“Mariana” and “Porphyria’s Lover”
Defining Character: Solitude as a Litmus Test in “Mariana” and “Porphyria’s Lover”
Victorian poets Robert Browning and Alfred, Lord Tennyson frequently structure their poetry as a dramatic monologue to gain insight into the mind and motivations of their characters, with the solitude that accompanies such dramatic monologues becoming a central focus of the work. Tennyson’s poem “Mariana” and Browning’s poem “Porphyria’s Lover” explore the relationship between solitude and individuality, in particular focusing upon individual rights. By developing the use of personification, the poets suggest that individuals lose their objectivity when confronted with prolonged solitude. However, the dramatically different tones and resolutions of the works imply that solitude and individual rights are not inherently good or evil, but rather reflect the moral character of the individual.
Tennyson’s use of personification in the first stanza establishes both the melancholic tone of the poem while also hinting at Mariana’s unbalanced mental and emotional state. The poem opens with a description of the setting, yet Tennyson shades even this background to correspond with how Mariana sees the world. Mariana, who desperately awaits the arrival of her lover, is incapable of perceiving anything objectively. Tennyson’s depiction of the sheds as “sad and strange” (5) thus corresponds with Mariana’s misery. The “lonely” (8) grange and “glooming” (20) flats complete the trinity of bleak solitude. Significantly, Mariana views these inanimate objects as possessing human characteristics. While this personification suggests Mariana’s emotional instability, it also reveals the loneliness of her isolation. Mariana’s desperate desire to end her solitude compels her to subconsciously create sympathetic human-like figures from her surroundings. Tennyson uses personification throughout the poem to afford readers insight into the evolution of Mariana’s character.
Tennyson
Victorian poets Robert Browning and Alfred, Lord Tennyson frequently structure their poetry as a dramatic monologue to gain insight into the mind and motivations of their characters, with the solitude that accompanies such dramatic monologues becoming a central focus of the work. Tennyson’s poem “Mariana” and Browning’s poem “Porphyria’s Lover” explore the relationship between solitude and individuality, in particular focusing upon individual rights. By developing the use of personification, the poets suggest that individuals lose their objectivity when confronted with prolonged solitude. However, the dramatically different tones and resolutions of the works imply that solitude and individual rights are not inherently good or evil, but rather reflect the moral character of the individual.
Tennyson’s use of personification in the first stanza establishes both the melancholic tone of the poem while also hinting at Mariana’s unbalanced mental and emotional state. The poem opens with a description of the setting, yet Tennyson shades even this background to correspond with how Mariana sees the world. Mariana, who desperately awaits the arrival of her lover, is incapable of perceiving anything objectively. Tennyson’s depiction of the sheds as “sad and strange” (5) thus corresponds with Mariana’s misery. The “lonely” (8) grange and “glooming” (20) flats complete the trinity of bleak solitude. Significantly, Mariana views these inanimate objects as possessing human characteristics. While this personification suggests Mariana’s emotional instability, it also reveals the loneliness of her isolation. Mariana’s desperate desire to end her solitude compels her to subconsciously create sympathetic human-like figures from her surroundings. Tennyson uses personification throughout the poem to afford readers insight into the evolution of Mariana’s character.
Tennyson