Analysis of Two In The Campagna by Robert Browning Essay

Analysis of Two In The Campagna by Robert Browning Two In The Campagna is essentially a love poem, written by Browning to capture the tragic and dark aspects of a relationship. The poem commences with romantic images of the couple sitting in the fields of Rome in spring. The first line, starting with I wonder sets the contemplative tone of the piece, and the poet follows one particular trail of thought for several stanzas. Clearly, the poet is trying to capture what cannot be easily confined; he is attempting to articulate a sentiment of fleeting love that perhaps can only be felt. Browning describes the thought floating away over the picturesque scenery: ?Help me to hold it! First it left The yellowing fennel, run†¦show more content†¦The repetition of ?such? emphasises the exultant effect. This section of the poem focuses on the passionate and carefree aspect of the relationship. The seventh stanza is the final verse of lyrical seduction before it is intimated that the couple have sex. Browning seduces the woman by stating that it is what heaven and nature wants, and uses rhetorical questions to emphasise this: ?How is it under our control To love or not to love The next verse contrasts with the climactic mood of the previous verse, and immediately becomes more subdued, as though the poet has entered a post-coital depression phase: ?Would that you were all to me, You that are just so much, no more.? He says the moment has passed; the complete passionate union of mind, body and spirit has left them once again. The pace of the poem slows with heavy usage of monosyllabic words to emphasise his tortured misery that is also reflected in the searching questions and repetition of nor. Browning deals accurately with the complexities of human passion here; he is realistic about the way many humans do feel after such intimate unity, and this realism was a shock for many readers of his poetry in the Victorian era. Browning rebelled from the typical content of idyllic Victorian romantic poetry, and liked to include unsuspected twists (for example the disturbing conclusion of ?Porphyria?s Lover?).Show MoreRelated Relationships Between Women and Men in Brownings Poems Essay2589 Words   |  11 PagesRelationships Between Women and Men in Brownings Poems Robert Browning is described as ‘a love poet who was acutely aware of how women and men can be separated by jealousy or the passing of time’. In studying his poetry, what did you notice about the relationships he explores? What is revealed about the time in which Browning was writing? The ‘Love Poet’ Robert Browning was born in London in 1812. In 1846 Browning married the poet Elizabeth Barrett and eloped with her to Italy. After