porphyria's lover the narrator
actually kills the woman but in my last duchess the Duke only gives
the orders for her death and someone else physically murders her.
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" and "My Last Duchess" possess a fervent desire to fix and monopolize their unconstrained female beloveds. Due to a fear of death, both speakers attempt to achieve control and deny object loss; by turning their lovers (once subjects) into objects, they ultimately attain the role of masterful subject.
The purpose of this essay is to analyze and compare and contrast the two paired poems “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning and “My Ex-Husband” by Gabriel Spera to find the similarities presented within the pairs. Despite the monumental time difference between “My Last Duchess” and “My Ex-Husband”, throughout both poems you will see that somebody is wronged by someone they thought was a respectable person and this all comes about by viewing a painting on the wall or picture on a shelf.
In contrast to Macbeth’s love for his wife, in Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ there is an absence of the romanticised emotion of love. The Duke refers to his wife as ‘My Last Duchess. Here the use of the possessive pronoun ‘my’ gives us the idea from the outset that the Duke saw his wife as merely a possession. The iambic pentameter of ten syllables per line used in the poem also emphasises possession by stressing ‘my’ further in the pattern. Browning’s portrayal of love is one that is absent of emotional attachment, but instead something by which he could possess and have power over her. It could be argued that there are similarities in the way that Lady Macbeth also uses the emotion of love. Being in the form of a dramatic monologue, use
The journals expose two different attitudes because these two authors have different personalities. Knight is intolerant with others. When she is questioned; she makes jokes pretending not to be bother, but she does. Basically, Knight is a bright woman who likes to observe others and for that, she makes use of sarcasm to criticize, especially women’s” bad tongues,” as Julia Stern describes on “To relish and spew disgust as cultural critique in The Journal of Madam Knight” another thing, she certainly dislikes interrogation, mainly because she is from Boston and well educated, so she has a refined background, and has trouble dealing with rural people. She believes that Bostonians are better and for that, she perceives herself, as superior in class
In the words of author Thomas Foster, “There’s only one story.” Most, if not all authors will draw inspiration from other works of literature to illustrate their story. Even if one is not an expert on Greek Mythology, one must take notice and appreciate the striking resemblance between The Garden Party and The Myth of Persephone. Laura is Katherine Mansfield’s depiction of Persephone as the former loses her innocence by witnessing death. On the surface, both tales begin in a natural, ideal setting that implies a tragedy will come along to spoil it. Essentially, the short story and the myth both portray a character finding their niche and a deeper meaning of life by having to adapt in foreign surroundings. Inevitably, the resemblances between both stories are concealed within symbols that a reader may easily disregard, such as a character’s relationship with her mother.
I understand that you are occupied with the assigned duties of a King; however I have some extremely disheartening news to share with you. Since your absence by your wife’s side, her mental health has deteriorated rapidly and one cannot comprehend the difficulties she is suffering. I am concerned about Lady Macbeth’s welfare as she has informed me of an episode where she received a letter from you, reciting the prophecy that you would become king. She revealed to me her immediate thoughts were dark, and mainly consisted of murdering King Duncan. I am one to not believe in such nonsense; conversely there have been numerous events that elapsed to reveal that the reality of your reign was one that was strategically intentional.
Characters in D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover struggle to escape the inescapable confines of money, class, and power.
There are few ways in which the two versions are alike. The most obvious is that they tell the same story, albeit with a slight variation at some points, but in essence, the story told is the same. They are both about a knight who committed a crime against a woman and was sent on a quest by the queen to learn “what women most desire.” Throughout his journey, the knight asked many women what they most desired and received varied answers. Dejected, the knight travels back to the kingdom to receive his punishment, but he comes across an old woman. She tells him what women most desire, the knight is acquitted, and he is forced to marry the old woman. In the end, the knight allows the old woman to choose whether she would like to be beautiful or faithful, so she becomes a beautiful and faithful young woman because the knight learned his lesson about women. Moreover, by glancing at the two poems, it is obvious that the length is similar.
The Secret Diary of Lady Macbeth After receiving a letter from Macbeth earlier today, I received a most urgent letter from Macbeth. He told me that he was accosted by three witches on the night of the battle between Scotland and Norway. They greeted him "All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!" Macbeth was "rapt" with what the witches had said and tried to question them further, but they vanished into a haze of fog.
Question 1: Describe the responsibilities, roles, and aspirations of women in the passages of Christine de Pisan, Margret Patson, Alberti, and Martin Luther.
In the late 16th century England experienced poverty, starvation, increase in population, inequality amongst women and men, and lack of opportunity in the work force. During this time England was torn between two religions, Catholicism and Protestantism. England’s economy was primarily agricultural, workers were tied to their land. Due to the social inequality of the 16th century, women were limited to their rights and men were superior. Women worked in the clothing industry and men worked primarily on the farm. Due to the economic hardships in England, men and women migrated to London for a better life. The nation was under the rule of Queen Elizabeth, who surpassed the restrictions placed on women. This paper explores the shortcomings and hardships experienced in Elizabethan England.
In conclusion, both poems are very similar on many subjects, but there are also some very strong differences. In both poems, a similar structure, rhyme scheme and meter play pivotal roles in their respective poems. In both poems, differences in the settings, the characters and the tone help us understand what message Robert Browning was trying to convey to us in his poems, ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and ‘My Last Duchess.’
Bosola can be described as a convincing character as unlike some of the characters in the play, his opinions and principles change throughout, therefore constantly altering the audience's feelings about him. He is the only character to communicate to the audience via soliloquy, divulging his true thoughts and intentions which often differ from his outward appearance, making him psychologically realistic and interesting. Although this would suggest he is a convincing character, Bosola, at times, falls into set roles of the Jacobean Tragedy; malcontent, satirist and avenger. Webster uses Bosola to fulfill these conventions of the genre and to direct and drive the plot, especially after the Duchess' death. Even though Webster uses Bosola in this way, he is more than a mere tool as his character extends beyond the established roles of the genre, giving a more complete character.
"Porphyria's Lover" is an exhilarating love story given from a lunatic's point of view. It is the story of a man who is so obsessed with Porphyria that he decides to keep her for himself. The only way he feels he can keep her, though, is by killing her. Robert Browning's poem depicts the separation of social classes and describes the "triumph" of one man over an unjust society. As is often the case in fiction, the speaker of "Porphyria's Lover" does not give accurate information in the story.
The Duchess Of Malfi by John Webster as A Revenge Tragedy “The Duchess of Malfi” is a macabre, tragic play, written by the English dramatist John Webster. It begins as a love story, with a Duchess who marries beneath her class, and ends as a nightmarish tragedy as her two brothers exact their revenge, destroying themselves in the process. The play is sometimes ridiculed by modern critics for the excessive violence and horror in its later scenes. But the violence and horror scenes give it the touch it needs to be a revenge tragedy.