...Macbeth leading Macbeth into self-indulgence. Shakespeare enforces the importance of 'divine rights of kings' and stresses the kings rights. By Macbeth killing king Duncan, he has committed regicide which is a sin. This goes against the divine rights of kings as Macbeth becomes king after he kills king Duncan and linking to the 'divine rights of kings' her has committed a sin. Also Shakespeare explores the outcome of manipulation and mental control by including the three witches. These three witches filled Macbeth's head with negativity and depravity. This results into Macbeth becoming very disturbed and traumatized. Moreover Browning explores the issues within the Victorian society in order to inform the reader about the different ways of life for others and the thoughts of others. Browning shows the difference in men and woman during the Victorian era and how Porphyria was very light hearted towards the way women were in that time. Porphyria had the image of a mistress other than the image of a woman so it was very simple for 'Porphyria's Lover' to take advantage of her and class her as 'weak'. Also browning introduced the concern of 'mixed status relationships' and 'sex out of wedlock'. These were major concerns for the Victorian society because these were rules for this kind of behaviour specifically to stop people getting carried away. Additionally, Browning...
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...The similarities between Robert Browning's two poems, “My Last Duchess” and Porphyria's Lover, are ordinary, as they can be compared in theme, plot, style, language, perspective and various other ways. The two poems make the same statement concerning men and love and men and their relationship with women. In both poems, the male narrator looks like a jealous, overbearing tyrant and the woman a passive victim of circumstance. Neither poem makes men look very good. This is a single stanza poem. The structure used of “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning. This poem provides a good use of Euphemism and Persona. The structural elements include iambic pentameter, the line, heroic couplet, strophe and stanza. Poets combine the use of language and a specific structure to create imaginative and expressive work such as My Last Duchess by Robert Browning. The structure used in some Poetry types is also used when considering the visual effect of a finished poem. The structure of many types of poetry results in groups of lines on the page which enhance the poem's composition. This poem provides a good example of Euphemism and Persona. “Porphyria’s Lover,” while natural in its language, does not display the colloquialisms or dialectical markers of some of Browning’s later poems. Moreover, while the cadence of the poem mimics natural speech, it actually takes the form of highly patterned verse, rhyming ABABB. The intensity and asymmetry of the pattern suggests the madness concealed within...
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...last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s lover’ Robert Browning was born in May 1812 and died at the age of seventy. Browning was an English poet who has become known as the person to invent and popularise the dramatic monologue. This made him the foremost Victorian poet; two of his most successful dramatic monologues are those of ‘My last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’. The reoccurring theme within the two monologues is murder as they show the idea of men killing a lover Dramatic monologues are significant in that there is only one point of view expressed throughout. In Victorian times dramatic monologues were very popular; Browning was seen as the innovator of this style of writing along with other eminent Victorian poets such as Rossetti and Tennyson. The dramatic monologue takes its style from Shakespeare’s soliloquies were a character speaks their thoughts and feelings aloud. This idea and style has been extended to the preset day, with Alan Bennett’s ‘Talking Heads.’ The speaker in ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ is the lover himself, residing in a cottage in the countryside at the beginning of the poem. The mood of the narrator is established right at the start as he talks about “the sullen wind’ ‘tore,’ ‘vex’ and ‘spite.’ He is clearly angry and unhappy. However as soon as Porphyria ‘glided’ in, the mood changes and she ‘ shut the cold out and the storm.’ The narrator feels warmed by her presence. At once the reader sees that Porphyria has taken control, she starts the fire...
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...Choose a poem that deals with a real or imaginary person or place. Show how the person or place is introduced and how the techniques used give a convincing portrayal of that person or place. In your answer you must refer to the text and to at least two of: characterisation, imagery, word choice, tone, or any appropriate feature. One poem that deals with a imaginary person is 'Porphyria's Lover' by Robert Browning. The poem, in the form of a monologue, depicts a scene surrounding two lovers, with the main focus on Porphyria throughout the first thirty lines, and then on her lover in the second thirty lines. This portrays a sense of dominance of Porphyria in the first half of the poem, and conveys the speaker as submissive and victimised. Throughout the poem, Browning displays effective uses of various poetic techniques to give a convincing portrayal of the speaker - he presents himself as a victim, then suddenly murders Porphyria, with the expectation that the reader will have no objections, that the act is perfectly acceptable. The poem begins with a romantic portrayal of the lovers, and the central thematic concern appears to be love; however as the poem progresses, it becomes clear that the theme is power. This becomes more apparent as the poem goes on, with the abrupt change of mood in the change from the first half to the second half of the poem. Using this change, among other features, Browning skilfully makes use of various poetic techniques to portray the personality...
