Here are Robert Browning’s Ten best poems.
Robert Browning is well known among Victorian poets for their dramatic monologues. Giving an outstanding outfit, he successfully portrays dark humour by documenting the historical settings. The talent was born on 7th May 1812, in London, England and died in 1889.
There are a number of magnificent poems written by Robert Browning. Among them, the best are here as follows-
Porphyria’s Lover
The poem begins with a portrayal of the harsh stormy evening where the speaker is found residing alone in a cottage. The wind here possesses the power of destruction. The primitive and untamed forces of nature control human behaviour from which there is no escape. Amidst the dark and bleak landscape, a voice arose to enlighten Robert Browning’s soul and mind. It is the absence of ‘Porphyria’s’ lover that refilled his existence with agony.
Lighting the fire, she is found rebuilding the serenity and charm of the cottage. The voice acts as a solace. The voice raises a faint hope in the speaker which is about to make its appearance and will bring some hope and happiness to all. She begins to shed her cloth signifying the intensity of the storm. She intends for him to stay with her but his innocent mind fails to capture her needs. Certainly, she holds his arms and provoked him to grab her waist, bringing him closer she attempted to seduce him.
Like a sociopath, he turned her love in vain by stretching the issue of her belonging economically to the higher class. He is afraid of losing her as a society will scrutinize them for being together. Treating her as an object, in the end, he ruthlessly killed and lay down beside her corpse stating she would rather stay in his arms than exist without him.
My Last Duchess
The poem came into existence in the year 1842 upholding the treatment of women in the Victorian Era. To critique the narrow societal prejudices of his age, he often gave voice to several villainous characters. The poem begins with the arrival of an envoy at the court of the duke for discussing certain matters. Duke throughout tries to project his esthetic taste by hiding the negative attributes of his character.
Duke addresses to life like a painting of the ‘Duchess’ who is dead but the portrait is referred to as a treasure in his court. The duke accepts it as a possession painted by Fra Pandolf. Whoever visited his court looked at the picture with an earnest glance but they dared to ask any question.
Duke was the absolute owner of the picture and he expected that the Duchess only has the freedom of expression when he would look at it but Duchess denied to blush in presence of him instead when Fra Pandolf spoke about the beauty and her glowing cheeks then the red tincture along her throat made her look elegant.
In the end, there’s a reversal of role where Duke is about to marry another girl who she is found challenging the authority of Duke.
During Victorian Age, marriage was an institution, and women were treated timidly just like domesticated animals.
A Pretty Woman
The poem first appeared in his 1855 collection of Men and Women. Robert Browning has written this poem after meeting his friend’s niece. A letter addresses that he fails to endure his feeling when he comes across his wife’s writings. Besides being the prettiest lady, she also lacks personality which equally annoyed him paving the way for such a write-up.
Browning was quite impressed by Barrett Browning’s external appearance which includes the density of her hair and the beauty of her eyes on her smile whereas a man needs to possess humour and be heroic to captivate a charming woman. On one hand, he says that his wife’s beauty is flawless on the other her purpose is only to look pretty.
We can signify that Robert Browning was unsecured of her glorification as she enabled the quality of tormenting other men. Nobody will reject her for her manners but when it comes to internal attributes, she is a great failure as external qualities will fade away but internal qualities are eternal.
The Last Ride Together
The poem reflects the last encounter of a couple and how it turns out to be a memorable ride in their life. The poet requests his lover to go on a ride before he leaves and she accepts the invitation. He
knows his life is destined for failure. He is only striving to preserve memories of their love. Requesting her to hug him he undergoes an emotion comprised of love and death which is quite usual for a lover who is on the verge of falling apart. She slants in his chest out of fear of losing and joy of being with him.
The poet addresses that after this ride another day reaches to be deified and even if the world ends, he will not mind. Throughout the poem, the lady has not stated a single word. Maybe she was undergoing tremendous pain from the speaker’s thoughts which she preferred to hide. The poem ends with a dramatic note where the speaker addresses heaven saying the last ride will remain eternal and their journey will never cease allowing the readers to stretch the conclusion as per their wish.
The Patriot
A remarkable poem by Robert Browning during the 19th century that focuses on the narrator who was once respected and valued but the mistakes he has undergone later provoked society to reject him. He hopes to get redeemed by God after he dies as the crime he has been accused of is unknown to him.
Robert Browning willfully introduces a patriot to stand for clearing such misunderstandings that changed his scenario within a year. On this day he was cordially greeted by countrymen. The civilians paved the way with myrtle and flowers, churches swinging the banner of patriotism, and thousands of people gathered against the walls to get a glance at him for the last time.
