Robert Browning's Dramatic Monologues: A Selection

Written by Robert Browning and Adriel Brandt

Narrated by Adriel Brandt

A selection of Robert Browning's dramatic monologues.

In "My Last Duchess," an entitled nobleman shows off a portrait of his late wife.

In "Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister," a frustrated monk dwells on a petty rivalry.

In "The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed's," a dying man instructs his family in how to elevate his final resting place above that of his rival's.

In "Porphyria's Lover," a sinister narrator considers how to preserve the pure beauty of his trusting partner.

"Bishop Blougram's Apology" is a lengthy reflection on faith, doubt, and the pursuit of contentment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adriel Brandt
• Release date: Mar 31, 2024
• ISBN: 9798882457968

Robert Browning

Robert Browning (1812-1889) was an English poet and playwright. Browning was born in London to an abolitionist family with extensive literary and musical interests. He developed a skill for poetry as a teenager, while also learning French, Greek, Latin, and Italian. Browning found early success with the publication of Pauline (1833) and Paracelsus (1835), but his career and notoriety lapsed over the next two decades, resurfacing with his collection Men and Women (1855) and reaching its height with the 1869 publication of his epic poem The Ring and the Book. Browning married the Romantic poet Elizabeth Barrett in 1846 and lived with her in Italy until her death in 1861. In his remaining years, with his reputation established and the best of his work behind him, Browning compiled and published his wife’s final poems, wrote a series of moderately acclaimed long poems, and traveled across Europe. Browning is remembered as a master of the dramatic monologue and a defining figure in Victorian English poetry.