English Literature III
Dr. Ramirez

Robert Browning 1812-1889
Born in Camberwell, outside of London.
Son of a middle class family; Browning senior was a clerk for the Bank of England.
Browning Sr. also was an avid collector of books and pictures; he had over 6000 volumes in Greek, Hebrew, French, Latin, Italian, and Spanish.
His father's library accounts, in part, for Browning's eclectic taste in subject matter , which is also highly allusive.
Along with Tennyson, Browning is considered one of the major Victorian poets and in the 1537's, his followers formed the Browning Society--the society saw the writer as a major poet and prophet.
Browning Educated mostly by tutors; attended one year at the London University.
Influenced in part by the Romantics (Byron), but then created his own unique, somewhat insular style.
Browning is famous for his use of the dramatic monologue and influenced modernist poet T.S. Eliot
He married Elizabeth Barrett, also a poet, in 1846.  The couple lived in Pisa, Italy.

"My Last Duchess"
Setting: 1560's, Italy
Occasion: an arranged marriage and the reflection on the last duchess.
Context: based on a real duke who married 3 times and who never produced an heir.
Can be read as a warning to the next duchess, or as a critique of women as property during the renaissance period, or as a psychological exploration of the Duke's insecurities.

"Caliban Upon Setebos" 1864
Speaker: Caliban--servant figure from Shakespeare's play The Tempest
Setting: Island (perhaps in Mediterranean or in the Americas)
Time: Renaissance
Parties involved: Caliban, Ariel (a spirit), Miranda (Prospero's daughter) and Prospero (Shipwrecked lord of the island and magician, also Italian nobility)

Occasion: Caliban reflects on creation and his place in the world.
He uses a Natural theology to explain his god, Setebos.  Natural theology uses evidence based on Nature.
Victorian poem: reveals awareness of scientific theories (Darwin). Browning also uses language in a cacophonous fashion, hard on the ear.  Finally, Browning harvests Renaissance literature for new situations.
Melancholy--lack of confidence
Caliban refers to himself as "he" and his voice/actions are preceded by a '. Uses disjointed syntax.
The Quiet--the cosmos
String of small violences against creatures of the island