An Analysis Of The Three Main Characters In Robert Browning's The Ring And The Book

The Ring and the Book (1868—1869), a long poem by English poet Robert Browning (1812-1889), is ranked among the most excellent English poems in the 19th century. It recounts a Roman murder case and its sequential trial at the end of the 17th century. The poem reflects the poet's meditation upon marriage, family and life and embodies his creative ideal and artistic skills. The depiction of three main characters in the poem shares common features with the characters in the poet's previous successful short dramatic monologues and is more exquisite. After publication, the poem has been widely criticized. Due to the poem's complicated structure, previous criticism is mainly focused on its narration. There has also been research from a perspective of irony, which is limited to the structure of this poem. Besides, two main characters in the poem have undergone studies. By now, a systematic literary exploration of its main characters is needed. Starting from the previous researches, this dissertation will analyze the three main characters in the poem from a perspective of irony.This dissertation, aiming for a clear and in-depth study, is composed of three chapters.In Chapter One, Guido the villain is studied. He comes from a declining noble family, is self-centered and has double standards of value. Ironically, he marries a perfect innocent wife Pompilia. But he flaunts his superiority over her and cannot be changed by her perfection. What awaits him is a total isolation from the others. In the end, he employs four accomplices to murder Pompilia and her parents and is condemned to death.In Chapter Two, Pompilia the perfect innocent is studied. She encounters various tragedies in her short life. Fate always plays jokes on her and deprives her of basic human rights. Full of love and forgiveness, she never abandons love for her beloved ones and has firm faith in life. She shoulders the cross of sins for the worldly beings. Dying in prayers, she seems to enter into another fair world.In Chapter Three, Caponsacchi the priest is studied. Born into a prominent house and having had a systematic theological education, he should have strong faith. He instead wavers in heart, especially on whether to help Pompilia. He is confused about how to save this poor girl. On the runaway, he is still conflicting in mind. He is a...