Comparing Poems 'My Last Duchess And' Porphyria's Lover

Master’s use of personification and an extended metaphor proves that regret induces sorrow. Throughout the poem the narrator explains to us, the reader, his regret of not taking chances that was once proposed to him in his life. In the poem it states, “Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid.” This negative connotation is an example of personification. The example shows sorrow is a feeling that cannot physically knock on one’s door, thus saying from his point of view, he started feeling grief, meanwhile he degenerated proposition. Gray, even in the state of being, was reluctant to see through a different perspective of life towards possibility

The texts ‘Sonnets from the Portuguese’ (1845) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ (1926). Both explore the universal values of idealised love, limitation of time and hope of restoration. As such inherently reflected through their relevant contexts of the Victorian Era and 1920’s Jazz age value systems. Even though the text share similar themes their interpretation completely differ influenced by diverse historical context, personal experiences and human values.

A Ritual to Read to Each Other by William Strafford, and Shakespeare’s sonnet are about very different kinds of romance. The fact that these two writers lived hundreds of years apart is evident in their poetry. Although the themes of both poems are similarly dark, Stafford talks about modern social issues, while Shakespeare brings up the issue of love itself. The two poems contrast more than the compare.

‘Ozymandias’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ are both poems about the pride of men and how it always leads to ruin. ‘Ozymandias’ looks at the pride of men as opposed to Nature, and declares it a foolish notion, mocking humanity as whole. ‘My Last Duchess’ looks at the pride of men in contrast to emotions and portrays it as a dangerous force, describing pride as an insinuating sickness of the mind.

In short, Blanning discusses all the key elements of romanticism and mentions the most famous of the romantic poets, including: Byron, Wordsworth, Coleridge and Burns, to Beethoven, Wagner, Berlioz, Rossini and Liszt, to Goya, Turner, Delacroix and Blake. Blanning notes throughout this book that the Romantic Revolution is not easy

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Can love even be measured? It is such an intense feeling that can entirely transform the way that people view the world. It can be experienced more intensely for some compared to others. Elizabeth Browning and Anne Bradstreet both manifested their own intense feelings of love for their husbands in the form of poem. The quote aforementioned was from Elizabeth’s poem “How Do I Love Thee?”. Although Anne Bradstreet also composed a poem, “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, in which she expressed her uncontainable feelings of affection for her husband, Elizabeth Browning verified that her love for Robert Browning, her husband, was much stronger through her employment of spiritual comparisons to her love,

Feminism has erupted over the past century. The theme of patriarchy has ruled over women for centuries. With the uprising of the critique of patriarchy, more feminists have analyzed Shakespeare’s literary works as in favor of the male gender roles. In Act 1 scene 3, the station of Polonius and Laertes reveals their patriarchal position over Ophelia by constructing advices that molds their expectations of her and degrading her in ways that exemplify the oppression of women during the 1600’s.

In the poem "sonnet 43" Elizabeth Barrett Browning uses the theme of love to express her feelings about her husband, Robert Browning. Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most amazing poetry writes in the 19-century. In Elizabeth poem it clearly talks about how she's looking for love . Shes

Within the first five stanzas of the poem, Porphyria appears to be in control of the relationship with the speaker; however, as the tone shifts the true intentions of the speaker are revealed. Browning begins the poem by describing the weather as “sullen wind” breaking down the trees solely out of “spite”. The ominous weather represents the current state of emotions of the speaker. The use of sullen and spite insinuate that the speaker is unhappy about the relationship and plans to take their feelings on Porphyria. In those first five stanzas, Porphyria appears to be in control of her relationship which is unusual for Victorian times. When women generally did not have any power, especially over men. She shuts out “the cold” and makes a fire in the previously “cheerless grate” which in turn causes the tone to shift from being unhappy to slightly happier. Porphyria physically moves the speaker by putting the speaker’s “arm around her waist and “cheek” on her shoulder as if the speaker is a doll. The speaker’s lack of reply and movement further symbolizes that the speaker need for control in the relationship. The tone of

The speakers in the two poems; “To Coy His Mistress” and “My Last Duchess”, were flawed due to the ignorance of their view of women; given that all they believe is that women are on earth to please every man’s need, which is mainly sex. The similarities, and differences, between the two speakers of the two poems, show the real intentions of the speakers have towards the women in the two poems. The speakers in the poem had one belief about women, they are only meant to make men happy and feel good.

“Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning exemplifies the gender ideology prevalent during the Victorian era in an unconventional way. The roles of Porphyria as a female and her unnamed, insane male lover develop throughout the poem. During the Victorian era, male figures were generally more dominant within society while females should be passive and submissive, forming a growing power struggle based on defied traditional gender roles. For the majority of the poem, Porphyria does not follow the standards of women in her time. Her actions throughout the poem exhibit a great deal of confidence as she controls her lover. Even so, the man strangles her, an action showing his dominance and reaffirming the norms of their time. Browning’s writing of

Through the Duke’s abuse of power, love is presented in a negative way throughout ‘My Last Duchess’. Throughout the poem, Browning uses a heroic couplet in order to signify his grandiose nature; he views himself as a superior being who nobody can ever surpass. This is reinforced when the Duke juxtaposes the different gifts the Duchess received he specifically stated that ‘as if she ranked / My gift of a nine-hundred years-old name / With anybody’s gift.’ Juxtaposition is used in order to highlight the significance of the Duke’s gift. Browning specifically mentioned the name of the Duke’s gift to put emphasis on the meaningful surname he has gifted the Duchess, nevertheless giving him a reason to command and control her. Due to his individual

In comparison to the rigid patriarchal society portrayed in “My Last Duchess”, Keats’ “La Belle Dame sans Merci” illustrates how the freedom of individual expression in the romantic period affects people’s perspective on love. While the narrative persona in “My Last Duchess” demands his wife to devote her love to him, the protagonist of “La Belle Dame sans Merci” devotes to the woman he loves even though the love is unrequited. This is evident through the repetition of the line “On the cold hill side.” throughout the poem. The noun phrase “cold hill” suggests that the knight is lonely and depressed when he waits for the woman solely, however unlike the narrative persona of “My Last Duchess”, he would not demand the woman to love him instead he would wait patiently until the day his affection towards her is accepted. Subsequently, through the knight’s patience in waiting for the woman he favours, Keats highlights the strong affection she has for the woman.

As the story continues, when Josephine whose Mrs. Mallard’s sister told her about the death of Mr. Mallard, instead of reacting in shock as “many women would’ve (Chopin, The Story of an Hour)” done so, Mrs. Mallard “wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms. (Chopin, the Story of an Hour)” It would be prudent to believe by the way Mrs. Mallard was crying that indeed she was devastated about her husband’s tragic death.

Shakespeare’s renowned play Twelfth Night centers around love, both in platonic and romantic instances. Characters display elements of self, brotherly, amorous, and friendly love towards one another; however, of the relationships portrayed, the strongest ones are those between men. In contrast, relationships between men and women lack depth and sincerity due to the lapse of communication between the opposing genders. Men are able to express their feelings to one another more freely, which gives their bonds strength that heterosexual relationships fail to display.