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...The Victorian era, the period of the nineteenth century when Queen Victoria ruled England, was a time in which there were many advances and changes that occurred in English society. Robert Browning was one of the leading poets of this time, and many of his poems contain the theme of violence, focusing especially on violence against women. Browning’s use of violence in his poetry is symbolic of the oppression of women during this time period by their husbands and society. This oppression is seen through the examination of two of Browning’s most well-known poems, “My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover”. Browning’s “My Last Duchess” is a poem written in dramatic monologue in which a Duke in Renaissance Italy shows the servant of his future wife a painting of his former wife, and recounts the circumstances which lead to her death. Duke...
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...How does Browning tell the story in the Laboratory Robert Brownings, The Laboratory tells the story of a woman entering the “devil’s smithy” in order to create a poison, in which would kill the woman because she was seeing a man. The Laboratory is told in first person narrative so immediately it makes the poem very imitate with the reader and so we feel like the woman is speaking to the reader about her problems and how she is going to kill the woman. The quote “he is with her” shows how she doesn't like how the man has gone for the woman but also the tone of this is very spiteful when she says this and shows how the woman is arrogant. As the woman speaks she uses imperatives like “grind” and “pound” the use of these violent imperatives show her edging on and how she is reinforcing her pleasure showing how she is enjoying herself with what she is about to do. The quote “I am no it haste” also shows how she is enjoying the pleasure of the poison. The woman can also be viewed as scornful shown in the line "he is sure to remember her dying face", suggesting she wants a seemingly innocent woman to die ugly, simply because she spoke to a man she should not have by the woman. Browning also uses the use of exclamttives to show the characters journey through the poem, “a filigree basket!”, this exclamative shows how the woman is getting more excited about the poison and it shows the delight in which she enjoys. Browning also uses context in his he telling of the story in...
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...Think of a world where your voice is trapped and held back from societal norms and your identity is only defined by your role and not your character. (Pause) Like a mirror, these poets reflect on their isolating experiences from these expectations. As esteemed by both Browning and Owen, we explore the power of poetry to affirm or challenge these concerns of their time. The first poem, Porphyria's Lover, is a Victorian-era monologue where Browning affirms the contextual concerns of gender inequality between men and women and stringent societal norms of men objectifying women to be a certain way. During the Victorian era, domesticity was a woman’s primary role and the man was the “breadwinner.” Women's rights were extremely...
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...four poems; "To his Coy Mistress" "My Last Duchess" "Porphyria's Lover" and "Havisham." there is a constant attitude towards women and themes such as violence, possession and patriarchal society are present. However these all differ in nature and theme despite the resounding attitude towards women. THCM is written in 17th Century and the poem depicts a man's urges to will a woman into bed with him. The poem has a light tone and humorous aspects throughout. In contrast MLD which is written in 19th Century has a much darker and menacing tone; it is about a controlling Duke and his previous duchess and unravels the dark story behind them. PL is a Victorian poem, the poem is gothic, crude and perverted in parrts with a man's strange insane intentions. However all these poems are linked by the idea of the male possessing and controlling a woman. H on the other hand is a woman's interpretation of a 19th century fictional character and how this character is left with feelings of violent hatred after being let down in marriage by her fiancé who has wed her to gain some of her riches. The theme of the poem is violent and confrontation but does compare and contrast with PL with the gothic nature. These four dramatic monologues do vary in storyline and tone however he same themes are made apparent in all of them and is what gives these poems a link and comparisons. Desire, death, domination and obsession as well as the balance of control between men and women over the past four hundred years...
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...The initial lines of Porphyria’s Lover similarly imply the protagonist’s unusual frame of mind. The use of pathetic fallacy and personification, for instance, “the sullen wind” is not only effective in creating a cold and melancholy atmosphere, but may be representative of the narrator’s mind; consequently, there is a strong sense of foreboding. The abnormal psychology of the narrator is further exemplified through the description of how the wind “did its worst to vex the lake”. Likewise, the wind is “awake” and tears down “the elm-tops for spite”. Thus, the wind is perhaps an emblem of the narrator’s destructive capacity: it could be argued that the lake is representative of Porphyria, and the wind is representative of the narrator’s anger towards Porphyria. In this sense, the narrator’s anger is possibly a consequence of his inability to possess the femininity that Porphyria exudes. Similarly, in The Fall of the House of Usher, Poe’s imagery describing the decadence of the house is perhaps an attempt to symbolise the narrator’s degenerating mental state. Also, the “Haunted Palace” that is occupied by “evil things... (that) assailed the monarch’s high estate” is possibly an allusion to how his mind is being possessed by the malevolent forces that ostensibly surround the house. In The Wasp Factory, Frank’s father also displays an abnormal state of mind, which is demonstrated through his efforts to exert constant authority over his daughter. Mr Cauldhame has ultimately left...
