Compare the presentation of relationships in My Last Duchess Essay Example

strangulates Porphyria with her own hair, stating, "In one long yellow strand I wound three times her little throat around/and strangled her." This act of murder showcases the possessiveness of the narrator's love, as he eliminates any possibility of Porphyria being with someone else. This unconventional method of killing reflects the narrator's unique and extreme approach to achieving his desires.

The poem "My Last Duchess" depicts the Duke's enduring affection for his deceased wife, evident through his continued admiration of her portrait on the wall. He acknowledges, "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, / looking as if she were alive." This reveals the Duke's persistent thoughts about his late wife, despite her popularity among other men. Each of the three poems I am analyzing revolves around the theme of death. In "Porphyria's Lover," the victim is fatally strangled with her own hair, encapsulated in the lines, "In one long yellow string I wound/ Three times her little throat around/ and strangled her."

This passage suggests that Porphyria's lover may have been excessively fixated on her, leading him to use her hair as a weapon to kill her. In "My Last Duchess," the murder of the duke's wife has already occurred, but the poem does not reveal the details of how it happened, leaving it uncertain for the reader. The line "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, /looking as if she were alive" indicates that she has passed away, as her portrait serves as a memento.

However, in all three poems, death is imminent. In The Laboratory, a woman is preparing poison to kill her partner due to her jealousy. She eagerly perfects the poison,

relishing the anticipation of what is to come. The victims in these poems are portrayed vividly and distinctly, as seen in My Last Duchess, The Laboratory, and Porphyria's Lover.

Nevertheless, the speaker's biased perspective regarding the victims in both cases is not accepted as they fail to provide an objective point of view. In "My Last Duchess," the character portrayed is the Duke's wife, whom we can infer from the poem to be a stunning woman. However, according to the Duke, she lacked adequate pride.

The Duke expressed that his wife was excessively flirtatious and easily impressed by others. She willingly let other men charm her, even if they were not of importance to her. It is evident from the stated line "Too easily impressed; she liked whate'er/she looked on, and her looks went everywhere" that during her lifetime, the Duke's wife attracted many men, and wherever she went, there would always be someone looking at her in a flirtatious manner, to which she would reciprocate due to her notorious flirtatious nature, despite being married to the Duke. The poem's style and structure contribute to its overall effect. "My Last Duchess" is composed in the form of a dramatic monologue.

The style of poem in My Last Duchess is fitting for the Duke, as he appears to be extremely controlling. He shows signs of jealousy as he was unable to have exclusive rights to his wife's smile, which other men also enjoyed due to her flirtatious nature. In Porphyria's Lover, the victim is Porphyria, who was strangled with her own "Yellow string hair". The poem indicates that Porphyria is a vivacious woman who enjoys socializing.

Which accomplished, she stood

up and removed the wet cloak and shawl from her body. She then placed her dirty gloves together and let her damp hair fall loosely. It is evident that she had just returned from a party, considering the harsh weather conditions outside. The poem begins by describing the weather as angry, setting the atmosphere for the rest of the poem. Ultimately, the subject of The Laboratory meets their demise through poison concocted by the wife prior to the king's event.

She wanted the poison to be accurately done in order to accomplish its purpose, which was to kill the man due to her jealousy. "Quick----is it finished? The color's too grim!" This indicates that she is becoming impatient and can no longer wait. The incorporation of color adds emotion and enhances the poem by providing a livelier and clearer image. The viewpoints expressed by Robert Browning are biased as we are not informed of how the victims feel. None of the primary characters in "My Last Duchess", "The Laboratory", or "Porphyria's Lover" display any remorse for their actions towards the victims.

Robert Browning employs various techniques to convey his message in all three poems. In The Laboratory, the poem takes the form of a dramatic monologue, but with a slight variation from the other two poems. Instead, it consists of numbered quatrains, each stanza telling its own story but seamlessly continuing from the previous one. This structure resembles the steps in a scientific experiment, specifically the process of brewing up a potion. The speaker utilizes light humor while plotting to kill her rivals, as her lover has been captivated and enticed by Pauline and Elise.

The final two

stanzas convey a sense of the speaker's pride in their actions. They exclaim, "Now, take all me jewels, gorge gold to your fill, / You may kiss me, old man, on my mouth if you will!" This statement indicates that their plan was successful and brings them great happiness. Furthermore, Porphyria's Lover is categorized as a dramatic monologue by Robert Browning, in which he employs various adjectives to depict Porphyria. For instance, he reveals how he "made her smooth white shoulder bare/ And all her yellow hair displaced," providing a more detailed description of her appearance beyond simply mentioning her shoulder and hair.

The reader is provided with additional information, indicating that the woman is being idolized by her lover. The lover does not display any guilt or regret about her death. "I am quite sure she felt no pain/ As a shut bud that holds a bee" indicates that the lover has no remorse for causing her death because now he can have her all to himself, preventing anyone else from having her. In "My Last Duchess," the title is reiterated multiple times within the poem, and the use of possessive pronouns holds significance as it conveys his sense of ownership over her.

The Duke's wife, referred to as "my last Duchess," is depicted on the wall. The possessive pronoun 'my' indicates that she is owned by the Duke alone. Despite the fact that his wife has passed away, the Duke has chosen to preserve her portrait in a frame, symbolizing her value and his enduring memory of her. By utilizing rhyming couplets, the Duke conveys an air of arrogance and confidence. Robert

Browning intentionally leaves the reader without a clear understanding of the characters' identities and traits, encouraging them to deduce these qualities through the language and details presented in the three poems.

In "My Last Duchess," the reader receives some insight into the Duke's wife, but there is insufficient detail to provide a clear description. The poem utilizes iambic pentameter, which consists of 10 syllables per line, such as "Of joy into the Duchess' cheek: perhaps." In "Porphyria's Lover," little information is given about Porphyria or her lover. However, it is evident that Porphyria's lover is possessive, leading to her death, without any feelings of remorse or guilt. His only desire was to find the right time to murder her.

The quoted lines indicate the narrator's belief that the moment was ideal for killing the person referred to as "she." The narrator takes the yellow hair of this individual and uses it to strangle her three times. This poem fits into the gothic genre as it involves a death, occurs after a party, and takes place during terrible weather. In contrast, the poem "The Laboratory" does not provide any information about the characters' traits. Instead, it focuses on describing the plan and the wife's desire for her husband's death. The final line emphasizes the narrator's isolation and their pleas to God in an empty church, while others mock them.

This informs us about the plot of revenge. Revenge is most effective when executed calmly and deliberately, so the characters are patiently biding their time for the opportune moment. In my opinion, Robert Browning's presentation of the three poems was out of the ordinary yet stylish, as he

incorporated not only straightforward language but also various linguistic styles to enrich the poems. I appreciate Browning's portrayal of obsessive, jealous, and possessive love, as it demonstrates that there are numerous forms of love that deviate from conventional notions.

The poems My Last Duchess, The Laboratory, and Porphyria's Lover each depict a different form of love - obsessive, jealous, and possessive respectively. Love holds great power and requires careful consideration when choosing a lifelong partner or even someone to go on a date with. Love is not always associated with sweetness, chocolates, and cuddly toys. Through Robert Browning's poems, it becomes evident that love, despite its sweetness, can lead to tragic outcomes such as death.