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Introduction
Death or loss of a loved one is a theme that plays a critical role in literature. Since it is inevitable among humans, they should accept and adapt to changes that come with departed loved ones. Although individuals have varying attitudes and ideas about death, they all consider it a tragic event for many reasons. Some people are greatly affected when they lose their loved ones, but some remain unaffected, depending on how they look at the event. Death and loss have been portrayed in literature, showing the reaction of others towards it. This essay explores the theme of death or loss in “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning and “Nearly They Stood” by Clive Staples Lewis.
“My Last Duchess”
In “My Last Duchess,” Browning uses the high-status perspective of the Duke of Ferrara to portray the theme of death. He believes that killing the Duchess was a well-deserved punishment for her infidelity. According to the poem, the Duchess was “too easily impressed; she liked whate’er / she looks on, and her looks went everywhere” (Browning, lines 23-24). The Duke reflects on the death of the Duchess and finding a new mistress to please him. It is ironic how he accuses his wife of being unfaithful and easily pleased, yet he quickly changes his focus to another woman after her death. The author has used a regular rhyme scheme with twenty-nine non-repeating couplets. The rhyme pattern demonstrates how the Duke was vicious and had control over his late wife.
The use of enjambment rather than end-stops has been employed to manipulate readers into moving to the following line to find out what happens next. The technique is vital in encouraging the audience to read the poem’s next line. Enjambed poetry lines often do not make sense until one completes the sentence or clause in the following line (Corfman, para. 6) Additionally, the rhymes do not develop closure as they come; they continue to be a subtle driving force for the compulsive revelations of the Duke. The Duke is an excellent performer; he imitates the voice of others, makes hypothetical situations, and employs the force of his personality to justify his actions. Killing someone, especially a spouse, is a horrifying act that the Duke underplays to make it honorable.
The poem is presented through a dramatic monologue, where the Duke expresses his ego-driven justification for killing his wife. The nature of the literary work limits a complete apprehension of facts as the Duchess cannot give her side of the narrative. The significance of the use of dramatic monologue is that it distinguishes the poet from the main speaker and reveals the character of the Duke as a jealous, insensitive, self-centered, and selfish person. The Duke poisoned his wife because she did not listen to his demands.
As the story progresses, readers are left wondering why the Duke did not communicate with his wife about his murderous and jealous feelings because she was friendly to other men. He attributes his failure to engage his spouse in a conversation about his wants to his social standing; he could not lower his standards to explain his will. He believed that the Duchess should be able to read his mind, attune herself to his needs, or do nothing and speak to no one unless under instruction. The death of the Duchess denies her a chance to explain her side of the story. The Duke is not disturbed by the demise of his Duchess; he loves the painting of his late wife more than he did when she was alive. He says, “…all and each / Would draw from her alike the approving speech, / Or blush, at least…” (Browning, lines 29-30). He felt that she was flirtatious and too appreciative of the attention of other men. Consequently, he is grateful for her death because all the smiles stopped.
“Nearly They Stood”
The theme of loss has been developed in all verses of “Nearly they Stood” to demonstrate the importance of being grateful and humble. Everyone experiences loss in life, whether it is a loss of great or minimal significance (Flynn and O’Brien 4) As Lewis puts it in his poem, how an individual handles the situation makes the difference. In the first stanza, he describes people who lost a race of life by one slip or a minor mishap. He says, “Nearly they stood who fall. / One torturing spot where all / By a possible quick swerve… / Might have been saved” (Lewis, lines 1, 4, 5, and 8). Secondly, the author talks about individuals who almost fell but were saved by a small happening, leading to a life-changing experience.
Taking the perspective of success or failure, there are many instances where a person makes a decision, sometimes within a short time, and it determines the future significantly. When they recall, they say it was that one time, that momentous effort or choice that put them on that path or another. Similarly, the experience of losing a loved one causes a feeling of incompleteness or emptiness within an individual. Although the event troubles them emotionally, they must overcome it and move forward with life. Moving on can be a complicated process, and humans might fail several times before they eventually stand (Jacobsen et al. 169). However, people are quick to judge people who nearly stood but failed, yet they succeeded by an inch. Therefore, they should not feel they are better than others or boast about their achievements. Lastly, the author imagines the coming of a perfectly normal day in which there would be no disaster, and he will skip to a place of no return. Lewis has figuratively used the term “nearly stoods” to represent people who lost a race of life by a small margin, reflecting the use of diction.
Conclusion
To conclude, the two poems use different techniques, such as diction, irony, and rhyme, to bring out the theme of death or loss. The authors have chosen simple statements that laypeople can understand, broadening the audience of the readings. Consequently, this heightens community education and possibly promotes mental health awareness. One lesson from this theme is that human beings experience the same emotions, and they should channel these feelings to positive activities that make them stronger and wiser.
Works Cited
Aboud, Zaidoun Abdul-Razaq. “A Pragma-Stylistic Analysis of Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess”.” Journal of Al-Frahedis Arts, vol. 12, no. 41, 2020, pp. 570-559. Web.
Browning, Robert. “My Last Duchess.” Dramatic Lyrics, London: Edward Moxon, 1842.
Corfman, Allisa. “My Last Duchess by Robert Browning.” Poem Analysis, Web.
Flynn, Deirdre, and Eugene, O’Brien. “Introduction: Defining Representations of Loss.” Representations of Loss in Irish Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018, pp. 1-17.
Jacobsen, Michael, Peter, Lund, and Anders, Petersen. “Spectacular grief: On three main trends in the way we deal with loss in contemporary society.” The Age of Spectacular Death. Routledge, 2020, pp. 161-183. Web.
Lewis, Clive. “Nearly They Stood.” The Pilgrim’s Regress, J.M. Dent and Sons, 1933.
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