The Confessional by Robert Browning
An imprisoned woman in Spain denounces the priests and recalls how her confessor persuaded her to reveal her lover Beltran's plans and comrades, supposedly to save his soul. After Beltran fails to return, she finds him bound on an execution scaffold, with the priest present, and rejects the religious promises she once trusted.
By Robert Browning · Genre: Dramatic Monologue, Narrative Poetry · 883 words
First lines
Spain
It is a lie -- their Priests, their Pope, / Their Saints, their... all they fear or hope / Are lies, and lies -- there! through my door / And ceiling, there! and walls and floor, / There, lies, they lie -- shall still be hurled / Till spite of them I reach the world!
What this Textopian page supports
The Confessional 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, Narrative Poetry
- Length: 883 words
- Structure: 1 section, 14 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Confessional by Robert Browning
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Dramatic Monologue — A confined woman addresses listeners directly, recounting her trust in a priest and the betrayal that fuels her denunciation.
- Narrative Poetry — Rhymed stanzas follow the woman's confession, disclosure of Beltran's secrets, waiting for his return, and discovery of the scaffold.
Tags
confession · clerical betrayal · political conspiracy · imprisonment · execution scaffold · religious disillusionment