Theme of Love in Porhyria's Lover and My Last Duchess both Written by Robert Browning, First Love by John Clare and To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marv

Theme of Love in Porhyria's Lover and My Last Duchess both Written by Robert Browning, First Love by John Clare and To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvel

Introduction

The theme of love can be expresses in many different ways. Each poem

that I have studied represents a different aspect of love. The four

poems I have studied are Porhyria's Lover and My Last Duchess both

written by Robert Browning, First Love by John Clare and To His Coy

Mistress by Andrew Marvel.

N.B make comparisons between the poems as you go along such as both

characters in the two Browning poems show possessive love. However in

PL the lover is possessive about Prophyria and in MLD the Duke shows

possessive love for his status and possessions.

Porphyria's Lover

Briefly explain what the poem is about. Points to make are that it's a

dramatic monologue. Browning uses imagery to set the scene and built

up suspense. The weathered is described as a thunderstorm, raining and

a spiteful wind in the opening two lines.

"The rain set in early tonight,

The sullen wind was soon awake,

It tore the elm-tops down for spite,

And did its worse to vex the lake."

Mention the characters personality and how he acts. E.g. Insecurity.

He is cold towards Porphyria when she enters the cottage. He shows

possessive and obsessive love for porphyria.

My Last Duchess

Dramatic monologue. Explain that the Count has sent an ambassador to

get the Duke to marry the Count's daughter. He also shows possessive

love for money and his status. He shows this by boasting about his

possessions and you get the impression that he values the painting of

his wife more than her when she was alive. He shows jealousy and

implies that his last duchess was being unfaithful. He basically

admits that he killed her and shows that she was inferior to him when

he says…

"Who'd stoop to blame

This sort of trifling? Even had you skill

In speech-(which I have not)-to make your will