Volume : 2 | Issue : 4 | April 2013 • ISSN No 2277 - 8160

Research Paper Literature

Dr. Peena Thanky Lecturer in English, Governmnet Polytechnic Jamnagar.

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to give an introduction to the poetry and philosophy of Browning through the careful study
of a few typical and especially lofty expressions of his genius. Many of us can testify with deep gratitude to the unique
influence of Browning over us. We love him peculiarly, not only as a poet, but because he has helped waken us to the deepest ends and meaning
of human life. To our age he is a great spiritual teacher, not of the conventions of faith, but of that religion of personal life which the world is
beginning faintly to understand.

KEYWORDS: Immortal, originality, Struggle, Faith

The Philosophy of Robert Browning are often cited as an example of Browning’s cheap or blind op-
Prophet as he is with reference to modern life, expressing, not the timism. In the face of such human suffering, misery and wicked-
conceptions that come and go with the hour, but those great ide- ness, how can we say that All is right with the world?’. Such views
as which come through the long unfolding of humanity, Brown- arise from faulty interpretation of his poetry.
ing is not easily understood until we saturate ourselves with a
few great embodiments of his genius, and thus learn to read his When he says these words, he does not mean that there is no evil
poetry from the point of view of his own spirit. When we are able or suffering in the world: he means that divine governance is just
to do this, Browning is rarely more difficult to read than the range and benevolent, and what appears to us as evil has its own place
and depth of problems he attempts, necessitates. Instead of find- in the scheme of things. Thus in the words of Pope, “all partial evil,
ing him obscure, we respond with increasing exhilaration to the universal good”.
rapid movement and deep suggestion of his thought , and to the
strength, variety and harmonious adaptation of his virile and of- According to Chesterton,
ten exquisite poetic form.
“Browning’s optimism is founded on imperfections of man; he de-
The poetry of Browning is coloured by his optimistic attitude rives hope from human deficiency.”
towards life. He sees every situation of life in a positive way. His
philosophy does not come in direct preachings but revealed by Browning thinks that this world is essentially good; whatever mis-
his characters. eries and imperfections are therein it, are due to imperfections of
Man and the presence of evil which stands in the way of his goal.
Robert browning did not identify himself with any particular
school of philosophy. Critics often speak of ‘the message of Man tries hard to achieve perfection by struggling hard against all
Browning’ or ‘the teachings of Browning’. However, Browning has imperfections and evils. He may not emerge victorious from the
no formal message, no church, no philosophy in the technical tough fight, but at least he becomes aware of his imperfection
sense. But he had definite and firm views on human life and hu- and this awareness implies an idea of perfection present in the
man nature and the relation of both to God. In his poetry, he of- mind of Man. This is enough to make him push forward and rise.
fers us a distinct theory of the relation of man to the universe and Thus Browning’s view is that the whole world of life, the whole
exhibits his theory by means of imaginary character and scenes. purpose of love which gave it birth, lies not in perfection but in
the effort to become perfect.
Browning may not have been a profound thinker, but he is a very
consistent one. His views, taken together, present a philosophy of Browning’s attitude towards evil, pain and misery is not merely
life, which is the result of his search for truth. His poetry is char- theoretical and abstract like that of 18th Century thinkers. He
acterised by immense variety, but unity is imparted to it by his does not accept evil merely as a philosophical counterpart of
unchanging views of human destiny. He certainly does not chal- good; rather he regards evil as a practical instrument of human
lenge the old theological and metaphysical dogmas: on the other advancement.
hand, he accepts the conventional view of God, the immortality
of the soul and the Christian belief in incarnation. Still he is origi- His approach to the problem is pragmatic, it is based on is experi-
nal in the sense that his cheerful optimism is in sharp contrast ence of life. He lays stress on practical experience and tests every
with the growing pessimism of the age. As Rylands puts it, theory by this touchstone. It is only by experience that we can
wring knowledge from experience.
“He is one of those who rolled back, as far as England is concerned, the
morbid pessimism, the sickly disdain of active life, which has infected All men strive and who succeeds?
so much of European literature during the present century.”
This famous line of ‘The Last ride together’ shows Browning’s faith
Optimism is the core of Browning’s teachings. Contrary to the in struggle.
views of some critics, his optimism is not blind: he does not shut
his eyes to the sufferings and evils that is life. Compton Rickett says, Man must struggle and strive to come as close to the attainment
of his ideals as possible. Man was sent for struggle and fight heavy
“Browning knows that life is a bewildering mixture of good and odds of life rather than for weak surrender before the might and
evil, of the lovely and ugly, of despair and hopefulness, but he majesty of difficulties. He inspires his readers to fight and not to
derives hope from this very incompleteness and imperfections of submit or yield:
life. The famous lines in Pippa Passes
Strive and thrive, cry speed, fight on for ever Was his message. In
God is in his heaven, All is right with the world” Rabbi Ben Ezra he gave advice

