Women and Nationalistic politics in Robert Browning’s Poetry: A Feminist Reading of ‘’Balaustion’s Adventure and ‘’Aristophanes Apology
Journal Title: International Journal of English and Literature (IJEL) - Year 2017, Vol 7, Issue 4
Abstract
Using the feminist critical theory, this paper analyses two epic poems by Robert Browning telling the story of a 14 year old girl from Rhodes, an ally of Athens who was using Euripides as her idol and his tragedy as her weapon liberates Athens from Spartan occupation with its foreign comedy of Aristophanes.Balaustion here is similar to Saint Joan in George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan who liberates the French nation from the English occupation.The paper argues that Balaustion portrays herself as a ‘’New-Woman’’ when she exhibits masculine attributes like Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, her patriotism/nationalism and her quest for her people’s freedom when she liberates Athens from Spartan occupation.This paper reveals that by portraying such an active, nationalistic, man-like woman, Browning simply was paying tribute to his dead wife Elizabeth Barrett Browning who had died earlier.The story of King Admetos and his wife Alcestis paralleled that of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Browning and his wife were fervent admirers of the youngest of the three Greek tragedians Euripides and these two epics equally show Euripides’ importance as a nationalist tragedian in the ancient Greek world coming after Aeschylus and Sophocles.
Authors and Affiliations
Ignatius Nsaidzedz
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