FREE ESSAY ON ROBERT BROWNING

ROBERT BROWNING

Robert Browning, one of the most talented poets of the Victorian period, is famous
especially for 
his dramatic monologues. Often these long poems deal with such issues as love, death, and
faith. Much of 
his work is directly reflective of his life and of those issues that were of direct
concern to him. One conflict 
seen throughout Browning's poetry is one of spirituality. His poetry forms a spiritual
timeline; it reveals his 
spiritual influences and opinions. It formed his own Bible of beliefs which he possessed.
Because 
Browning's views on spirituality changed, his poetry also gives insight on the internal
conflicts within his 
life. The paper will explore Robert Browning's spiritual journey as is reflective in his
poetry.
Robert Browning was born in Camberwell, near London, England on May 7, 1812. He was
raised 
by his father, also Robert Browning, and by his deeply religious mother, Sarah Anna
Weideman-Browning. 
His often indulgent parents gave him the freedom to explore new literary and
philosophical ideas of the time 
period, yet he was also instructed to believe the unexplained mysteries of the Christian
faith(Miller, 1953). 
His mother, who had strong ties to the congregational church, took great time to instruct
Robert in his 
religious studies. With this open atmosphere, however, Browning exhibited signs of
disinterest in religion 
during his early childhood. The town preacher, in fact , found it necessary to publicly
scold for 
restlessness and inattention Master Robert Browning(as cited in,Miller, 1953, p.9).
Robert Browning's 
tendency toward skepticism was recorded early on.
Robert Browning's first deviation from his faith was at the age of fifteen or sixteen.
His primary 
influences were the Flower family and the writing of P.B Shelley. Browning often traveled
to the Flower's 
house to discuss music, poetry, and aethism (Irvine & Honan, 1974). Eliza Flower , with
whom Browning 
was infatuated was an influence in Browning's aethism. She was one of the primary
influences that turned 
Browning away from the Christianity of his mother. His other influence, the writing of
Shelley, a known 
aethist, taught Browning to be an independent free thinker. After reading Shelley's book,
Queen Mab , 
Browning became an aethist and a vegetarian(DeVane & Smalley, 1984). He rejected his
mother's world to 
gain a sense of liberty and independence(Irvine & Honan, 1974). This faith change at such
an early age 
seemed to lead to a continual spiritual inconsistency throughout his life. Browning had
trouble accepting 
any faith or religion he chose to follow and often questioned his judgment in faith
related decisions. Robert 
Browning considered Shelley to be moral because he was true, simple hearted and
brave(cited in Payne, 
1967, p.198). He found him to also be a man of religious mind because Shelley was
everywhere taking for 
granted some of the capital dogmas of Christianity, while most vehemently denying their
historical 
basement (cited in Payne, 1967, p.199). Browning clearly possessed a great respect for
Shelley which 
followed him through much of his early poetry. Browning's life was fundamentally
affected(Miller, 1953, 
p.9) by the Shelley's writing. During his adolescence, Browning may have recognized
Shelley's, fearless 
spiritual independence(Miller, 1953, p.9). He noticed a principal of conduct whereby to
measure in the 
years to come not only the sum of his own poetic achievement but the very nature of human
integrity 
itself(Miller, 1953, p.9). Although there is no available poetry written before his first
published work, 
Pauline, his early aethism is still reflected in his early poetry. 
Robert Browning eloped to Italy with Elizabeth Barret. Upon meeting his extremely
religious 
wife and with her persuasion, Browning began to realize that Shelley's poetry had led him
to a life of self-
absorption. Yet, Robert took a skeptical attitude on the spiritual rappings, spurred on
perhaps by his wife's 
immediate will to believe(Markus,1995, p.219). Eventually, though, Robert Browning made
the decision 
to return to his Christian faith, perhaps due to his respect for his deeply religious
mother or to the 
persuasion by his spiritually inclined wife.
