Use of the Dramatic Monologue in Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess

In 'Porphyria's Lover' and 'My Last Duchess', Browning uses several

features of dramatic monologue in order to engage and sustain the

interest of the audience. This style of monologue is spoken by a

character, which is not the poet, and is usually projected at a

critical moment, as in the case of 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's

Lover'. The speakers unintentionally reveal their insanity, in both

poems, through their separate accounts. By making a comparison of

the two poems, it becomes clear that Browning has used similar

disturbing themes to illustrate what an individual is capable of doing.

Browning's work is known to be an example of dramatic monologue, with

this being the way in which he is able to portray the insanity of his

characters. By using the technique of dramatic monologue in

'Porphyria's Lover' and 'My Last Duchess', the reader is immediately

given an image of both of the narrators' subjects. The opening line is

vital to any poem, as it has the potential to instantly interest the

reader. "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall" begins 'My Last

Duchess' halfway through the conversation, leaving the audience eager

to determine to whom the speaker is talking to. This statement also

hints that the story of his "last duchess" will follow, thus

sustaining the interest of the audience. By using dramatic monologue

in 'My Last Duchess', the reader feels personally involved in the

scene, as if the Duke is directly talking to him. In fact the Duke is

speaking to an emissary, who has been sent by a Count to see whether

the Duke is an appropriate suitor for his daughter. The lack of

response from this envoy however gives the...

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...g more of a passionate poem. The poem also

uses iamic tetrameter, in order to stress the importance of different

syllables of words in the poem. 'Porphyria's Lover' concludes with a

rhyming couplet in order to tidy up and close the piece.

In conclusion, Browning uses dramatic monologue in 'Porphyria's Lover'

and 'My Last Duchess' in order to engage and sustain the interest of

the audience. Various factors, such as the state of mind of both

characters, use of language (particularly imagery) and the lay out of

the poem contributed to the effectiveness of the poems. When studying

comparisons and contrasts in the poems, it becomes clear that Browning

has used the same methods of aiming to disturb the reader in both

'Porphyria's Lover' and 'My Last Duchess', although different ways in

which to alarm the audience are used.