Discuss Browning as a poet of love.

Answer.

Introduction

Robert Browning, (1812-1889) is one of the greatest Victorian poets. The most, remarkable quality of his poetry is his originality. He is gifted with a psychological insight into human nature and character. He also possesses great dramatic genius, bright optimism, deep philosophy of love, and a belief in rebirth. But his most surprising though is his philosophy of love.

His Conception of Love

To Browning, love is a spiritual force. When a person loves another passionately, without desiring for anything in acturn, his love is spiritual love. Such love binds the soul of the beloved, unknown and unseen by the latter. Each soul is immortal. At death, it passes into another bodily form. This process goes on infinitely. Now, if one soul binds another with the rope of spiritual love, the two souls shall be united by God in some future life. For God ‘creates the love to reward the love.” So when Evelyn Hope is dead, the lover believes that he must be united to Evelyn in some future life.

Love Admits of No Impediments

Such spiritual love admits of no impediments. A person may be of any age. He may be much too older than his beloved. But it does not matter. For example, Evenly, lover is forty-eight whereas the girl is sixteen. Further, he loves her secretly. She does not even know that he loves her. On the other hand, the lover in the poem ‘The Last Ride Together‘ has been rejected by his beloved. Yet, on the score of his spiritual love, he hopes to attain her in heaven. Further, in Porphyria’s Lover, browning describes a strange reaction of the lover. For a long time his beloved is unable to get over the barriers of the conventional society. So the lover strangles her to death with the help of a card of her own hair. He kills her under the belief that his spiritual love shall unite him to her in a future life.

His Philosophy of Love

According to Indian Scholars, Browning’s doctrine of rebirth is the Vedanta. His conception of spiritual love tallies with the ‘Karmic Varna’ in the Vedanta. His optimism in the matter of love is also Vedantic optimism. So when one has spiritual love for another, Karma as a force unites one to the other in a future life but some British Scholars suggest that Browning’s philosophy of love is based on German Philosopher Goethe’s doctrine of ‘Elective Affinities’. According to this doctrine, some men and women are attracted to one another by force of spiritual gravitation. Since the soul is immortal, these lovers are brought together in some future life.

Conclusion

As a poet of love, Browning confines himself to the love between a man and a woman. In his love-poems, he does not treat of absolute love, love of ideas, or love of motherland. Nor does he celebrate the charms and beauty of a woman. he treats of the actual passion of love. Further, his treatment of love has no individual note about it. Its description is impersonal and intellectual. Moreover, he presents love as an ordeal. It tests :he mettle of a person. If love is genuine, it will bear fruit and earn rewards in future lives. Since true love is selfless it helps the soul to rise to a higher life. Besides, to Browning love is the link between God and man. A life inspired by love is a most perfect life of goodness. So love is the highest ideal that man should try to achieve. Writes one critic:

“To Browning, Love is the Conqueror, and Love is God” (Stopford A Brooke).