It is said that Elizabeth, Browning's wife, believed that spiritualism offered an
alternative to 
melancholy: an assurance reinforcing faith(Miller, 1953, p.192). Browning, however was
often skeptical of 
his wife's spiritualism. Despite this, Pauline reveals a return to God, but also displays
an undying reverence 
to Shelley. 
Pauline, Robert Browning's first published work, was published in 1832. Pauline was 
undisputedly representative of Browning's reacceptance of Christianity. Some critics
believe that his 
mother's reaction to his intellectual rebellion was probable one of the major factors in
Browning's return to 
faith(Williams,1970, p.19). Others agree that the unbending spiritual beliefs of his wife
may have led him 
down such a road(Miller, 1953)). The exerpt in Pauline most clearly representing this is
the conclusion 
which is also an invocation to Shelly.  sun - treader I believe in God and truth and
love; and as one just 
escaped from death...
Browning's contradictory attitude in Pauline proves that he is still lingering on the
edge of aethism. 
Robert Browning does not praise Shelley's ideals in Pauline, but it is clear that his
great respect for Shelley 
did not dwindle with the writing of Pauline. Browning's attempt at returning to
Christianity resulted in the 
hero of Pauline speaking of an early loss of youthful idealism and sense of purpose, of
his intellectual 
pride and the bitterness and emptiness which it brought to him(Williams, 1970, p.94).
Unfortunately, in 
his invocation to Shelley as sun-treader, Browning's devotion to him cannot be missed.
One of Robert Browning's next great literary achievements was the publishing of
Paracelsus in 
1835. Historically, Darwin had recently published The Origin of Species, and the new
scientific ideas of 
evolution caused many to revoke God, Jesus and Christian living. Robert Browning, however
had the 
opposite reaction. He took his knowledge of a competitive world and viewed it as a reason
for hope and 
reason to continue his struggles. Browning saw this scientific revolution as a bridge
connected God and 
man; and answer to the mysteries of life. The great reinforcement in Browning's faith is
evident in 
Paracelsus. Browning meditates on the ability of God to restore his worn out youth - or,
in other words, to 
extend the capacity of his human nature... (Williams,1970, p.21). Robert Browning says in
Paracelsus,  
God! Thou art mind!. He comes to the realization that through God, everything exists, and
also through 
God, the poetic talent he possesses was given. He reveals that, if all poets, god ever
meant should save the 
world, and therefore lent great gifts to, but who, proud, refused to do his work. God is
said to have lent 
great gifts to those talented; it is a connection between God and the world. By
Paracelsus, Browning's 
reverence to Shelley is non existent. 
The next step in Browning's spiritual journey occurs about ten years later when he begins
to 
develop a dislike for the church. Around 1845, Browning found himself focusing his anger
on the church 
as an institution, especially the Catholic Church. In 1845, Robert Browning wrote  The
Confessional, a 
short poem berating the Catholic Church. Browning writes:
It is a lie - their priests, their pope,
Their Saints, their... all they fear or hope 
Are lies...No part in aught they hope or fear!
No heaven with them, no hell!-and here
No earth. (1845)
This poem appeared to have spurned underlying hatred and suspicion toward the Christian
institution. 
In 1855, Browning wrote Fra Lippo Lippi. In this story, Browning criticizes the fact that

Christianity is too ideal for humanity; he does not address whether God exists but
whether Christian living 
can truly exist in a corrupt modern society (Irvine & Honan, 1974). Here, Browning
writes:
You'll not mistake an idle word spoke in a huff by a poor monk, God 
wot, tasting the air this spicy night... when ladies crowd to church at 
midsummer. And then I' the front, of course a saint or two-...And so all's 
saved for me, and for the church, A pretty picture gained.(1855)
Browning notices the insincerity of the church goers and clearly satirizes the idea of
unearned, expected 
salvation. He finds it difficult to follow such a message. He had strong belief and faith
in the existence of 
God, but also disdain in the institution that followed him. In his continual attempt to
find inner peace, 
Robert Browning continued to face conflicts in his spiritual and religious future.
