elicidated the concept of patriarchy rule over women, and condemns the voilence.

1. Q1. Robert browning in his poem “My last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover” condemns the
violence against practiced by men in the name of patriarchy. Elucidate
DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE: (Robert browning; sovereign over it)
Robert browning uses the dramatic monologue in two of his poem "my last duchess" and
"porphyria's lover". Monologue: mono means, 'ONE' and logue means 'SPEECH'; is when one
person speaks where other person is a silent listener but 'Dramatic monologue' also consists of
plot, narration, action, story, characters and audience which throughout narrating makes the
whole story.
ROBERT BROWNING CONDEMNS THE VOILENCE; MY LAST DUCHESS: (Modern
psyche of men of contemporary society in Victorian era)
Robert browning in his poem "the last Duchess" explained exclusively the mindset of the men of
the Victorian era, the way the Duke didn’t had firm trust on the character of his duchess,
therefore appointed a famous painter (Fra Pandolf) who is was considered to be a bit religious.
The duke didn’t even give him unlimited time to paint his wife in a picture but only a day was
given to him. In the poem “My Last Duchess” the duke wanted to enjoy the full control over his
last duchess but never expressed his feelings towards his duchess because he thought that if i
rectify her behavior so ultimately my dignity won’t be prevailed. I would be considered below
her and my nine-hundred-years-name of noble family name would be sacrificed. Therefore he
continued to remain quite. Robert browning in his poem 'the last Duchess' made a contrast
between the Duke and a fool;
"She had a heart- how can i say? –
Too soon made glad, too easily impressed
These are the lines spoken by duke about his late duchess, he portrayed her character to be a
person who was very down to earth, she liked whatever she looked at, and I never stopped her
from doing something even if it went against my nature. She used to give warm expressions to
the people around her; if a fool brings her cherries she would give him the same gestures as to
her husband who bestowed her with his 900th year’s old family name with anybody's worthless
gift.
The bough of cherries some of officious fool/
She thanked men-good! But thanked/if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred- years-old name with anybody's gift.
This poem vividly depicts the historical figure of duke Alfonso II d'Este an Italian duke married
Lucrezia de' Medici in 1558. By that time duke was 25 whereas Lucrezia was 14 years old, and
died when she was only 17. Some people thought that she has been poisoned but wasn’t proved.
As the poem progresses her smile grew more and more and finally he killed her. And as he
beautifully tells the listener that how beautiful she was, her picture can be portrayed by looking
at the painting hanging on the wall, and looks like as if she is still alive, which is mentioned in
these as;
Much the same smile? This grew; i gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together.

2. There she stands As if alive.
Robert Browning successfully condemns the violence portrayed in my last duchess on the part of
men in the name of patriarchy. One of the main distinct features in my last duchess is arrogance.
The deceased wife; duke never laments for the loss of his wife. In Victorian era women were
taken as an object, slaughtered, honor killing were the fate of women. In this poem the speaker is
considered to be self-centered, narcissist, and possessive. These all were the flaws of the speaker
"In my last duchess". Women were the possession of men they had power over them as the
detailed description of duke and duchess is given in the last duchess by Robert browning.
PORPHYRIA’S LOVER: (a poem illustrates the modern psyche of men).
Love violence control sexuality morality and hypocrisy are the significant themes in the
dramatic monologue "PORPHYRIA'S LOVER" by Robert Browning.
Another well-known, widely read and the most influential dramatic monologue "Porphyria
lover" by Robert browning portrays the violence and disturbed condition of modern psyche.
The Story tells porphyria a girl belongs to an aristocratic family comes to visit her lover in a
cottage leaving behind her elite class night party in a stormy disturbed rainy weather and due to
the fact all her hair and clothing were soaked. She tried to get close to him and murmured in his
ear so to express her love to him, this is the point where the speaker thinks porphyria's love is too
weak and she is not able to confess her feelings for him in front of the society, because her
societal norms would never permit her to be with him.
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,
untied/ and, she said down by my side.
Murmuring how she loved me – she too weak, for all her hearts endeavor.
Speaker is trying to convey that due to porphyria's pride and vanity she won’t be able to love me
for long time. Speaker once tells that he was a silent lover of porphyria before she confessed her
love for him and now he tells that porphyria worships me; this line has a very deep meaning to it,
and has a different essence, this became a surprise for the speaker by the time speaker took her as
his possession. Not even thinking for a second before taking her life by wrapping her own hair
thrice around her neck and strangled her at this point he believed when her soul was taken away
she definitely felt no pain, now that she is dead; had tried to play with the dead body by opening
her eyelids, touching her rosy cheeks, women at that time were more considered as an object
than a human being.
Porphyria worshipped me; surprise
That moment she was mine/perfectly pure and good/ no pain felt she;
JUSTIFICATIONS ON THE PART OF THE SPEAKER:
After killing her the psycho lover justifies his act by saying that he fulfilled his darling's one-
wish which was to sit together for aeon, and also another act of speaker which benefitted her was
that she got free from the things she never wanted to do and even i got her love for a prolonged
period of time nobody can take her from me, just to fulfill her demands the speaker finally killed
her to fulfill his own desires of being with porphyria.

