Essay: Morality : William Blake and Robert Browning

William Blake and Robert Browning question morality in their respective poetry through a Romantic lens. They both demonstrate their opposing views to the conventional customs of their 19th century society. Blake explores the misrepresentation of God and exploitation of children with the problems flooding his city in the poems ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ (Experience) and ‘London’ . Whereas Browning studies the role of the woman and dominance of men through his works of ‘The Last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ . As Romantic writers, the influence of religion and the natural world is prominent. However, both writers are not entirely occupied with morality throughout. This essay will therefore describe other concepts they’re occupied with, whilst comparing how morality is questioned by them both.
During this period, Blake witnessed the abuse of children, manipulation of religion and the overwhelming monarchical power. As Blake is a dissenter , he questions morality and social norms. His poetry is a form of protest against these concepts. He also protests against the Enlightenment, proposed by Bacon, Newton, and Locke as its intertwined with the everyday ‘pains and perils’ of life .
In ‘London’, as he ‘wanders’ through the streets, the speaker seems disturbed by the ‘marks of weakness, marks of woe’ present in those he sees. He views the degradation of society as he repeats hearing ‘mind-forged manacles’ in ‘every cry’. He is highlighting the societal chains infringed upon individuals. The metaphorical alliteration shows entrapment granted by the socially ordered cues. Although there is ambiguity as to how this is occurring, this links well to 19th century philosopher Charles Rousseau’s idea ‘man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains’ . Blake is attacking the institutions for creating these man-made chains making life a prison, causing the overall moral decay. Although it seems free will is apparent (a popular moral foundation) this isn’t so; individuals are instead led to believe this through societal indoctrination. Blake is confronting those institutions for allowing this to occur in society. From a Marxist perspective, these man-made chains represent the internalisation of false-class consciousness . This questions what Blake is occupied with at the heart of his poetry, as suffering of the working class is at the centre of his Songs of Experience collection. It’s also an overall ethical attack of those power in society, for their lack of morality in their treatment of the people.
The last few lines of the poem express the warning Blake has for society if nothing changes (‘youthful harlot’s curse’), demonstrating a continuation of conditions. Additionally, Blake references causes to this in the third stanza. The oxymoronic line of the ‘black’ning church appalls’, demonstrates how Blake believed religion is meant to be a source of light providing hope, but instead is adding to the issue. The industrial revolution has destroyed the city and taken its toll on the citizens also. The drive to abandon moral ethical behaviour links with this harlot’s curse and shows the decay of morality and darkness spreading through the city ; Blake wants to break the cycle.
This is similar to the poetry of Robert Browning, where he is preoccupied with attacking the socially approved morals.
Through his publication of ‘Porphyria’s lover’ in 1836, the poet was writing during the Victorian era (known for its strong public morality and social conventions). With this tragic ending, it questions whether Browning is carrying out society’s will, by punishing sexual liberation. Whilst this poem explores the contrast between public respectability and private behaviour, Browning illustrates the impeding danger through the natural world, typical of Romantic writers . The juxtaposition between the ‘rain’ and Porphyria, whom with her presence ‘shut out the cold and the storm… and [made] all the cottage warm’, illustrates her passionate, powerful presence. The pathetic fallacy demonstrates the foreboding of Porphyria’s murder, almost as a false image of the calm before the storm . Ironically, Browning names the poem ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ almost painting the female in control, and it does initially seem it. The speaker is not named, but is a male narrator driving the dramatic monologue. His mental state is alluded to early in the poem as Porphyria is known as a disease resulting in madness , showing the power women can have over men. The poem focuses on male manipulation and control through the irrational idea of ‘she was mine, mine’. The possessive pronoun expresses the shift of power to him, accompanied with the bilabial repetition of mine which paints the speaker as taunting childishly. Porphyria becomes his property, but Browning links women as chattel directly to the narrator’s mental illness, showing his disagreement. Browning believed in equality and was critical of society’s general moral conventions. Thus, this poem demonstrates the social construct of male sexual dominance over women, whilst having an underlying theme that this is delusional and frankly ridiculous.
One main moral issue addressed is the sexual liberation of the victim, personified into her ‘damp hair’, later used to strangle her. Portrayed as provocative to the narrator, he sees her ‘white shoulder bare’ as a sexual invitation. As readers, we are aware this love is prohibited, as natural forces created obstacles to stop her. The weather contrasted Porphyria’s presence who, ‘[came] through wind and rain’, to be with her killer, battling social norms. Although her ‘soiled gloves’ portray her to be unclean, this is juxtaposed as ‘perfectly pure and good’. Ironically her innocence is covered by her sexual prowess throughout the poem.
