Compare and Contrast Tennysons Mariana with Brownings Porphyrias Lov

Compare and Contrast Tennyson's Mariana with Browning's Porphyria's Lover. What is the emotional state of each speaker and how effectively is this conveyed? Tennyson and Browning were contemporary Victorian poets. During his lifetime, Tennyson was made Poet Laureate. His poem 'Mariana' is very cyclical and minimal. The mood is depressive, which reflected Tennyson's family traits, as Tennyson himself was very susceptible to depression. However, Browning's 'Porphyria's Lover' is very linear as the action clearly moves from one stage to another and is not so repetitive. The remote and rural location of each poem portrays a sense of loneliness and isolation that is directed towards the central character. This heightens feeling and emotion and enables them to be introspected and egocentric. Both Mariana and Porphyria's Lover as people are unhappy with their current lives. They both desire love, as they feel frustrated because of their lovers. However, the two are slightly different. Mariana has been dejected whereas Porphyria's lover needs to control the relationship. In verse one of 'Mariana', the overall theme is one of isolation and neglect. The 'rusted nails' and 'broken shed' set the scene that Mariana too is neglected throughout the poem. 'My life is dreary' is Mariana showing her depression and also turning the misery in on herself; her lover 'cometh not'. Verse two shows Mariana crying. Her misery and gloominess are overwhelmingly apparent. Also her isolation from people is evident as she is shown to be in-tune with nature as her tears correspond to the drops of dew in the fields around her. Other features of her background are also appropriate. 'She glanced athwart the glooming flats' sugges... ...f, 'O God, that I were dead!' Another similarity is obvious here because both solutions are death but the difference is that Mariana but must commit suicide. 'Mariana' is very much a Victorian feminist poem in stressing female passivity, which was very prominent in that era. 'Porphyria's Lover' reinforces the idea of male activity and dominance compared with females having the over ruling power. Both poems are very successful in portraying desperate situations but focus on different points. Tennyson is very effective in showing a switch in power and the thought process of the central character. However, Browning's depiction of detail around Mariana's entrapment is most impressive. The way we can see her life going round and round in circles with amazing background ingredients is fantastic imagery by Tennyson. Therefore I think Mariana is more effective. Compare and Contrast Tennyson's Mariana with Browning's Porphyria's Lov Compare and Contrast Tennyson's Mariana with Browning's Porphyria's Lover. What is the emotional state of each speaker and how effectively is this conveyed? Tennyson and Browning were contemporary Victorian poets. During his lifetime, Tennyson was made Poet Laureate. His poem 'Mariana' is very cyclical and minimal. The mood is depressive, which reflected Tennyson's family traits, as Tennyson himself was very susceptible to depression. However, Browning's 'Porphyria's Lover' is very linear as the action clearly moves from one stage to another and is not so repetitive. The remote and rural location of each poem portrays a sense of loneliness and isolation that is directed towards the central character. This heightens feeling and emotion and enables them to be introspected and egocentric. Both Mariana and Porphyria's Lover as people are unhappy with their current lives. They both desire love, as they feel frustrated because of their lovers. However, the two are slightly different. Mariana has been dejected whereas Porphyria's lover needs to control the relationship. In verse one of 'Mariana', the overall theme is one of isolation and neglect. The 'rusted nails' and 'broken shed' set the scene that Mariana too is neglected throughout the poem. 'My life is dreary' is Mariana showing her depression and also turning the misery in on herself; her lover 'cometh not'. Verse two shows Mariana crying. Her misery and gloominess are overwhelmingly apparent. Also her isolation from people is evident as she is shown to be in-tune with nature as her tears correspond to the drops of dew in the fields around her. Other features of her background are also appropriate. 'She glanced athwart the glooming flats' sugges... ...f, 'O God, that I were dead!' Another similarity is obvious here because both solutions are death but the difference is that Mariana but must commit suicide. 'Mariana' is very much a Victorian feminist poem in stressing female passivity, which was very prominent in that era. 'Porphyria's Lover' reinforces the idea of male activity and dominance compared with females having the over ruling power. Both poems are very successful in portraying desperate situations but focus on different points. Tennyson is very effective in showing a switch in power and the thought process of the central character. However, Browning's depiction of detail around Mariana's entrapment is most impressive. The way we can see her life going round and round in circles with amazing background ingredients is fantastic imagery by Tennyson. Therefore I think Mariana is more effective.