3. Another reason Porphyria's lover killed porphyria was the fact that he didn’t want her to be in a
physical relation with him, to keep her pure and good soul he killed her (an act of violence on
part of the speaker). A major sin committed by the lover without stopping her by legal means he
ended up her taking her life as an expression of keeping her honor and dignity and protecting her
from a wild and cruel society/world. And yet God has not said a word! In the above line he
justifies his act by referring God as his act of killing porphyria was not a sinful act (killing
porphyria; fulfilled one of her wish which was to be with him without any limited time frame).
God up-till now didn’t teach him a lesson of taking porphyria's life as he preserved the morality
of the relationship. In religion it is considered to be sinful act by taking life a person but here the
speaker says as he stopped porphyria from doing a sin whereas the speaker committed a big sin
in comparison to porphyria and up-till now God didn’t judge him, He didn’t said anything, nor
any damage has been made in his life so therefore he thinks his act of taking porphyria’s life was
as just as if she was his personal property, a toy, for which no body would ask him for taking
porphyria’s life.
In both of the Robert browning poems in “My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria's Lover” there has
been the striking similarity between the two, both are dramatic monologues in which only the
speaker tends to describe or speak; these poems were written in Victorian era and beautifully
depicted the contemporary societies of that time. Women were only limited to their homes
(Angel in the house). In those times men used to suppress them by all means and women
unfortunately were subjected to oppression, women were self-sacrificing for their men, home and
children. Women were seen as a symbol of self-immolation for example in one of the poem of
Alfred Lord Tennyson "ST AGNES EVE" in which a roman virgin girl sacrificed herself in way
of protecting her virginity. She believed that only Christ is her husband, many advances on the
part of men were there for her who asked her hand in marriage either in piety or that in lust still
she preferred to sacrifice her life while protecting her virginity than to let men dishonor her.
ANALYSIS OF BOTH THE POEMS: (Disregarding the concept of violence)
Both the poems "In my last duchess" and "porphyria's lover" by Robert browning, men felt
comfortable in murdering their beloved rather than solving the issue through communicating
with each other. Through this dramatic monologue Robert Browning examined the harsh
realities of human nature, by describing that being dominant is in men's nature. They can easily
take things in their hands even if it’s about taking one's life, being dominant on their wife’s they
simple thought that their wife’s could understand what lies in their husband's heart, but
unfortunately women of that era failed to understand the inner most feelings of their spouses.
In a relationship one should communicate their problems to their partners instead of passing
wrong judgments about the character of their wife. Despite the fact that they were loyal and
honest, still demise met their fate. In both of the poems the speaker appears to be happier after
using the weapon of murdering their beloved's, so by having full access and control over their
beloveds, this seems how male patriarchy is desperate for power over women. Because of the
lack of trust on the part of the speaker and in their relationship; murdering was only the choice
left. The relationship is considered to be a withered flower when no such understanding,
communication, trusts and love is present in it.