She is punished for her sexuality. Perhaps the narrator has carried out the will of society as ‘God has not said a word’. Browning is taunting religious morality, as Porphyria’s behaviour (through a 19th century lens) equated to a punishment.
The unreliable narrator is another way Browning discredits societal views. We are led to believe Porphyria loves him, though ‘no voice replied’ (mirroring the silence at the end). The lack of clarity illustrates this unreliability. The narrator says Porphyria was ‘murmuring’ her love, he claims she ‘worshipped’ him; he is later proved mentally unstable. To preserve her sexual beauty (a key trend of the Victorian era), he kills her, assuring she ‘blushed bright beneath my burning kiss’. The violent aural imagery through plosives, demonstrates his passion and the underlying obsession he has. Lastly through the anaphora of ‘and’, it further discredits the narrator’s choices as he sounds juvenile.
Referencing childlike narrators, the young voice describing societal turmoil in ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ has the opposite effect. Blake (amongst other Romantic writers) believed childhood was associated with freedom . Rosseau expresses ‘children are innately innocent, only becoming corrupted through experience of the world’, apparent in this poem. The child is described as a ‘little black thing among the snow’, juxtaposing positivity and hope as this child has metaphorically absorbed the problems of society. The Songs of Experience highlights a shift from the ignorant lack of knowledge present in the ‘Chimney Sweeper’ poem in ‘Songs of Innocence’. The child has turned black in sorrow, due to the exploitation of children as chimney sweepers during the industrial era. The parents have ‘both gone up to the church to pray’. This monosyllabic line reinforces the infancy and shows the hierarchy of organised religion in society strengthened by the word ‘up’. Ironically, the general consensus is that prayer improves the lifestyle of those seeking help, however, they’re indirectly neglecting their child, worsening the life. Blake attacks the pillars of society for creating this mistreatment. Through his main distractions of ‘God… his priest and king’, Blake is questioning that these symbols are more important in society than fundamental child-care. They’re brainwashing society that they ‘make up a heaven of our misery’ – Although experience has been achieved of the turmoil of society, heaven is still a reward of suffering. This optimistic expectation to release individuals from the shackles in society , is in fact contributing to it.
Considering whether 19th century writers are occupied with morality, the poem of ‘My Last Duchess’ is key. Browning covers themes such as toxic masculinity in the dramatic monologue, highlighting the strong gender roles and overall patriarchal dominance. This poem discusses the conflict of a Duke and his wife; the structure of the poem allows us to understand that dramatic monologues have subjective truths , highlighting the uncertain unreliability of the narrator as the reader is unsure of whether the wife has done what the Duke has accused her of.
Rife with objectification, it centres around how the wife is painted directly ‘on the wall’. The iambic pentameter in the first line conceals the controlling passion of the dangerous Duke, and instead portrays him as calm speaking and well mannered. This can be compared to the Shakespearean ‘Othello’, whom was ‘bless’d with the soft phrase of peace’ [Othello, Act 1]. This is ironic as Othello kills his wife in the Jacobean tragedy.
Through the painting, the Duke is able to control who sees his wife (‘the curtain I have drawn for you’). Objectification relates to Mulvey’s male gaze . As he controls his wife ‘As if alive’, and actually personified her into an object.
The poet uses the mental stability of the speaker to express the latter’s deranged speech in
the structure of the poem: the enjambment and rhyming couplets highlights the controlling commanding nature of the Duke.
Browning ensures female presence in his poetry overshadows the male character, (seen in Porphyria’s lover). There is a contrast between this poem and Porphyria’s Lover where the Duchess is not named, but the acknowledgment of their names/titles does not change their fates. During a period where Britain experienced scientific and industrial changes, the clinging onto domestic propriety and moral responsibility were still important . The Duke’s uncertainty of his wife’s unfaithfulness (‘she thanked men/…I know not how’), shows his paranoia and dislike of independent women and intensity of his beliefs, as he ‘gave commands/ Then all smiles stopped together’. His inability of control leads to the ambiguous admittance of his wife’s murder, illustrating power whilst acting as a warning to his next spouse. Browning reflects the danger of the existing moral behaviour and imbalance of power. He focuses on power dynamics of genders, women who have power and lose it through the jealous murders of their partners .
Considering all that has been discussed, it is clear that these writers are occupied with morality. Both Blake and Browning attack the society they’re a part of, however they also reference concepts such as suffering, and the power of men and subsequent abuse of women. However, it is clear that the morals of society have contributed to both concepts, showing that 19th century writers are engaged with issues of morality.