Women And The Poetic Imagination

Women and the Poetic Imagination

In literature, we have come upon many characters that are misunderstood. This causes problems, especially with the other characters in the story. “My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning both show women who become victims to the men that obsess over them. They had cast an overpowering spell over the men, and this caused anger, jealousy, and even pleasure. Both women were killed for different reasons, however, and both women were definitely misunderstood.

In “My Last Duchess,” the Duke kills his young wife out of anger and jealousy, a deadly combination. He tells us that she had a tendency to flirt and that it is not only him that makes her smile. It’s not the Duchess who has the problem, however…. it is the Duke. The Duchess is definitely misunderstood, because what else do you expect from a young, beautiful woman. He is older, and can’t grasp that his wife is still maturing, and flirting really is in some people’s personalities. The fact that he can’t control what she does and who she flirts with kills him inside, causing his anger to get the best of him. He wants the Duchess to only look at him, and no other man. He also says that she did not appreciate the fact that he was a Duke, and that his family name has been carried on for many generations- “As if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody’s gift.” (Browning, lines 31-33) The big problem here is the age difference, which is why the Duchess is so misunderstood by her jealous husband. She is still growing up, while he is ready to settle down. He needs loyalty, while she is not ready for it. She does not appreciate the Duke’s family name simply because she is too young to truly appreciate it. The Duchess is simply misunderstood by the Duke because she is young and he is older.

In “Porphyria’s Lover,” Porphyria is definitely misunderstood and vulnerable. The speaker explains to us how she sets the mood when coming in, putting on the fire and kneeling in front of him, putting her hands on his waist. He doe not say a word though, probably to see what she will do next or to see what her true intentions are. This is when Porphyria is most vulnerable, as she whispers in his ear that she loves him and wants him. “Porphyria worshipped me; surprise made my heart swell, and still it grew while I debated what to do.” (Browning, lines 33-35) This line shows us that he is not used to all this attention from her, and he does really not know what to do because she is now at a very vulnerable point. This line also tells me that he is misunderstanding her and her intentions. She is in not in love with