Dramatic monologue is a poetic form in which a speaker delivers a speech addressing an audience made up of one or more listeners. The speaker reveals his or her character, thoughts, and feelings as the monologue progresses, and the audience learns about the speaker’s situation and experiences.
While many poets have used the dramatic monologue form, there are certain poets who are particularly famous for their work in this genre. In this blog post, we will look at some of these poets and explore their contributions to the dramatic monologue.
Robert Browning
Robert Browning is widely regarded as the poet who perfected the dramatic monologue. He wrote many famous works in this genre, including “My Last Duchess,” “Porphyria’s Lover,” and “Fra Lippo Lippi.”
Browning’s dramatic monologues are characterized by their use of dark and disturbing themes, as well as their psychological complexity. The speaker in Browning’s monologues often reveals a twisted and disturbing worldview, and the listener is left questioning the speaker’s sanity and morality.
Despite their dark themes, Browning’s monologues are also notable for their use of humor and irony. Browning was a master of the dramatic reveal, and his monologues often end with a surprising twist that leaves the listener reeling.
T.S. Eliot
T.S. Eliot is known for his contributions to modernist literature, including his use of the dramatic monologue form in his poetry. Eliot’s most famous monologue is “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” which explores the existential angst and social anxiety of its speaker.
Eliot’s monologues are characterized by their fragmented and impressionistic style. The speaker in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is constantly interrupted by his own thoughts and feelings, and the poem moves fluidly between different times and places.
Eliot’s monologues are also notable for their use of allusion and intertextuality. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is full of references to other works of literature, and Eliot’s other monologues often draw on biblical and classical myths.
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath is known for her confessional poetry, which often explores themes of mental illness and personal struggle. Plath’s monologues, such as “Lady Lazarus” and “Daddy,” are some of her most famous works.
Plath’s monologues are characterized by their intense emotional depth and vivid imagery. The speaker in “Lady Lazarus” is depicted as a resurrected body, while the speaker in “Daddy” has a complex and fraught relationship with her deceased father.
Plath’s monologues are also notable for their use of repeated images and motifs. In “Lady Lazarus,” for example, we see the image of the speaker as a phoenix rising from the ashes, while in “Daddy,” we see the repeated use of familial language (such as “Daddy” and “bitch”).
Conclusion
While many poets have used the dramatic monologue form, Robert Browning, T.S. Eliot, and Sylvia Plath are particularly famous for their contributions to this genre. Each of these poets brought their own unique style and themes to the dramatic monologue, creating works that continue to captivate and disturb readers to this day.