Women And Roses Essay

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Women and Roses
Discuss Browning’s presentation of women and femininity in the poem. In his poem ‘Women and Roses’, Browning uses subtle imagery of women to present their journey to womanhood and reach a point of femininity. Ultimately, the poem can be read as the exploration of a woman ageing, and perhaps as an exploration of pre victorian, victorian and the imagination of postvictorian women. Essentially, Browning depicts the exploration of his feelings towards women, contrasting to how women were supposed to be viewed in the
Victorian Era, which was simple, innocent and without expression or feeling. Browning presents a difference in the portrayal of women throughout the poem as in some ways he sees them as something he can capture and express his love for in a romantic sense. However, in other ways he presents the natural beauty of females as well as restraining his feelings as he places himself within his morals to prevent his thoughts and feelings fleeting in a provocative manner. As the speaker begins by questioning which rose ‘is the dearest rose to me?’ he contemplates which stage of femininity he prefers best. To begin with, the speaker refers to the females in their childhood and of a young age he refers to them as ‘maidens’ which refers to how they are young, innocent and pure at that stage. It creates the image that he still accepts females at an age that he can’t actually have to love for his own pleasure, which presents women as figures to be attained when a certain stage of development has occurred in one’s life, but that also from a very young age they are vulnerable. Here then, the speaker is trying to show that he is fully in control over his lust for women, and that he curbs his desires, despite how vulnerable and feeble the childhood stage in femininity is. With this in mind, he then says ‘Dear rose without a thorn, thy bud’s the babe unborn’ where babies are born fresh without any ‘thorns’. The word ‘thorn’ could have connotations of sin, which shows how that stage of life for women is pure and it symbolises the perfect love, innocent and without sins, and here Browning could be referring to his secret marriage to Elizabeth and the perfection of their love which captures his heart. This overall suggests Browning presents women and femininity based upon innocence and precious that should be well cared for so that they can develop into womanhood. Furthermore, we then see the depiction of females as adults in womanhood, which can be seen as the most interesting and desired stage for the speaker in the poem. It is a stage for the speaker to gain a connection and bond with the woman who is ‘fresh and gay’ showing the retreat into becoming a woman. The alliteration from the following line ‘living and loving and loved today’ represents just how sure he is that this ‘rose’ is the most important to him, and that he prefers this ‘rose’ compared to the other two. The repeated ‘l’ sound softens and slows which could have connotations of the ageing process slowing here, as womanhood lasts for a long time. Additionally, Browning prolongs these sounds to create the effect that the speaker wants women to remain in their adulthood stage and again reinforcing the idea, that this ‘rose’ is the one he likes most. During this stage, the speaker is shown to have full male dominance over the women. For instance, the speaker wonders ‘How shall I fix you, fire you, freeze you’ immediately showing the male dominance in the 19th century. The alliterative use

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of plosives and increasingly long vowels displays his anguished to capture the women. His desperation is shown here, which could imply that women are like gifts and very rare, therefore the speaker believes that he should have full dominance and control over them. His will to ‘fix’ them and ‘freeze’ the women, could suggest that he does not want them to escape from his reach, further connoting his

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