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Robert Browning, "Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister"

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You can read the poem with annotations that explain the unusual words and offer a little interpretation of their impact on the meaning of the poem.

Poems are usually meant to be read aloud for maximum pleasure and understanding. Listen to this audio of "Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister." In what way does the aural experience enhance your appreciation of the poem?

What exactly is a dramatic monologue? This short introduction to the poetic form will tell you. How does Browning use it? This article on the three defining characteristics of his monologues answers that question. Where is the listener in "Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister"? What does the reader surmise from the speaker's remarks? What would be the difference, do you think, if the poem had not been a monologue but a narrative from the third-person point of view?

While not a requirement of poetry, many poems follow a rhyme pattern and use other sound devices to enhance comprehension and the listening experience. Read this article about those patterns and follow the links to additional poetic devices. What is the rhyme pattern of "Soliloquy"? What other sound devices does Browning use in the poem? Describe how they enhance your listening pleasure. Now that you are more aware of the "sound" of the poem, in what ways is your understanding of the poem influenced by rhyme and sound devices?

Anger is the primary emotion in the poem. Read this article, "Rage in 'Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister.'" The rage in the poem is obvious, but the use of pairings of ideas as well as punctuation and references to bestiality show the anger rather than tell of it. When you read and thought about the poem, how close did you come to understanding the full impact of the anger expressed?

The critics in Browning's time felt that the poem was "unreadable." This scholarly article from the journal Victorian Poetry contends that Browning's "'Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister' is not a failed experiment with nonsense words for a climax, but rather a carefully conceived dramatic situation with a terrifying end." The last words, "Hy, Zy, Hine" are controversial. Did Browning invent them or are they the beginning of an incantation to Satan? Which interpretation do you favor? What difference does it make?

Browning wrote several dramatic monologues; the best known and read by students is "My Last Duchess." This site has links to most of Browning's poems, including the monologues. Read "My Last Duchess" and compare it to "Soliloquy." Who is the speaker? Who is the listener? How active is the listener? What truth is revealed? Is that truth revealed inadvertently or purposefully? If you were the listener, what would you do next?

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