Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau, Saviour of Society
Alone in the Residenz, a prince imagines speaking to a young woman in Leicester Square and defending his rule as preserving society and meeting ordinary people's needs. He constructs an alternative career of oath-keeping, violent repression, Italian liberation and opposition to hereditary rule, then acknowledges that he did not lead that life. His reverie ends at daybreak as he hesitates over sending a letter to his Cousin-Duke.
By Robert Browning · Genre: Dramatic Monologue, Political Poetry, Philosophical Poetry · 26,649 words
First lines
Saviour of Society
Ὕδραν φονεύσας, μυρίων τ' ἄλλον πόνων / διῆλφον ἀγέλας... / τὸ λοίσθιον δὲ τονδ' ἔτλην τάλας / πόνον, / ... ~δῶμα θριγκῶσαι κακοῖς~.
Genres
- Dramatic Monologue — The prince speaks in verse to an imagined listener, answers anticipated objections and finally reveals that the conversation occurred in his solitary reverie.
- Political Poetry — The prince argues about preserving society, feeding the population, restricting liberty, waging war and choosing rulers.
- Philosophical Poetry — His defence connects political choices with divine judgment, individual responsibility and the claim that good can emerge through evil.
Tags
political power · self-justification · social stability · political liberty · war · hereditary rule · dramatic monologue
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Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau, Saviour of Society is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Browning, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Browning
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Dramatic Monologue, Political Poetry, Philosophical Poetry
- Length: 26,649 words
- Structure: 1 section, 49 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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