What_Will_Continue_to_Make_Browning's_Poetry_Worthy_of_Critical_Study_

Browning's poetry corresponds with a substantial amount of literary devices and universal themes, which will continue to make Browning's poetry worthy of critical study. His mastery upon the literary technique, 'dramatic monologue' enables him to incorporate his idealistic perceptions, primarily focusing on 'human nature' and the Victorian concerns that lay within this era. It is due to this fundamental trademark that we, as the 'silent listeners' are illustrated with the distinctive values, attitudes and beliefs that Browning bestows, together with accounting these universal themes which are still prevalent today. Thus, this is the reason in which I believe Browning's poetry will continue to be worthy of critical study, specifically referring to the two of Browning’s many eminent poems, My Last Duchess and Porphyria’s Lover that will support my viewpoint. Effectively, I now call the latter into question. That is, what is the universal theme depicted within these poems that I speak of' Power! Just simply power! Why' Because power is the key root exploring the notion of human nature, and it is in this concept that ultimately translates the concerns and values the Victorian era held at this time. As such, the traditional perceptions of a patriarchal society was flourished in this time of period, during which men were typically perceived to maintain the dominant role in a relationship, while women relegated to their roles as one that adheres to the men's commands. Ironically enough, this typical notion of patriarchy was deemed to be blurred in both of the poems. Through his characters in ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s lover’, Browning was able to implement the use of dramatic monologue. This device enables his characters to speak in a subjective manner, allowing the distanced poet and reader to stay objective simultaneously. As such, the speaker in My Last Duchess, The Duke, speaks in a form of iambic pentameter, allowing his monologue to sound natural and establishes his character of a noble rank. Pertinent to the Duke, he ultimately sees the world as obeying the stringent expectations upon a patriarchal society. However, it is due to the Duchess’s ‘flirtatious’ behaviour that undermines his powerful figure, and thus his jealousy is derived from the smiles that she easily gave, and her appreciation towards the simplest pleasures of life in due imagery of ‘the Daylight in the west’, ‘the bough of cherries’ and ‘the white mule’. When Browning indirectly hints that the deceased wife was due to the spiteful crime that the Duke may have committed, it ratified the Duke’s emphasis for patriarchy, having accounted that he was a devoid of power back when the Duchess was still alive. Thus, by hiring the artist—Fra Pandolf to construct a portrait of the deceased Duchess, we can draw out the sense of his redeemed power, as he could now control who could and could not see her graceful smile behind the curtain. In conjunction to the concept of patriarchy, Browning synonymously demonstrates the idea upon the void of male supremacy in Porphyria’s Lover. We can verify that Porphyria is assumed of control, as she instigates all the physical contact such that the narrator’s monologue describes her through imagery of ‘putting his arm about her waist’, and ‘made his cheek lie on her smooth white shoulder’. However, the narrator, being a patriarchal male strangles his lover with her hair ‘three times her little throat around’ the use of alliteration emphasises on the complex idea to overcome the strict social barriers between him and Porphyria. In this sense, we can delve in the fact that he commits such a depraved act to keep her his forever—that the very moment when he confirmed that Porphyria ‘worshipped him’ consequently resulted in the reversal of power that Porphyria initially embodied. In due course, the narrator is now the one who ‘propped her head up’ as she did before the murder, which can be considered a great transformation from the initial diminishing sense of power under Porphyria. Ultimately, it can be concluded that both poems demonstrate a predominant sense of power subversion in a typical patriarchal society, which may well shape Browning’s beliefs. Of course, over the past century, the concept of power is still prevalent today, namely in this very classroom. Why do you think you’re sitting there listening to my speech' Because you hold the power as the teacher, while I, hold that the universal theme of power will continue to make Browning’s poetry worthy of critical study.