Critical Appreciation of Robert Browning Poems

Critical Appreciation of Robert Browning Poems

Robert Browning was one of the great poets of the Victorian age. He

was on born 7th May 1812 in Camberwell and he died on the 2nd December

1889. Robert Browning got secretly married to Elizabeth Barrett in

1846 and went on to live in Italy.

Browning became an admirer of Elizabeth's Barrett’s poetry in 1844. He

began corresponding with her by letter. This was the start of one of

the world's most famous romances. Their courtship lasted until 1846

when they were married. The couple moved to Italy that same year.

Robert Browning did not become recognized as a poet, until after

Elizabeth's death in 1861. After which, he was honoured for the rest

of his life as a literary figure. Although Robert Browning wrote in

many poetic forms, his most successful was the dramatic monologue. In

his monologues, he spoke in the voice of an imaginary or historical

character. Most of his monologues portray people at dramatic moments

in their lives.

In the Victorian age, love marriages were very rare. The daughters had

to obey their parents. If a couple were madly in love they had to

resort to eloping

A monologue is defined as a poem in which a single character is

speaking to a person(s) – usually about an important topic. The

purpose of the most dramatic monologues is to provide the reader with

and overall intimate view of the characters personality. A great poet

can use punctuation and rhyme to make the poem appear as if it was an

actual conversation.

One of Robert Browning’s best piece of work was published in 1842. It

was called ‘My Last Duchess’. My Last Duchess is portrayed as a

jealo...

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...n the poems are different. In My last duchess it sounds

if the Duke was happy to get rid of he wife and in Porphoryia’s lover

it sounds if the lover was really sad in killing her, but he just

wanted to preserve there love.

The killings were different. In My last duchess had got different

people to kill his wife whereas in Porphoryia’s Lover, the lover

murdered Porphoryia with his own hands.

I had an easier time reading Porphoryia’s Lover more than My last

duchess because if you read line by line Porphoryia’s lover you have

an easier time. But I feel that I had understood “my last duchess”

more than Porphoryia’s lover because I understood why the duke wanted

to get rid of his wife but in Porphoryia’s lover, I was not as sure

why the lover did get rid of Porphoryia and it was also an unusual way

to kill some one.