My_Last_Duchess_&_Prophyria's_Lover_-_Speech_Format

My Last Duchess & Prophyria's lover speech - “A poet paints pictures and appeals to our senses therefore creating a text worthy of our reflection” The Victorian Era, distinguished as the century of Romanticism along with family values and dignity. Poetic minds consisting of Robert Browning, indulges us with the genuineness and creativity implanted in their poems. The composition of My Last Duchess and Porphyria’s lover are expressed with the vast concentration on the dramatic monologue. Application of language techniques for instance, personification, repetition and symbolism amplify the poem’s significance. The singularity of human character flourishes our senses in which we respond with interest. Through My Last Duchess, the whole context contains a rhythm scheme. The momentum is therefore produced during the poem, leaving the poet’s viewpoint unbroken. Robert Browning creates an AA BB rhythm format which sends audible interest that keeps readers intrigued. This affects our state of mind psychologically as the rhythm changes, suggests intensity. With this, we walk towards the inner nature of the Duke’s character. Further insight is gained when the use of colloquialism accumulates and allows us comprehend the character’s nature. For example, the protagonist in My Last Duchess introduces us with “That’s my last duchess painted on the wall”. This captivates the Duke’s perception of his former wife. It foreshadows the lingering uneasiness of the Duke and encourages readers to anticipate mystery. This use of imagery portrays the poem’s ability worthy our reflection. Robert Browning’s interest towards history and culture is reflected on the mystery of his protagonists’ view. In the context of My Last Duchess, the Duke is very fond of a particular painting. This painting corresponds with the Duke’s possessiveness. As the poem develops, the Duke casually mentions “I call that piece a wonder, now”. This illustrates his fondness of the painting which has concealed the Duchess’ smile. There is resemblance with another artwork, that is, the ‘Neptune taming of the seahorse”. It symbolises that the Duke sees control as a natural fixation. His character can be penetrated by peering into his desire for exceptional treatment. This abnormal psychological behaviour displayed by the duke, questions if the duke was responsible of his duchess’ death. Thus, this conveys Browning’s idea of making his readers see the interaction amongst these characters and create a complete picture of the speaker. The sense of creativity in Robert Browning’s poems carries us to the language displayed in Porphyria’s lover. In the context of the poem, the personification of the storm is initiated. “The sullen wind was soon awake, / it tore the elm-tops down for spite”. This mirrors the psychotic and unstable mind of the narrator. It operates as a premonition towards the imminent dreary events intended for the audience. The storm sets the malevolent stage which symbolises an unsteady atmosphere. This can be interpreted as a sense of restlessness with the intention of absorbing the audience’s anticipation. In other words Browning expresses his view via tone for readers. As the poem progresses, we hear the constant repetition of “and” which integrates eagerness. This composes the reader to pursue the actions of the narrator and respond to it. It also depicts the proposal of anticipation for a dramatic purpose, which is seen later in the poem. Another usage of repetition would be the recurrence of “All her yellow hair”. This plays a major significance because it is later used to strangulate Porphyria to her death. The singularity of this action astonishes countless readers. Even today, the concerns expressed in the text appeals to us. Upon prophyria’s arrival, there is an abrupt change in persona. “Happy and proud; at last I knew / Porphyria worshipped me.” The reader can recognise that the exploitation of religious connotation informs us who is dominant. From the quotation of “sullen wind” and “worshipped me”, the reader would have a sudden response from sympathy to anxiety. The narrator’s bitter mind stimulates the journey for readers to expect dreadfulness. In conclusion, the poetic mind of Robert Browning has directed us to a new region of poetry. Browning’s objective was for readers to imagine the interaction with these characters and designate them to fixate a picture. When connected, this picture presents a text worthy of our reflection. From both My Last Duchess and Porphyria’s over, they are worthy of our reflection because our minds are opened to Browning’s insightful ideas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------