Robert Browning and the Dramatic MonologueControl Objective: Analyze selected works of Robert Browning.I. Brief overview of BrowningA. The greatest poetB. Family life II. Brief overview of “My Last Duchess”A. Descriptive adjectivesB. Cause of deathC. Description of his wifeIII. Definition of dramatic monologueIV. Comments from Glenn EverettA. Point of viewB. TonC. Public imaginationV. Comments from Terry BohannonA. No ChristianityB. Evil CharactersRobert Browning and the Dramatic MonologueRobert Browning, one of the greatest poets of his literary period, was born on May 7, 1812 in Camberwell, London. He was the first child of Robert and Sarah Anna Browning (“Bibliography of Robert Browning” 1). His father was employed at the Bank of England and his mother was a zealous evangelist. In 1846, Browning married Elizabeth Barrett. From this marriage his wife conceived a son, Robert Barrett-Browning. Around the same time, he began to discover that his real talents lay in taking a single character and allowing him to reveal himself to us by revealing more of himself in his speeches than he suspected. In doing so, he wrote a large dramatic monologue entitled "My Last Duchess" (Everett 1). Murder, mystery and intrigue are all described in Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess" (Oliver 1). From the speaker's meandering insinuation, his wife's death, from the reader's point of view, may seem like a crime committed out of jealousy. In this monologue, the Duke tried to justify himself and present his wife as stupid and ungrateful. But in reality, he does just the opposite, and the Duchess turns out to be the innocent victim of the Duke's outraged pride. There is also the suggestion that other suitors ridiculed the Duke. But he cannot fully recognize that his wife might love another and simply calls her "too easily impressed." At the end of his monologue, the Duke already alludes to his next conquest: the Count's daughter ("My Last Duchess" 1). The style and structure of this poem play an important role in the effect of the poem. The dramatic monologue lends itself well to this because the speaker, who is the Duke of Ferrara, comes across as very controlling, especially in conversation. Browning also uses many techniques, including a simple rhyme scheme, enjambment, and caesura to convey various characteristics and qualities of the speaker and the situation. It uses an AA BB rhyme scheme, very common in ballads and songs. Cluttered lines indicate the control the speaker has over the conversation and give the feeling that the speaker is rushing through certain parts of the poem..