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‘Youth should strive through acts uncouth Toward making.’ Our love and our fear
We and they are his children
Browning admonished the readers of his poetry to be warriors One family here.
and fighters, strong and indomitable strugglers, never allowing
thoughts of cowardice and cravenness to distract them from their For Browning, it is love which kindles and exalts both knowl-
chosen path of heroism and bravery. edge and power, and as love is common to both God and Man,
it is through love that Man touches the infinite. It is love which
Evil is a hindrance in the way of perfection and achievement of harmonies and unites all living beings; and it is on love that all
good. Browning was never discouraged by the presence and Browning’s character builds their faith.
power of evil, but considered it necessary for the progress of man
in his life. Evil prevented man from attaining perfection. It was es- ‘God, Thou art Love I build my faith on thee’ And further,
sential to struggle for reaching to the. Hence evil provided the ‘So the All Great were Loving too.’
necessary balancing force in life. Evil was man’s foe, no doubt, but
it was a foe without whose presence progress could never have The world is beautiful, for God created it out of the fullness of His
been possible. Evil was as permanent as good and it was man’s love:
duty to fight and struggle against the forces of evil.
‘O, world as God has made it, all is beauty,
The evil is null, is nought, is silence implying sound, What was
good shall be good, with evil so much, good more. And knowing this, is love, and love is duty.’

The presence of evil should not check men from aspiring for high- Love is the philosophic principle which binds all beings in har-
er ideals. Man’s ideals should always be higher than his grasp. He mony and unity. Life in this world is worth living, for both life and
should march steadily onwards, unmindful of eye on his unattain- the world are the expressions of Devine Love.
able ideals. Browning emphasised the necessity of keeping high
ideal in lines For Browning, Death is not the herald of extinction but
‘A Groom
A man’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s heaven for? That brings a taper to the outward room’.

The other firmly grounded belief of Browning is the immortality Where the soul may pursue its designs unfettered and unhin-
of the soul. He believes that man lives in two worlds, the finite and dered. This is the faith which inspires ‘The Epilogue to Asolande’
the infinite. He is conscious of the spiritual world, by the enthusi- and ‘Prospice’.
asms, longings and aspirations in the soul, where they exist like
imprisoned splendours. He could never believe that death extin- According to Browning, the aim of Life was to acquire power, and
guishes the divine spark eradicating human life. The faith of the since the power of knowledge was the mightiest of all power, one
poet is expressed in Rabbi Ben Ezra, must pursue it with ardour and enthusiasm. But soon he realised
that mere love for power, even power of knowledge was not
‘ fool! all that is at all, enough unless it is accompanied with love. Knowledge by itself
Lasts ever, past recall; was arid and barren.
Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure
Time’s wheel runs back or stops potter and clay endure’. Browning’s optimism is further seen in the fact that he finds the
passion of joy running in all Nature. Joy is at the very core of na-
According to him, the body may die, but the soul lives on the in- ture, and Browning is never tired of emphasising this fact. This joy
finite. It has an after life or lives; it has experiences not only in the is derived from the creative joy of God, the delight he takes in the
world and this life but also in countless lives to come. Life in other workof creation.
life is more valuable than life in infinite world. The ideals which
remain unattained here can be attained in heaven. Browning’s ecstasy in mere living, his rapturous joy in his own life
and in the life of Nature, results from his faith in the creative joy of
Rylands writes; the supreme. He has sung the delight of life more fervently than
any other poet.
“Browning never questions the existence of supreme authority or
God, controlling the manifold energies of the world” Browning’s message is in his invincible faith and optimism. He
spoke to the strongest word of faith in the age of doubt and pes-
He did not conceive God as a cruel and tyrannical being unmind- simism. Of all English poets, no other is so completely, so con-
ful of he lot of the creative universe, or a sinister intelligence sciously, so magnificently a teacher of Man. He retained his faith
bent on punishing mankind. He conceived God as a benignant and courage in a world of doubt and timidity. For thirty years, he
and sympathetic power helping men in their endeavour if they faced cheerfully the indifference of his age and ultimately made
respond faith in him and his mercy. the world recognise and follow him. His thought has been surely
and steadily taking possession of the hearts of educated men and
God made all the creatures and gave them women, and this accounts for his popularity both at home and
abroad.

Browning Robert Selections from Browning Edited by Frederick Ryland 2011 edition Berdoe Edward (1898) Browning Cyclopaedia :A Guide to
REFERENCES the study of works of Robert Browning Beale Dorothea (1882) The Religious Teaching of Browning Hiram Corson (1830) The Idea of Personality,
as embodied in Robert Browning's Poetry Rickett Arthur Compton (1925) Robert Browning, Humanist Savage Walter (1895) To Robert Browning
Sharp William Life of Robert Browning

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