第15章

Theprofoundestinsightcannotreachdeeperthanitsownpossibilitiesofdepth。Thephysiognomyofthesoulisnevervisibleinitsentirety，barelyeverevenitsprofile。Theutmostwecanexpecttoreproduce，perhapseventoperceiveinthemostquintessentialmoment，isapartiallyfaithful，partiallydeceptivesilhouette。

Asnohumanbeinghaseverseenhisorherownsoul，inallitsroundedcompletenessofgoodandevil，ofstrengthandweakness，ofwhatistemporalandperishableandwhatisgerminalandessential，howcanweexpecteventhesubtlestanalysttoadequatelydepictothersoulsthanhisown。ItisBrowning’shighdistinctionthathehasthissoul-depictivefacultyrestrictedaseveninhisinstanceitperforceistoanextentunsurpassedbyanyotherpoet，ancientormodern。Asasympatheticcritichasremarked，“HisstageisnotthevisiblephenomenalEngland(orelsewhere)ofhistory；

itisapointinthespiritualuniverse，wherenakedsoulsmeetandwrestle，astheyplaythegreatgameoflife，forcounters，thetruevalueofwhichcanonlyberealisedinthebullionofahigherlifethanthis。“

Nodoubtthereis“acertaincrudenessinthemannerinwhichthesenakedsoulsarepresented，“notonlyin“Strafford“butelsewhereintheplays。Browningmarkedlyhasthedefectsofhisqualities。

Aspartofhismethod，itshouldbenotedthathisrealtrustisuponmonologueratherthanupondialogue。ToonewhoworksfromwithinoutwardincontradistinctiontotheShakespearianmethodofstrivingtowinfromoutwardforms“thepassionandthelifewhosefountainsarewithin“theproprietyofthisdramaticmeanscanscarcebegainsaid。Theswiftcomplicatedmentalmachinerycanthusbeexhibitedinfinitelymorecoherentlyandcomprehensiblythanbythemostelectricsuccinctdialogue。AgainandagainBrowninghasnighfounderedinthemorassofmonologue，but，broadlyspeaking，hetranscendsinthisdramaticmethod。

Atthesametime，nonemusttakeitforgrantedthattheauthorof“ABlotinthe’Scutcheon“，“Luria“，“InaBalcony“，isnotdramaticineventhemostconventionalsense。Aboveall，indeedasMr。WalterPaterhassaidhisisthepoetryofsituations。

Ineachofthe`dramatispersonae’，oneoftheleadingcharacteristicsisloyaltytoadominantideal。InStrafford’scaseitisthatofunswervingdevotiontotheKing：inMildred’sandinThorold’s，in“ABlotinthe’Scutcheon“，itisthatofsubserviencerespectivelytoconventionalmoralityandfamilypride(LordTresham，itmaybeadded，isthemosthopelesslymonomaniacalofallBrowning’s“monomaniacs“)：

inValence’s，in“Colombe’sBirthday“，tochivalriclove：

inCharles，in“KingVictorandKingCharles“，tokinglyandfilialduty：

inAnael’sandDjabal’s，in“TheReturnoftheDruses“，respectivelytoreligionandunscrupulousambitionmodifiedbypatriotism：

inChiappino’s，in“ASoul’sTragedy“，topurelysordidambition：

inLuria’s，tonoblesteadfastness：andinConstance’s，in“InaBalcony“，toself-denial。Oftheseplays，“TheReturnoftheDruses“seemstomethemostpicturesque，“Luria“themostnobleanddignified，and“InaBalcony“themostpotentiallyagreatdramaticsuccess。

Thelastisinasenseafragment，but，thoughtheintegerofagreatunaccomplisheddrama，isascompleteinitselfastheFuneralMarchinBeethoven’s`Eroica’Symphony。

