Robert Browning: 'Love in a life' poem analysis

Love in a life: Robert Browning

Written in 1855, the poem documents an individual’s search through a house, as an allusion to ones determination to find reciprocated love and/or acceptance within a relationship.

THEMES

·       Love / romance

·       Reciprocation

·       Nature versus culture

·       Transcendence

·       Fate

TONE

This poem is written as two parts. The first part speaks about him not wanting to care about his next woman's past. The second part speaks of him wanting to learn about everything else since there is so much to learn

·       Stanza 1- determined, passionate, longing

·       Stanza 2- frustrated,

FORM

·       Irregular rhyme acknowledges lack of reciprocation / nonlinearity of fate

·       Increasing line length presents speakers growing frustration, desperation

STRUCTURE

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