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...The Beggar Woman by William King | The Poet: William King (1663-1712)Little is known about William King except that he was educated at Christ Church College Cambridge, and made a living as a lawyer and judge while writing occasional satires and comic verse, most of which were published anonymously. | The Beggar Woman is like a story, it suggests that it should be read to people. This is again because it is aimed at lower class and uneducated people who would have to have someone read it to them rather than reading it for themselves. It is written in the tradition of the street or broadside ballads, printed stories in verse that were sold cheaply and passed around for pleasure, often dealing with popular scandals and murder stories. In a time before the popular press and television chat shows, these ballads satisfied a need for entertaining stories, a tradition that has deep roots in oral traditions of storytelling and wandering minstrels.At the beginning of this poem, there is a description of a gentleman out hunting, which is an upper class activity, as they are the only people who could afford to take part in such an expensive activity, also by the fact he is described as a 'Gentleman' suggests he belongs to the upper class or 'Gentry'. The 'Gentleman gets separated from his group and spots the 'Beggar Woman'. He then propositions her for sex. She obliges and they wander off into the nearby wood. She is described as 'game', because really to the man that is all she is...
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...Shakespeare and Marvell present a vast array of thoughts and feelings regarding love. Shakespeare makes his true thoughts and feelings apparent through a declaration in ‘Sonnet 116’ by stating how love cannot be shaken by adversary or changed by time. However, in Marvell’s ‘To his Coy Mistress’ the speaker is more impatient, presenting a sense of carnal desire to fulfil his sexual desires rather than true love. Where Shakespeare is influenced by the concept of romantic love in the Elizabethan era and follows traditional sonnet formats to create passion, Marvell creates a satirical tone to comment on romantic love through the conventions of a metaphysical poem. Despite this difference, time is personified in both poems to represent an enemy of all lovers. Shakespeare is inspired by his era and is more sincere and passionate in his portrayal and belief of true and constant love in ‘Sonnet 116’, whereas in Marvell’s ‘To his Coy Mistress’, the speaker is driven by passion and desire to fulfil lust, that could potentially turn into love. Marvell’s representation may be harsh, but it is more considerate of a harsher reality. Through structure, Shakespeare defines his true feelings of love – by telling the reader what love is, and what it isn’t. It presents the extreme ideal of romantic love and insists that this is the only love that can be ‘true’, otherwise ‘no man ever loved’. The division of his argument is presented through conventional Sonnet quatrains. In the first quatrain, Shakespeare...
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...B.A. (HONOURS) ENGLISH (Three Year Full Time Programme) COURSE CONTENTS (Effective from the Academic Year 2011-2012 onwards) DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH UNIVERSITY OF DELHI DELHI - 110007 0 Course: B.A. (Hons.) English Semester I Paper 1: English Literature 4(i) Paper 2: Twentieth Century Indian Writing(i) Paper 3: Concurrent – Qualifying Language Paper 4: English Literature 4(ii) Semester II Paper 5: Twentieth Century Indian Writing(ii) Paper 6: English Literature 1(i) Paper 7: Concurrent – Credit Language Paper 8: English Literature 1(ii) Semester III Paper 9: English Literature 2(i) Paper 10: Option A: Nineteenth Century European Realism(i) Option B: Classical Literature (i) Option C: Forms of Popular Fiction (i) Paper 11: Concurrent – Interdisciplinary Semester IV Semester V Paper 12: English Literature 2(ii) Paper 13: English Literature 3(i) Paper 14: Option A: Nineteenth Century European Realism(ii) Option B: Classical Literature (ii) Option C: Forms of Popular Fiction (ii) Paper 15: Concurrent – Discipline Centered I Paper 16: English Literature 3(ii) Paper 17: English Literature 5(i) Paper 18: Contemporary Literature(i) Paper 19: Option A: Anglo-American Writing from 1930(i) Option B: Literary Theory (i) Option C: Women’s Writing of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (i) Option D: Modern European Drama (i) Paper 20: English Literature 5(ii) Semester VI Paper 21: Contemporary Literature(ii) Paper 22: Option A: Anglo-American Writing from 1930(ii) Option B:...
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...White Man’s Burden (Handout) Summary & Annotation: A straightforward analysis of the poem may conclude that Kipling presents a"Euro-centric" view of the world, in which people view society from only a European cultures point of view. This view proposes that white people consequently have an obligation to rule over, and encourage the cultural development of people from other ethnic and cultural backgrounds until they can take their place in the world by fully adopting Western ways. The term "the white man's burden" can be interpreted simply as racist, or taken as a metaphor for a condescending view of non-Western national culture and economic traditions, identified as a sense of European ascendancy which has been called "cultural imperialism". A parallel can also be drawn with the charitable view, common in Kipling's formative years, that the rich have a moral duty and obligation to help the poor "better" themselves whether the poor want the help or not until according to Europeans, "they can take their place in the world socially and economically." The term "white man's burden" is a phrase that became current in the controversy about the United States acquisition of the Philippines after the Spanish-American war of 1898. It was a concept that was the responsibility of white Europeans to bring "proper" European civilization to the nations (mostly brown, black, red or yellow) that did not have it. The underlying thought was that Europeans were correct in their beliefs and...
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