Robert Browning 1812 - 1889

Robert Browning May 7, 1812 – December 12, 1889 Poet and Playwright Most famous for his Dramatic Monologues, although he was a master of several poetic forms

His Life Sometimes referred to as “Mrs. Browning’s husband,” Robert was in the shadow of his famous wife during their marriage; after her death, Browning’s career took its own direction By the 1860s Robert Browning was a rival to Alfred, Lord Tennyson Browning was considered a wise philosopher and religious teacher by many of his followers; others considered him to be an innovative poet who developed a unique poetic form – the Dramatic Monologue

Robert Browning was born to a wealthy family; his father had an extensive library and his mother was interested in religion and the arts Robert was allowed to study at his own pace and mostly at home with the guidance of a tutor He published his first poem in 1833 which was received well; however, his emotional openness was criticized and he vowed to never expose his personal feelings to the public again Wary of poetry, Robert tried writing plays, but was more a failure than a success His scripts gave him experience in writing dialogue which finally directed him to his best display of poetry: the Dramatic Monologue

Browning became an atheist and liberal after reading Shelley’s work; his later maturity brought him back to God but he never lost his drive for ideals and goals Robert said his relationship with his wife was best; love swept away all obstacles (such as her overbearing father) After Elizabeth’s death, Robert spent his remaining 28 years writing poetry and enjoying the fruits of his labors He is buried in Westminster Abbey

His Work After returning to England (when Elizabeth died), Robert published a 12 volume poem, The Ring and the Book The poem was inspired by a sensational murder and trial in Italy It is unique because it is written from the points of view of many characters, revealing various levels of the story and perspectives of reality The poem set the stage for late writers who experimented with point of view, something that was not done prior to Browning

The Dramatic Monologue allowed Browning to share the personality of his main character through the character’s own words; the reader must determine what is real, what is factual, and what may be simply the ramblings of a madman The Dramatic Monologue allowed Browning to explore the way poetry should be written It also allowed him to experiment with language and syntax His poems often sound harsh and “unpoetic” when presenting the “voices” of certain characters Browning presented most of his characters from the past, yet he still addressed modern issues such as faith, doubt, good, evil, and the purpose of the artist in modern life

Robert seems to have had an understanding of God as creator and man as a sinful creation; he believed in a perfect heaven and eternal soul He was an extremely optimistic man, yet his work shows that he was very aware of the evil in the world Most Victorian poets imitated the style of the great Romantic writers, as well as Milton, Spenser, and Virgil Browning is more comparable to Donne, Shakespeare, and Chaucer; his is a narrative style with hidden meanings left to be discovered by the reader Browning’s work is not just a challenge in uncovering the story, but also in determining what he left out and how that may impact the meaning of his poem

Browning’s work is said to be characterized by energy; his handshake was compared to “an electric shock” His work must be read several times to find the various layers to the character, the story, and, ultimately, the message