Robert Browning's Dramatic Monologue

1. Paper: 6
PaperName: The Victorian Literature
Preparedby: Drashti Mehta
Roll No:8
PG Enrollment No:PG13101021
Seat No:11310009
Sem:2
Email id: drashti.mehta.111993@gmail.com
Submitted to: Smt. S.B. Gardi, Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinghji
Bhavnagar University
Bhavnagar University
Bhavnagar(Gujarat-India)

2. The Victorian age
• The Victorian age follows Romantic age.
• It begins from 1833 and ends in 1900.
• This age is one of the most glorious epochs in
the history of England.

3. Characteristics
• It evoked feelings of :
• warm appreciation and commendation in the
hearts of many of its admirers.
• Resentment and condemnation in others.
• Great emphasis on order, decorum and decay.
• It was Rich in literary output.
• Influenced by Science.

4. Study of a poet:Robert Browning
• Robert Browning is a
prominent Victorian poet.
• He was born at
Camperwell.
• As a child he was
precocious and started
writing poetry at the age
of Twelve.
• Shelly influenced his
mind and Byron was his
favorite poet.

5. Compton- Rickett
Browning’s art
as a poet and a
dramatist
From 1832-
1846
Experimented
period
From 1846-
1869
“The ring and
the Book”
From 1869-
1876
Rich in Casuistic
and dialectic
version
From 1876 -
1889
Asolando

6. Styles
of
Poetry
Relation:
Lyirical Poetry
The Dramatic
Treatment of
Nature
Philosophy
and Attitude
to Human life
Verse, diction
and Imagery
Reputation as
a poet

8. Lyrical poetry
• Paracelsus
• Sordello
• Pauline
• Pippa Passes
• Dramatic Lyrics

9. “The Dramatic”
• The Ring and The Book
• Porpheria’s Lover

10. Treatment of Nature
• Soul
• Meeting at night
• By the Fire -side

12. Philosophy and Attitude to Human Life
• Fra Lippo Lippi
“Oh, oh,
It makes me mad to see
what men shall do
And we in our Graves!
This world’s no blot for us,
Nor blank; it means
intensely, and means
good.{ii.311-14}”

13. Verse, Diction and Imagery
• The Pied Piper
• Master Hugues

14. Reputation as a poet

15. Poetry of art
Religious and
ethical
Thought
Love Poetry
Types of Poetry

16. What is Dramatic Monologue?
• Dramatic monologue refers to a type of
poetry.
• These poems are dramatic in the sense that
they have a theatrical quality; that is, the
poem is meant to be read to an audience.
• To say that the poem is a monologue means
that these are the words of one solitary
speaker with no dialogue coming from any
other characters.

17. Points to be kept in mind
What is the situation?
Who is the speaker talking to and why?
What tactics is the speaker using to make his
case?
Does the speaker seem to change his mind
during the poem?
What do you think about this character and
what he has to say?

18. Some Dramatic Monologues
• My Last Duchess
• Porpheria's Lover
• Home Thoughts from
Abroad
My Last Duchess

19. Porpheyria's Lover
• Most Disturbing of
Browning’s Poems
• Main character is clearly
insane as he calmly
explain how and why he
killed the women who
loved him.

20. Home Thoughts From Abroad
• Sweet sentimental
speech
• From the point of view
of a road-weary traveler
who wants to be back
home.

21. Duke of Ferrara
• He begins the poem by
• “That’s My Last
Duchess Painted on the
wall.”
• About the Painting
• He also references
“How her looks went
everywhere.”

22. Duke, The speaker
• The 16th cen. Speaker
tells the story
• His wife gives attention
to other men
• This affection causes
the speaker to kill her
• Her actions seriously
upset him.

23. Last Duchess
• Kind, young woman
• Duke executed her
• “Joyous look”
• This was the only sin
• We can see her with the
feministic view also

25. About the poem: My Last Duchess
Form
• Poem is written with a
senseless live breaks.
• Creates a feeling of disorder
• Poem is not in its perfect
form
• Outpouring of emotion
Tone
• Very old tone throughout
the poem
• Speaker discusses about his
past wife with detachment
• Treats his search for a new
wife like a contest

26. Gmail id:drashti.mehta.111993@gmail.com