Prospice
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Robert Brownings “Prospice” is a dramatic monologue written about a mans thoughts on his impending death. Browning was an ambitious poet who wrote with both great range and variety. Through the vividness of imagery, swiftness of movement, and notes of hope and courage, Browning expresses his optimistic outlook on death and the afterlife.
Born in Camberwell, London, on May 7th, 1812, Browning inherited his scholastic tastes from his father– a clerk in the Bank of England. Brownings personal life revolved around his relationship with the poet Elizabeth Barret, whom he secretly married in 1846. The pair resided in Italy until 1861, when Elizabeth passed away. This resulted in Browning leaving Italy with a heavy heart, and settling in London, where he continued his writing. The verse novel The Ring and the Book, which was written in the last few decades of his life, achieved Browning his true literary prestige. Although heart broken after his wifes death, Browning could be described as a congenial, gregarious man. In the words of William Sharp:
“Everybody wished him to come and dine; and he did his utmost to gratify
everybody. He saw everything; read all the notable books; [] knew all
the gossip of the literary clubs, salons and the studios; was a frequenter of
afternoon tea-parties; and then, over and above it, he was Browning; the
most profoundly subtle mind that has exercised itself in poetry since
Shakespeare.”
Robert Browning died in Venice on December 12th, 1889, and was buried in the Poets Corner of Westminster Abbey.
Brownings “Prospice” is written as a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue is a poem with a speaker who is clearly separate from the poet, who speaks to an audience that remains clearly present in the scene. This implied audience is what distinguishes the dramatic monologue. The purpose is to develop the character of the speaker, rather than make a statement about the declared subject matter. For Browning, this type of writing provides a way in which he can explore somewhat controversial ideas, as well as forms of consciousness and self-representation. The rhyming scheme of the dramatic monologue occurs in the rhyming of the last word of every other line.
The though content of “Prospice” compares the speakers impending death to climbing a mountain, and being a soldier in war. It conveys an image of a courageous man embracing death, and what God has planned for him without fear. Browning begins by asking the audience if they think he fears death; comparing it to the elements. The fog in his throat is making it hard to breathe as he ascends the mountain. The cold rush of wind signifies he is nearing the top of the mountain–the final hour of death. As he approaches he sees death waiting at his lookout point, but he does not hesitate to go forward. He is strong enough to submit without a fight, because he has reached the top of the mountain, and allows his guard to be let down. Even though it is necessary to fight the battle before the final award is received, the speaker was always a fighter, so he will do it right the last time. The speaker would hate to have lived his life being blind to and avoiding death, pretending that it would never happen. He wants to see and know all of it, even the grotesque aspects, and face it like his fellow soldiers in their heroic manner. He would bear the pain in his death in order to balance the pain he escaped throughout
his lifetime. He believes that the worst things, like death, turn the best men into valorous ones when they are facing their last minutes of life. All the pain and struggles that accompany death will disappear and become a relief as they dwindle. The speaker then sees a light, followed by his predeceased wife. He is able to hold her again, and leaves whatever happens next up to God, for he is with his love once again–
“the soul of [his] soul.”
Brownings theme of the poem is expressed partially in the title, “Prospice”, meaning to go forward. He wants everyone to face death bravely and turn the disadvantage into an advantage, for death is Gods will, and there is nothing to be afraid of. Browning is telling the audience that death is not something to be feared, but rather to embrace, because it makes it easier to accept and, in the end,