Theophilus by Edwin Arlington Robinson
“Theophilus” presents a speaker’s bitterly sarcastic condemnation of Theophilus, whose gentle-sounding name seems grotesquely unsuited to him. The speaker portrays him as so disagreeable and morally warped that even a crude young Cyclops would reject him. Though Theophilus’s actual deeds may be few and innocent, the speaker fears the nature of his dreams and marvels at the apparent strength of some inherited evil in him, stronger than any influence of his surroundings. The speaker imagines a lingering element of Belial magnified in Theophilus and asks what kind of devilry could exceed his capacity for crookedness. While a father might humbly overlook such faults, the speaker insists that none of Theophilus’s friends would want his father to weep over him. Claiming admiration for all living and dying things, the speaker says that everyone likes Theophilus best when he is asleep. He urges him to remain asleep so that another man may take a less dangerously inappropriate name, suggesting Caligula, Caliban, or Cain as names more fitting than Theophilus.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1896 · Genre: Poetry, Satire, Character Sketch · 180 words
First lines
BY what serene malevolence of names
Had you the gift of yours, Theophilus?
Not even a smeared young Cyclops at his games
Would have you long, - and you are one of us.
What this Textopian page supports
Theophilus is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1896 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Date: 1896 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Satire, Character Sketch, Dramatic Monologue, Social Commentary
- Length: 180 words
- Structure: 1 section, 16 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Theophilus by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is a short lyric poem structured in rhymed quatrains and shaped by formal meter, figurative language, and direct address.
- Satire — Its speaker mockingly contrasts the benign meaning of Theophilus's name with his implied moral deformity, using exaggerated comparisons to ridicule him.
- Character Sketch — The poem chiefly constructs a hostile, compressed portrait of Theophilus through the speaker's judgments about his nature, heredity, and conduct.
- Dramatic Monologue — A distinct speaking voice addresses Theophilus directly and reveals its own ironic, condemnatory perspective while describing the absent subject.
Tags
poetry · narrative poem · dramatic monologue · religious legend · medieval setting · Faustian bargain · pact with the devil · sin · repentance · redemption · Christianity · Catholic tradition