Analysis Of Love Among The Ruins

The poem, “Love among the Ruins,” written by Robert Browning provides the reader with a vision of a wonderful and amazing city in contrast to the ruined city that is now found in its place. In the poem it is seen how a once beautiful city is now nothing more than a ruined city. The narrator of the poem transitions between the once magnificent city and the now ruined city. In Robert Browning’s poem, “Love among the Ruins,” the comparison between the spectacular city and the ruined city, along with the presentation of the poem helps the reader comprehend the poem.

Each of the seven stanzas in the poem are made up of twelve lines that allow the reader to understand and follow along while reading the poem. In this particular poem the way that the stanzas are arranged make an important contribution, because without the arrangement of the stanzas the reader may not be capable of grasping the poem mentally. “Tinkle homeward thro’ the twilight, stray or stop/ As they crop” (Browning). In the poem the reader is able to identify a pattern between the lines; the first line is long while the second line is short and this can be seen from the beginning of the poem to the end of the poem. Alternation between a long line and a short line help the reader keep up with the poem and maintain the rhythm when reading not only mentally but also physically. The reader can also observe that the lines are arranged to where the last word of two lines rhyme, “But he looked upon the city, every side, / Far and wide” (Browning). The use of this technique contributes to the formation of the rhythm while at the same time making the poem catchy. Rhythm can be identified by the reader as a result of the line alternations. The rhythm of the poem contributes to th...

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...rdinate to nature and women” (Kinugawa). At the end of the poem the reader realizes that the male will return to the female and the earth no matter what the circumstances are; the two female figures stand above all things.

Imagery is used throughout the poem and this helps the reader imagine the city, not just through the good times but also through the bad times. The imagery along with the figurative language helps the reader be placed in the poem. Comparison between the two cities makes an important contribution to the evolution of the poem, as a result of the comparison the reader comes to realize that true love is above the glory. The concept of love being above all evolves throughout the poem but becomes clear at the end of the story with the last sentence. Overall, the reader’s comprehension of the poem is obtained by the style, symbolism, and the background.