In 1849, Robert Browning's mother died. One year later he published two of his
less-famous 
poems, Christmas Eve and Easter Day. These poems, due to their ambiguity, were neither
extremely 
popular, nor critically praised. The two voices in Easter Day, the more powerful of the
two poems, are often 
difficult to distinguish. While one maintains that it is difficult to lead a Christian
life, the other scolds and 
argues that it is easy. These associations are tied to the fall of Adam and Eve and their
willingness and 
inclination toward evil. The voice calling to the difficulty of Christianity states that
He who in all his 
works below adapted to the needs of man, Made love the basis of his plan...while man who
was so fit 
instead to hate as every day gave proof( line 981), and blames man alone for his fall.
The other sees 
Christianity as the ultimate struggle:  With darkness, hunger toil, distress.. No ease
henceforth, as one 
that's judged...shut from heaven (line 1000, 1030). 
The two voices represent the inner conflicts of Robert Browning. While he blames himself
for the 
abandonment of the faith of his mother thereby hurting her, he sees Christianity as a
lifelong struggle in 
hopes of something better which people have yet to explain. It is difficult to believe in
condemnation when 
it cannot be proved. Presumably, these poems represent an argument which Robert Browning
had with 
himself concerning his guilt over the death of his mother, and the abandonment of her
principles.
As Browning became older, death became an ever present danger. He was confronted with the

thought of hell condemnation and a fear of the existence of God. Rather than attempting
to find secular 
peace, Robert Browning turned his heart and soul toward the Church and all of its
principles. He was able 
to accept Christian dogma and believed in God as a part of his life, rather than death.
As explained in 
Poetry Criticism:
Browning concludes his long years of scrutiny not in a theodicy, but in a 
reaffirmation of his personal faith in God and the indestructibility of the soul. 
Not what God means in this vast universe, but what God means to him, Robert 
Browning, and to all believing souls, is the sum and substance of it all. (p.69)
Browning lived his life with the concept of a God present always in the world. (DeVane
and 
Smalley, 1984). His faith was not a philosophy or religion, but rather involved
intuition. Browning 
discerned what God meant to him and what application it had on his life. His real theme
in his poetry was a 
God in the spirit of the individual(Markus, 1995 p.221). From his experiences,as
expressed by professor 
Royce, Browning met, in his own way, the problems set before him not only by tradition,
the Christian 
conception of God (cited in Payne,1967, p. 200).
Robert Browning's spiritual journey was not one of disinterest but one of great
meditation and 
thought. Browning appeared to take time contemplating his spiritual beliefs. In his
poetry, there is 
evidence of God and Christianity in both positive and negative aspects. Both aspects
helped Browning to 
make faith decisions and come to a conclusion that could leave him in peace. Robert
Browning died 
December 12, 1889. He faced death with genuine knowledge of his beliefs concluding a long
and 
conflictory study of his faith through the poetry he wrote. The following poem is an
accurate expression of 
the spiritual conclusion that Browning finally came to and freely accepted toward the end
of his life.
Prospice
Fear death? - to feel the fog in my throat,
The mist in my face,
When the snows begin, and the blasts denote
I am nearing the place,
The power of the night, the press of the storm,
The post of the foe;
Where he stands, the Arch Fear in a visible form,
Yet the strong man must go: 
For the journey is done and summit attained,
And the barriers fall,
Though a battle's to fight ere the guerdon be gained,
The reward of it all.
I was ever a fighter, so - one fight more,
The best and the last!
I would hate that death bandaged my eyes, and forbore
And bade me creep past.
No! let me taste the whole of it, fare like my peers
The heroes of old,
Bear the brunt, in a minute pay glad life's arreaes
Of pain, darkness, and old,
For sudden the worst turns the best to the brave,
The black minute's at end,
And the element's rage, the fiend-voices that rave,
Shall dwindle, shall blend,
Shall change, shall become first a piece out of pain,
Then a light, then thy breast,
O thou soul of my soul! I shall clasp thee again,
And with God be the rest!