Despite relative obscurity at the beginning of his literary career, English Victorian poet and dramatist Robert Browning was able to establish a lasting reputation as a master of lyric poetry and the dramatic monologue.

Robert Browning was born in Camberwell, a suburb of London, in 1812. Browning’s mother was a successful pianist, and his father was a bank clerk with a particular interest in rare books. Browning received an informal education, (“home and elementary school were one,”) but was believed to be proficient in both reading and writing by the time he was five, thanks to his father’s inclination towards languages and literature. He was largely educated at home, and studied Latin, Greek, and French in addition to drawing, dancing, and music. He wrote his first collection of poetry, Incondita, a volume of Byronic verse at the age of twelve, which his parents unsuccessfully tried to have published. In 1828, Browning became a student at the University of London; however since he was accustomed to learning largely at his own pace, he decided to leave after just half of a session. Browning lived with his parents from 1832 until 1846, which represents a very productive period of time for him as a poet.

In 1833, Browning anonymously published his first collection of poetry, Pauline: A Fragment of a Confession, which included many of his own youthful anxieties and passions. It was not until many years later that the authorship was made explicit when poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti encountered an anonymous copy of Pauline in the British Museum, observed clear internal evidence of Browning’s style, and confronted the aging poet about it. Reactions to Browning’s early style had been mixed. Philosopher John Stuart Mill critiqued Browning’s use of his own emotions and his “intense and morbid self-consciousness.” Critiques such as this one influenced Browning’s later writing to become more objective. For a period of time, Browning turned towards verse drama and published several pamphlets and plays, including Pippa Passes (1841), A Blot in the ‘Scutcheon (produced in 1843), and Luria (1846). Despite his passion for the theater, Browning did not see much critical or popular success in this area.

In 1845, Browning met Elizabeth Barrett, a fellow English poet who was best known for her love poems. The two fell in love and married in 1846 before moving first to Pisa and then Florence. During his marriage, Browning’s literary output declined, and he was primarily known and referred to as Elizabeth Bennett’s husband. In 1849, the couple had a son, Robert “Pen” Wiedemann Barrett Browning, and in the same year Browning published his Collected Poems. Several years later, Browning published Men and Women (1855), a collection of 51 poems, in which Browning broke his resolve to avoid his own emotions and wrote about his love for his wife. Browning was disappointed by the critical response to this collection, which would only be considered to be some of his best work posthumously. In 1861, Elizabeth Bennett Browning died, and Browning returned to London with his son.

While in London, Browning published The Ring and the Book (1868-1869), a novel in verse which was based on a 1689 Italian murder trial. He finally received critical praise and popular success, and the reception of The Ring and the Book established him as a crucial literary figure of his time and made him a member of London society. Many of his later works were long dramatic or narrative poems that touched on contemporary issues, including Fifine at the Fair (1872), Red Cotton Night-Cap Country (1873), and The Inn Album (1875).

Though much of Browning’s early work was criticized for its incomprehensibility, he was able to leave behind a legacy as a master of the dramatic monologue. His work consistently explored the inner psychology of the individual, allowing for the establishment of distinct and complex characters. These nuanced characterizations endeavor into the morality of each individual, foregrounding important ethical questions about human behavior. Though Browning was never overtly cynical about the nature of man, his approach regarding his hopes for humanity was far from simple.

Browning experienced a heightened level of literary acclaim towards the end of his life and earned honorary degrees from Oxford University in 1882 and the University of Edinburgh in 1884. The Browning Society was founded in 1881. He died in 1889 on the same day that his final volume of poetry, Asolando: Fancies and Facts was published. By the time of his death, he was widely considered, along with his contemporary Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to be among the most accomplished poets in England.