They were taking him to the gate of Shambles to perform the rituals. Someone threw stones at him and while he was dragged, he felt that his deeds have got erased from the minds of people. He wishes to receive respect from the lord by earning the reward in heaven that his countrymen failed to provide him.
A Woman’s Last Word
The poem consists of ten stanzas that figuratively separate each with the formation of quatrains. The first and third lines are written in trochaic trimeter. Robert Browning has particularly articulated this poem on behalf of his wife’s request on stretching a peaceful relationship by allowing the calm serenity of the surroundings to grab them initiating a sleep correspondingly neglecting the argument for the night.
Comparing their situation to that of Adam and Eve where Eve in search of truth ate the apple from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and were thrown away, similarly they might have to lose their Eden if the argument does not cease as they fight with words like a hawk certainly injurious at moment. The conversation can break them apart.
Just as a hawk who perceives no bindings or morality, the conversation must not allow the hawk to percolate instead they should hide their speech by stretching themselves to one another that would rather help them undergo a sleep of admiration. Robert Browning’s wife does not behold any desire to join Eve along with other women who have been demolished from Eden. Hence, they should be considerate before speaking to one another.
In the second portion, she asks him to use earthly words that will enlighten her life with joy. Similarly, her words will get refilled in her mind with genuine love and care for him that will keep their relationship intact both emotionally and somatically.
Fra Lippo Lippi
This poem was well accepted and published in 1855 during the Victorian Era, written by Robert Browning has first appeared in Men and Women. Filippo Lippi signifies a real living panther of the 15th century. Hence, the poem’s verse is bleak, non-rhyming, and possesses the structure of iambic pentameter. It also upholds the dramatic influence of the church on art.
He desires to innovate holiness paving the way artistically by interconnecting the earthly sphere with that of an evaluation of conducting a life by a holy person. Fra Lippo is one who appeared as a painter. It is the Church who forces him to rework into the real-life portrait instructing him to sketch the soul instead of flesh. Church officials, want him to sketch the portrait of such people whom barely one can recognize whereas Fra Lippo Lippi wants to uphold the originality of people through his spiritual portrait.
Lippo mocks the officials stating the purpose of a portrait must not be to gain followers and if so, then instead of art it can get replaced by a skull or bone. He decides to search for an amendment for the trouble that he has brought them. Skillfully he painted, Sant’ Ambrogio’s (Coronation of the Virgin) which will impress him along with church officials as it would not hinder the regulations of the church.
Lippo describes his abandonment as a child when he was taken to the monastery, where the officials forced him to accept the life of a monastic. Such a masterpiece of Browning perceives a vision of verisimilitude through Lippo keeping the portrayal of legs and flesh intact, by equally stretching a connection with the profile and landscapes residing in a particular place ‘soul’.
Meeting at Night
The poem was published in 1845 referring to the theme of love. The speaker is found sailing through the sombre and dull water body moving aimlessly. The moonlight fails to find out the features rather enabling him to only map the distant landscape. Ignoring the calamities, he has taken off the trip. Securing his boat onto the muddy surface. There is a communion between a voice and his beloved.
The speaker has vexed the landscape which he is unaware of on the other he is breaking someone’s heart by his arrival on to farm at night. In the next part, a voice arose which sounds shy referring to the heart of lovers, undergoing the spirituality of communion. The call reflects the emotion of the speaker which brought them together to secretly spend some time unitedly.
Love Among the Ruins
It is the first poem published in 1855 in Men and Women. Robert Browning has composed a dramatic monologue of love representing the ruins of a prosperous kingdom. The poem emphasizes upon fascination of such a destructive empire. The sound of the bells dwindling around their tied necks describes the beauty of the landscape but its glory has disappeared along with the prince who uses to organize courts gathering his ministers to decide the empire’s fate.
Due to the avaricious motives, the true spirit of the empire got demolished. Robert Browning in an artistic tone refers to a beautiful lady who has arrived to meet him where once the king and the warriors fought a war in golden chariots. Those martyrs are heroic entities for whom the city has transformed into an exotic place with the presence of love neglecting the enviousness.
Grow Old with Me
The poem comes into being in 1842 and showcases the stages of life, cherished moments, and disappointments during the journey of growing old together. Undoubtedly all couples can use it to cherish the process of desire regardless of gender. Youth has provided them to refill their minds with charm by disabling all thoughts of disdain.
Such remembrance of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s beauty even after she has grown pale touched the heart of commoners. Robert when young always stated that he must die before his lover and he would prefer to watch the corpse of his friends till they reunite again.
Conclusion
It feels great to have such amazing authors among us who have scripted meanings in every aspect of life.
