The Bishop Orders His Tomb - Robert Browning
A Scheming Prelate’s Final Wish for a Magnificent Memorial
The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed's Church
by Robert Browning
[Excerpt]
Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!
Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?
Nephews—sons mine... ah God, I know not! Well—
She, men would have to be your mother once,
Old Gandolf envied me, so fair she was!
What's done is done, and she is dead beside,
Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since,
And as she died so must we die ourselves,
And thence ye may perceive the world’s a dream.
Life, how and what is it? As here I lie
In this state-chamber, dying by degrees,
Hours and long hours in the dead night, I ask
"Do I live, am I dead?" Peace, peace seems all.
Saint Praxed's ever was the church for peace;
And so, about this tomb of mine. I fought
With tooth and nail to save my niche, ye know:
—Old Gandolf cozened me, despite my care;
Shrewd was that snatch from out the corner South
He graced his carrion with, God curse the same!
Yet still my niche is not so cramped but thence
One sees the pulpit o' the epistle-side,
And somewhat of the choir, those silent seats,
And up into the aery dome where live
The angels, and a sunbeam's sure to lurk;
And I shall fill my slab of basalt there,
And 'neath my tabernacle take my rest
With those clear wreathed pillars, crowned with flow'rs,
And popes and kings, in pride, for company.
For Gandolf shall not choose but see and burst!
...
And then how I shall lie through centuries,
And hear the blessed mutter of the mass,
And see God made and eaten all day long,
And feel the steady candle-flame, and taste
Good strong thick stupefying incense-smoke!
[The poem continues with the Bishop instructing his "nephews" on how to construct his lavish tomb, revealing his envy, pride, and fixation on outdoing his rival Gandolf—even in death. For brevity in this format, the above excerpt provides a representative portion of Browning’s text. The entire poem is in the public domain and can be accessed through literary archives.]
In “The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed’s Church,” Robert Browning crafts a dramatic monologue that highlights the speaker’s preoccupation with worldly vanity—even as he lies on his deathbed. The Bishop, addressing his supposed "nephews" (really suspected to be his illegitimate sons), details every aspect of how he wants his final resting place to appear. Far from a humble man of the cloth, he is consumed with one-upping an old rival, Gandolf, in the magnificence of their tombs.
Set against the solemn backdrop of Saint Praxed’s Church, the poem exposes striking conflicts between religious ideals and human frailties. The Bishop’s conversation devolves into boastful recollections of youthful desire, ongoing envy, and an almost desperate craving for recognition once he is gone. Browning’s language and shifting tones—combining pious references with self-serving demands—bring to light the Bishop’s hypocrisy and the moral corruption lurking behind the outward show of religious devotion.
Throughout the monologue, the Bishop’s concerns revolve around precious stones, fine marble, and conspicuous display rather than genuine spiritual reflection or contrition. The obsessive nature of these demands underscores the poem’s satirical edge: we witness the hollowness of ostensible sanctity when ego and pride remain unchecked. By voicing such raw desires in the sanctity of a church setting, Browning underscores the irony of a religious figure clinging to pride and earthly grandeur. Ultimately, “The Bishop Orders His Tomb” offers both a moral commentary on misplaced priorities and a vivid character study that holds a mirror to the subtle ways in which human ambition can corrupt even the most sacred roles.
Key points
• Browning uses dramatic monologue to reveal the Bishop’s vanity and obsession with worldly display.
• The poem contrasts sacred vows with the speaker’s prideful preoccupation with earthly grandeur.
• The Bishop’s final instructions highlight human frailty and hypocrisy within a religious figure.
• Browning satirizes the clash between genuine spirituality and the lust for power and recognition.
