In this piece, Robert Browning assumes the voice of the wise Rabbi Ben Ezra, who speaks about life’s journey, the passage of time, and humanity’s ongoing development unde⋯ Read the full article

Robert Browning’s “Andrea del Sarto” centers on the historical Renaissance painter Andrea del Sarto, known as the “faultless painter” for his flawless technical ability. ⋯ Read the full article

In “Love among the Ruins,” Robert Browning contrasts the faded glory of an ancient city with the intimate, living power of love. The poem begins by depicting a quiet past⋯ Read the full article

Robert Browning’s “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” is a dramatic monologue delivered by an unnamed speaker—a monk—who seethes with resentment toward Brother Lawrence, ⋯ Read the full article

Robert Browning’s “Fra Lippo Lippi” is a lengthy dramatic monologue in which the historical Renaissance painter and monk, Fra Lippo Lippi, is caught roaming the streets a⋯ Read the full article

Robert Browning’s “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” is a narrative poem that retells a German folktale set in the medieval town of Hamelin. The town is plagued by rats, and whe⋯ Read the full article

Robert Browning’s “Porphyria’s Lover” is a pioneering example of the dramatic monologue—told entirely from the perspective of an unnamed narrator who recounts a stormy ev⋯ Read the full article

Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” is a quintessential dramatic monologue in which a powerful Duke reveals unsettling details about his deceased wife while hosting an em⋯ Read the full article

Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Brook” personifies a small stream as it journeys from its source until it merges with a larger river, all the while steadfastly continui⋯ Read the full article

In Part III of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s dramatic poem “Maud,” the speaker reaches a moment of profound reckoning. The earlier sections showed him descending into grief, gu⋯ Read the full article

In Part II of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Maud,” the speaker’s fraught psychological landscape becomes even more turbulent than in Part I. Having killed Maud’s brother in a ⋯ Read the full article

Published in 1855, “Maud” is one of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s most intense and psychologically complex works. Written as a dramatic monologue, Part I introduces the speaker⋯ Read the full article

In Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Lady Clara Vere de Vere,” the speaker addresses a highborn lady who wields her status and beauty with callous disregard for others—particularl⋯ Read the full article

Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “The Kraken” conjures an eerie glimpse of a colossal sea creature dwelling in the darkest reaches of the ocean. First published in 1830 as part of⋯ Read the full article

In Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “Tithonus,” the speaker is an ancient figure from Greek mythology who has been granted immortality but not eternal youth. Once beloved by ⋯ Read the full article