“ABlotinthe’Scutcheon“hastheradicalfaultcharacteristicofwritersofsensationalfiction，atoopromiscuous“clearingtheground“

bysyncopeandsuicide。AnotheristhejuvenilityofMildred：

aseriousinfractionofdramaticlaw，wherethemeretamperingwithhistory，asinthecircumstancesofKingVictor’sdeathintheearlierplay，isatleastexcusablebyhighprecedent。Moredisastrous，poetically，istheruinousbanalityofMildred’santiclimaxwhen，afterherbrotherrevealshimselfasherlover’smurderer，she，likethetypicalyoung`MissAnglaise’ofcertainFrenchnovelists，betraysherincapacityfortruepassionbyexclaiming，ineffect，“What，you’vemurderedmylover!Well，tellmeall。Pardon？

Oh，well，Ipardonyou：atleastITHINKIdo。Thorold，mydearbrother，howverywretchedyoumustbe!“

Iamunawareifthisanticlimaxhasbeenpointedoutbyanyone，butsurelyitisoneofthemostappallinglapsesofgeniuswhichcouldbeindicated。Eventhebeautifulsonginthethirdsceneofthefirstact，“There’sawomanlikeadew-drop，she’ssopurerthanthepurest，“is，inthecircumstances，nearlyoverthevergewhichdividesthesublimefromtheridiculous。

Nowonderthat，onthenighttheplaywasfirstacted，Mertoun’ssong，asheclamberedtohismistress’swindow，causedascepticallaughtoripplelightlyamongthetolerantauditory。

ItiswithdiffidenceItakesoradicallydistinctastandpointfromthatofDickens，whodeclaredheknewnolovelikethatofMildredandMertoun，nopassionlikeit，nomouldingofasplendidthingafteritsconception，likeit；who，further，atalaterdate，affirmedthathewouldratherhavewrittenthisplaythananyworkofmoderntimes：norwithlessreluctance，thatIfindmyselfatvariancewithMr。Skelton，whospeaksofthedramaas“oneofthemostperfectlyconceivedandperfectlyexecutedtragediesinthelanguage。“IntheinstanceofLuria，thatsecondOthello，suicidehasalltheimpressivenessofaplenaryactofabsolution：

thedeathofAnaelseemsasinevitableastheflashoflightningaftertheconcussionofthunder-clouds。ButThorold’ssuicideismereweakness，scarceapervertedcourage；andMildred’sbrokenheartwasanillnotbeyondthehealingofamorallyrobustphysician。

“Colombe’sBirthday“hasacertainremotenessofinterest，reallyduetothereader’smoreorlessacuteperceptionoftheradicaldivergence，forallValence’sgreatnessofmindandspirit，betweenthefairyoungDuchessandherchosenlover：

acircumstancewhichmustsurelystandinthewayofitspopularity。

Though“ASoul’sTragedy“hasthesavingqualityofhumour，itisoftoogrimakindtobeprovocativeoflaughter。

Ineachoftheseplays*theloverofBrowningwillrecallpassageafterpassageofsuperblydramaticeffect。Butsupremeinhisremembrancewillbethewonderfulscenein“TheReturnoftheDruses“，wherethePrefect，drawingabreathofrelief，isalmostsimultaneouslyassassinated；

andthatwhereAnael，witheverynerveattensioninherfiercereligiousresolve，withapoignant，life-surrenderingcry，hailsDjabalas`Hakeem’asDivineandtherewithfallsdeadathisfeet。

Norwillheforgetthatwhere，in“ABlotinthe’Scutcheon“，Mildred，withadrysobinherthroat，stammeringlyutters

“IIwassoyoung!

BesidesIlovedhim，ThoroldandIhadNomother；Godforgotme：soIfell“

orthatwhere，“atendofthedisastrousday，“Luriatakesthephialofpoisonfromhisbreast，muttering

