On the Nature of Dramatic Monologue, Characterization, Atmosphere, and Plot Structure in Lord Alfred Tennyson’ s “ Ulysses” and Robert Browning’ s “ My Last DuchessR
This 3-page undergraduate paper considers the ways dramatic monologue affects characterization, atmosphere, and plot structure in both Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Ulysses” and Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess.” This paper finds that Tennyson’s “Ulysses” uses dramatic monologue to create a more optimistic atmosphere and straightforward characterization while Browning’s work is fraught with irony and tension stemming from the gaps between the speaker’s intended meaning and his actual words.