With "Porphyria's Lover" and "Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister", Browning offers two monologues madman dramas in which the narrator's sheer ignorance of his own madness is a basic premise integral to the work. Throughout these two poems, the narrator systematically ignores the hypocrisy, absurdity, incomprehension of others and cruelty that his tirade belies, while the reader is constantly confronted with these realities. As the narrator of each work reveals more and more of his thoughts, his character reaches levels of madness that are unrealistic and absurd to the reader. By their simple inability to declare, recognize, or even contemplate the painful madness of their own actions and thoughts, Browning's flawed mad narrators condemn themselves. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay In “Porphyria's Lover,” the narrator's deliberate violence overshadows Porphyria's willingness to commit an illicit act in him visiting that night. Until the climax of Porphyria's murder, the narration indicates a romantically brooding but otherwise well-adjusted narrator. In line 5, he “listened to [the wind] with a broken heart.” After Porphyria's arrival, he remains discouraged, but eventually marvels at her love for him. The fact that the abrupt turn created by Porphyria's murder is recounted casually, unexpectedly, and as a supposedly logical consequence of this romantic love is an early indicator of the true depth of the narrator's madness. As if nothing had happened, the narrator's monologue continues and he recounts the rest of the romantic scene. He caresses her body and treats her as if she is still animated, claiming in line 52 that she even smiles. There is no doubt that the narrator records Porphyria's death, but his perverse sense of righteousness casts doubt on his sanity. In lines 41 and 42, he states that Porphyria felt no pain, indicating that he views her act as a form of euthanasia, as well as his belief that he is empowered to take such measures. In the final lines of the poem, the narrator indicates his belief that by burying Porphyria, he is fulfilling his desires, that she has “won” him (55) in death. In one interpretation of these lines, the narrator speaks of Porphyria's "darling." a wish" (57) with deliberately sadistic irony and selfishness. In another possible reading, the narrator has only the purest intentions with his mercy killing. Both potentialities would indicate the presence of an abnormal spirit. The final sentence also fits into both conceptions If the narrator had committed his act with evil intentions, it would imply that since he did not face divine retribution for his admitted vicious act, he possessed his own. divine power - thus, the reader would be led to recognize the narrator's pride. However, if the narrator had committed his act with pure intentions, it would imply that God condoned the murder by virtue of its lack of punishment - thus, the reader would be led to recognize the narrator's imperfect sense of self-satisfaction in "Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister", rather than recounting a complete scene as the narrator of "Porphyria's Lover" does, the speaker delivers a purely monologue. self-addressed with his most intimate thoughts. There is no plot or climax in this soliloquy, only a patchwork of remembered scenes. Additionally, unlike "Porphyria's Lover", this poem does not contain any plot twists that would significantly distort the,.