Question: How did people receive the patriot a year ago?
Introduction
Robert Browning (1812-1889) is the master of dramatic monologue. ”The Patriot” (1852) is a popular dramatic monologue because it expresses the life of a patriot as a political leader who was honored and at the same time dishonored by the people. The speaker of the poem is a patriot.
Reception of the patriot
The first two stanzas of the poem give an account of the grand reception that the patriot received one year ago. A year ago, the patriot was given a grand welcome on his arrival to the town. All the road was filled with roses and myrtle. In the poet’s tongue:
”It was roses, roses, all the way,
With myrtle mixed in my path like mad: ”
The people and his admirers standing on the house roofs seemed to surge with joy. The church-spires were decorated with bright flags. The whole atmosphere resounded with the sound of bells rung in his honor. The house-walls shook with the cries and thrills of the crowd. The frenzy and madness exceeded all limits. Even, people were ready to catch the sun for him. In the poet’s tongue:
”But give me your sun from yonder skies!”
They had answered, “And afterward, what else?”
More Notes of Poetry
Conclusion
Thus, the patriot was received by the people a year ago. Undoubtedly, the poem teaches us through the character of the patriot.
