RobertBrowningRobertBrowningBorn:7May1812Birthplace:LondonDied:12December1889BestKnownAs:

19thcentury(Victorian)Britishpoet

SocialBackground

(theVictorianAge)Politicalreform1.Thekingandthepeerswerebothstrippedoftheirpower2.TheHouseofCommonsbecametherulingpower3.Aseriesofnewreformbillsrapidlyextendthesuffrage,untilthewholebodyofEnglishpeoplechooseforthemselvesthemenwhoshallrepresentthem.ThemostimportantimmediatelegislativeaccomplishmentofthereformedparliamentwastheemancipationofslavesinBritishdominions.(1833)PopularizationofeducationAdvanceintechnologyAlltheabovehavebeenreactedinproseandpoetryEarlyLife

BornonMay7,1812,inCamberwell(asuburbofLondon),firstchildandonlysonofRobertBrowningandSarahWiedemannBrowning.Robertwasanimpulsive,fearlesslittleboywhowasalsoratheraprodigy,writingpoemsandreadingHomerataveryyoungage.Hisfatherencouragedhimtoreadandhehadaccesstohislarge(6,000vols)library.Inhisteens,BrowningdiscoveredShelley,adoptingtheauthor'sconfessionalisminpoetry.Helearnedmanylanguagesanddevouredhisfather'shistorybooks.Healsolikedtoreadbooksthatwereconsideredrathershockingandnotquitesuitableforchildren.TheCamberwellPalace(1900)

EarlyLifeAt16,Robertbeganattendingthenewly-formedLondonUniversity,establishedforthoseNonconformistslikeRobertwhowerebarredfromOxfordandCambridge.Robertattendedforonlyjustoverayear,thoughthankstohisreading,hewasreallyquiteaneducatedman.Healsowasquitearrogantattimes.Hisfamilyhadenoughmoneytosupporthiminthesepoeticalendeavors.Hisfirstpublishedwork,Pauline,wasconsiderednotverygood,butpromising;Hissecond,Paracelsus,waswell-receivedandRobertwasalwaysproudofit.MiddleLifeHeevenwroteseveralstageplays(between1836and1843)whichwerealsowell-received,thoughquiteforgottentoday.Between1841and1846,hepublishedfourbooks,mainlycollectionsofhisshorterpoemsthatwouldbecomeamonghismostfamousworks.

ItwasaboutthistimethatRobert'scorrespondencewithElizabethBarrettbegan,whenhewrotetothankherforaflatteringmentionofhisworkinoneofherpoems.MiddleLifeInthisveryfirstletter,hetoldherthathelovedher,whichalarmedElizabethimmensely.Still,hemanagedtomeetherfacetofaceinMayof1845andmarryherinSeptemberofthatyear.ThehappycouplewenttoFlorenceandwereenchantedbyit,finallysettlinginthefamousCasaGuidi.TheyearsinFlorencewereamongthehappiestforbothofthem.HerloveforhimwasdemonstratedintheSonnetsfromthePortuguese,andtoherhededicatedMenandWomen,whichcontainshisbestpoetry.§WhentalkingaboutRobertBrowning,wehavetomentionhiswife,ElizabethBarrettBrowning.§Shewasafamouspoet,too.Shewrotemanysonnets,atypeof14linepoem,thesameasShakespearedid.§

ElizabethandherhusbandRoberthadagreatloveaffair,almostlikeamovie.Browningwassixyearsyoungerthanhiswife.TheyranawaytoItalytogetmarried.

Browning’sWife

BornatCoxhoeHall,grewupinthewestofEnglandAmostrespectedandsuccessfulwomanpoetoftheVictorianperiod,andwaslargelyeducatedathomebyatutor,quicklylearningFrench,LatinandGreek.Shewasconsideredtodeservethelaureateship,butwhicheventuallywasawardedtoTennysonin1850.Hergreatestwork,SONNETSFROMTHEPORTUGUESE(1850),isasequenceoflovesonnetsaddressingtoherhusband.HervividintelligenceandetherealphysicalappearancemadealifelongimpressiontoRuskin,Carlyle,Thackeray,Rossetti,Hawthorne,andmanyothers.ElizabethBarrett(1806-1861)LateLife

Itwasonlyafterhiswife'sdeath,in1861,whenhereturnedtoEnglandandbecamepartoftheLondonliterarycircle,thathisreputationstartedtotakeoff.In1868,hecompletedandpublishedthelongblank-versepoemTheRingandtheBook,andfinallyachievedreallysignificantrecognition.Wroteagreatdealrightuptotheendofhislife,thoughhewasplaguedbycoldsandbronchitis;hislastbook,Asolando,waspublishedthedayofhisdeath,December12,1889.AssumedhewouldbeburiedbesideElizabeth,butforthecemeteryhadbeenclosedtofurtherburials,heinsteadreceivedagrandfuneralatWestminsterAbbey.WorkListPauline:AFragmentofaConfession(1833)Paracelsus(1835)Sordello(1840)BellsandPomegranatesNo.III:DramaticLyrics(1842)MyLastDuchessThePiedPiperofHamelin

DramaticRomances(1845)MenandWomen(1855)TheRingandtheBook(1868-1869)

TheInnAlbum(1875)Solando(1889)

MyLastDuchess

behind

acurtainThepictureiskepthiddenWheretheDukecanenjoyitbyhimselfWhentheDukedrawsbackthecurtaintheenvoyseesintheDuchess’expression:smile

§AsistypicalofBrowning'spoems,"MyLastDuchess"iswrittenasadramaticmonologue:onespeakerrelatestheentirepoemasiftoanotherpersonpresentwithhim.