“Strange!ThisisallIbroughtfrommyownlandTohelpme。“

*“Strafford“，1837；“KingVictorandKingCharles“，1842；

“TheReturnoftheDruses“，and“ABlotinthe’Scutcheon“，1843；

“Colombe’sBirthday“，1844；“Luria“，and“ASoul’sTragedy“，1845。

BeforepassingonfromtheseeightplaystoBrowning’smostimperishablebecausemostnearlyimmaculatedramaticpoem，“PippaPasses“，andto“Sordello“，thatcolossalderelictupontheoceanofpoetry，Ishouldlikeoutofanembarrassingquantityofalluringdetails

toremindthereaderoftwosecondarymattersofinterest，pertinenttothepresenttheme。Oneisthatthesongin“ABlotinthe’Scutcheon“，“There’sawomanlikeadew-drop“，writtenseveralyearsbeforetheauthor’smeetingwithElizabethBarrett，issocloselyinthestyleof“LadyGeraldine’sCourtship“，andotherballadsbythesweetsingerwhoafterwardsbecameapartnerintheloveliestmarriageofwhichwehaverecordinliteraryhistory，that，evenweretherenothingtosubstantiatethefact，itwerefairtoinferthatMertoun’ssongtoMildredwastheelectrictouchwhichcompelledtoitsmetricshapeoneofMrs。Browning’sbest-knownpoems。

Thefurtherinterestliesinthelordlyacknowledgmentofthededicationtohimof“Luria“，whichLandorsenttoBrowning

linespregnantwiththestateliestmusicofhisoldage：

“Shakespeareisnotourpoetbuttheworld’s，Thereforeonhimnospeech!andbriefforthee，Browning!SinceChaucerwasaliveandhaleNomanhaswalkedalongourroadswithstepSoactive，soenquiringeye，ortongueSovariedindiscourse。ButwarmerclimesGivebrighterplumage，strongerwing：thebreezeOfAlpineheightsthouplayestwith，borneonBeyondSorrentoandAmalfi，whereTheSirenwaitsthee，singingsongforsong。“

Inmyallusionto“PippaPasses“，towardsthecloseoftheprecedingchapter，asthemostimperishablebecausethemostnearlyimmaculateofBrowning’sdramaticpoems，Iwouldnothaveitunderstoodthatitspre-eminenceisconsideredfromthestandpointoftechnicalachievement，ofart，merely。

Itseemstome，likeallsimpleandbeautifulthings，profoundenoughforthesearchingplummetofthemostcuriousexplorerofthedepthsoflife。

Itcanberead，re-read，learnedbyheart，andthemoreitisknownthewiderandmorealluringaretheavenuesofimaginativethoughtwhichitdiscloses。Ithas，morethananyotherlongcompositionbyitsauthor，thatqualityofsymmetry，that`symmetriaprisca’

recordedofLeonardodaVinciintheLatinepitaphofPlatinoPiatto；

and，asmightbeexpected，itsmentalbasis，whatRossetticalledfundamentalbrain-work，isasluminous，depthwithindepth，asthemorningair。Byitsside，themoreobviously“profound“poems，BishopBlougramandtherest，aremereskilleddialectics。

Theartthatismostprofoundandmosttouchingmusteverbethesimplest。

WheneverAeschylus，Dante，Shakespeare，Milton，areatwhiteheattheyrequirenoexposition，butmeditationonlythemeditationakintothesentimentoflittlechildrenwholisten，intentuponeverysyllable，andpassionatelyeagerofsoul，tohearthsidetragedies。

Theplayofgeniusislikethemovementofthesea。Ithasitssolemnrhythm：

itsjoy，irradiateofthesun；itsmelancholy，inthepatientmoonlight：

itssurgeandturbulenceunderpassingtempests：belowall，thedeepoceanicmusic。Thereare，ofcourse，manytowhomtheseaisbutawasteofwater，atbestusefulasahighwayandasthenurseryofthewindsandrains。Forthemthereisnohint“oftheincommunicabledream“inthecurveoftherisingwave，nomurmuroftheoceanicundertoneintheshortleapingsounds，invisiblethingsthatlaughandclaptheirhandsforjoyandarenomore。

Tothemitisbutadesert：obscure，imponderable，aweariness。

The“profundity“ofBrowning，sodearaclaimintheeyesofthepoet’sfanaticaladmirers，exists，intheirsense，onlyinhisinferiorwork。ThereismoreprofoundinsightinBlake’sSongofInnocence，“Pipingdownthevalleyswild，“

orinWordsworth’sline，“Thoughtsthatdooftenlietoodeepfortears，“

orinKeats’singleverse，“Thereisabuddingmorrowinmidnight，“