Browning poems, compare Porphyria's Lover, My Last Duchess and The Laboratory
- Created by: tamar.klajman
- Created on: 15-05-18 18:49
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- Browning Poems
- nature of criminal
- Porphyria's lover
- obsessed with having control over her, being an almost god-like figure. "Woshipped" religious overtones. "no pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain" air of omniscience, "was her utmost will" arrogance
- "no pain felt she; I am quite sure no pain" tries to convince himself?
- patriarchal society, he felt he had power over her, but he was of lower class
- speaker doesn't mimic the rhyme of speech, sign of insanity or that these are his thoughts
- My Last Duchess
- "its earnest glance" loving feel, as if he loves the painting more than his wife as he can control it completely
- wants complete control over her
- "painted"
- "the curtain I have drawn for you"
- Repetition of Fra Pandolf's name - obsessed with what may have occurred. Ironic as he is a priest.
- Context: ideas about god and religion were changing with expansion of science. Displaying new apathy for religion by specifically using Fra?
- believes that he is above her and thus he should be the centre of her world
- "too soon made glad, too easily impressed"
- "some stooping" telling her his feelings would be beneath him
- The Laboratory
- poem was inspired by Madame de Brinvillers, poisoned her father + 2 brothers so she wouldn't have to share her inheritance
- rich and powerful woman
- "jewels"
- "dance at the kings"
- comment on society, rich were seen as infallible even when they were rotten
- "I am not in haste" "quick is it finished?" contradiction may show mental instability or just excited and unsure
- describes the poison with such excitement
- monosyllabic at the end displays her excitement
- repetition of "laugh, laugh at me, at me" shows her paranoia, anger, determination for revenge
- all the narrators see themselves as the victims of crime, they are righting a wrong
- wronged by his wife not giving him her full attention
- wronged by husband and his mistress
- wronged as she didn't accept him into her world
- Porphyria's lover
- nature of crime
- violent terms show how eager she is for death. Sticks to gender stereotypical method of death.
- "grind away"
- "pound"
- "brand"
- "sudden thought" - not premeditated
- witness the crime, more shocking
- "strangled her" very cold and matter of fact. No breakdown of language / rhythm shows how unaffected he was by what he did
- doesn't explicitly say what he has done, very heavily implied
- "I gave commands / then all smiles stopped together"
- comment on society that the rich were able to do as they pleased without repercussions
- "half flush that dies along her throat"
- violent terms show how eager she is for death. Sticks to gender stereotypical method of death.
- victims and suffering
- kills her with her own hair
- loose hair = intimacy, uses what they had against her
- makes the murder seem more gruesome
- perhaps uses a part of her as he doesn't want to introduce anything new into the situation, everything perfect as it is
- "shut bud" wasn't fully grown yet, worse
- unnamed victim, he saw her as property not a person
- her fault was that she didn't cherish his "gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name" enough
- kills her with her own hair
- Moral purpose + Restoring order
- no restoration of order, no justice for the victims
- "god has not said a word"
- as the reader witnesses the murder they are more disturbed when he gets away free
- J.T.Best suggests he killed her out of mercy as she had the blood disease porphyria. Only named in 1889, after poem was written.
- sees herself as taking revenge for a wrong done against her
- no restoration of order, no justice for the victims
- guilt and remorse
- disturbing as none of the narrators show any signs of guilt/remorse
- title 'My LAST Duchess" suggests there were more before, ends talking about a new potential bride, will carry
- never waivers throughout, suggests done it before
- boasts about her crime before its even committed
- "let her death be felt"
- mentions "soul" but no punishment for her in poem
- disturbing as none of the narrators show any signs of guilt/remorse
- dramatic monologue
- nature of criminal
- Porphyria's lover
- My Last Duchess
- The Laboratory
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