Thismeansthepoemiswritteninthe“voice’ofacharacterratherthanthevoiceofthepoet.

§ThepoemissetduringthelateItalianRenaissanceItfirstappearedin1842inBrowning'sDramaticLyrics

.BackgroundDramaticMonologueDramaticmonologueisakindofpoeminwhichasinglefictionalorhistoricalcharacterotherthanthepoetspeakstoasilent“audience”ofoneormorepersons.Suchpoemsrevealnotthepoet’sownthoughtsbutthemindoftheimpersonatedcharacter,whosepersonalityisrevealedinthepresenceofanlistener,whichdistinguishesfromasoliloquy.RobertBrowningisassociatedwiththeterm.HisMyLastDuchessisacaseinpoint.

SummaryThispoemislooselybasedonhistoricaleventsinvolvingAlfonso,theDukeofFerrara,wholivedinthe16thcentury.TheDukeisthespeakerofthepoem,andtellsusheisentertaininganemissarywhohascometonegotiatetheDuke’smarriage(hehasrecentlybeenwidowed)tothedaughterofanotherpowerfulfamily.Asheshowsthevisitorthroughhispalace,hestopsbeforeaportraitofthelateDuchess,apparentlyayoungandlovelygirl.TheDukebeginsreminiscingabouttheportraitsessions,thenabouttheDuchessherself.Hismusingsgivewaytoadiatribeonherdisgracefulbehavior:heclaimssheflirtedwitheveryoneanddidnotappreciatehis“giftofanine-hundred-years-oldname.”Ashismonologuecontinues,thereaderrealizeswithever-morechillingcertaintythattheDukeinfactcausedtheDuchess’searlydemise:whenherbehaviorescalated,“[he]gavecommands;/Thenallsmilesstoppedtogether.”Havingmadethisdisclosure,theDukereturnstothebusinessathand:arrangingforanothermarriage,withanotheryounggirl.AstheDukeandtheemissarywalkleavethepaintingbehind,theDukepointsoutothernotableartworksinhiscollection.

“MyLastDuchess”comprisesrhymingpentameterlines.Thelinesdonotemployend-stops;rather,theyuseenjambment—gthatis,sentencesandothergrammaticalunitsdonotnecessarilyconcludeattheendoflines.Consequently,therhymesdonotcreateasenseofclosurewhentheycome,butratherremainasubtledrivingforcebehindtheDuke’scompulsiverevelations.TheDukeisquiteaperformer:hemimicsothers’voices,createshypotheticalsituations,andusestheforceofhispersonalitytomakehorrifyinginformationseemmerelycolorful.Indeed,thepoemprovidesaclassicexampleofadramaticmonologue:thespeakerisclearlydistinctfromthepoet;anaudienceissuggestedbutneverappearsinthepoem;andtherevelationoftheDuke’scharacteristhepoem’sprimaryaim.

CommentaryButBrowninghasmoreinmindthansimplycreatingacolorfulcharacterandplacinghiminapicturesquehistoricalscene.Rather,thespecifichistoricalsettingofthepoemharborsmuchsignificance:theItalianRenaissanceheldaparticularfascinationforBrowningandhiscontemporaries,foritrepresentedthefloweringoftheaestheticandthehumanalongside,orinsomecasesintheplaceof,thereligiousandthemoral.ThusthetemporalsettingallowsBrowningtoagainexploresex,violence,andaestheticsasallentangled,complicatingandconfusingeachother:thelushnessofthelanguagebeliesthefactthattheDuchesswaspunishedforhernaturalsexuality.TheDuke’sravingssuggestthatmostofthesupposedtransgressionstookplaceonlyinhismind.LikesomeofBrowning’sfellowVictorians,theDukeseessinlurkingineverycorner.ThereasonthespeakerheregivesforkillingtheDuchessostensiblydiffersfromthatgivenbythespeakerof“Porphyria’sLover”formurderPorphyria;however,bothwomenareneverthelessvictimsofamaledesiretoinscribeandfixfemalesexuality.ThedesperateneedtodothismirrorstheeffortsofVictoriansocietytomoldthebehavior—sexualandotherwise—gofindividuals.Forpeopleconfrontedwithanincreasinglycomplexandanonymousmodernworld,thisimpulsecomesnaturally:tocontrolwouldseemtobetoconserveandstabilize.TheRenaissancewasatimewhenmorallydissolutemenliketheDukeexercisedabsolutepower,andassuchitisafascinatingstudyfortheVictorians:workslikethisimplythat,surely,atimethatproducedmagnificentartliketheDuchess’sportraitcouldn’thavebeenentirelyevilinitsallocationofsocietalcontrol—geventhoughitputmenliketheDukeinpower.Apoemlike“MyLastDuchess”calculatedlyengagesitsreadersonapsychologicallevel.BecausewehearonlytheDuke’smusings,wemustpiecethestorytogetherourselves.Browningforceshisreadertobecomeinvolvedinthepoeminordertounderstandit,andthisaddstothefunofreadinghiswork.Italsoforcesthereadertoquestionhisorherownresponsetothesubjectportrayedandthemethodofitsportrayal.Weareforced