Of the monologues I will be analysing, I feel some capture the mood and personality of the main characters better than others do. Often, a particular mood will be carried on throughout the monologue, making it obvious to the reader of the character's traits. It is very much dependant on how well the writer provides us with a clear persona, whether it be an arrogant character or a pathetic one. Of course, being monologues, we are presented with four very biased accounts of events.

I agree with the idea that Browning and Tennyson capture the mood and personality of the characters, however, I feel they achieve this in some monologues better than in others.

Each monologue essentially, tries to grasp a mood that is representative of the speaker. 'Andrea Del Sarto' by Browning is a monologue, which I feel captures the mood of the speaker very well. We are given clear evidence of his pathetic personality. It deals with a man who is superior as an artist, but feels he is inferior as a man. He is jealous of others that are able to combine art with a happy life, with the love of a woman. These are the main moods expressed in this monologue

Also, with this monologue, we know for a fact, just as we did with 'Andrea Del Sarto', that Tithonus discusses his miserable existence relentlessly. It is almost like a prayer that he starts the day off with, never letting himself forget about his situation, however, we can understand the repetition as we know this daily monologue is all he has left.

We are given a true indication that the duke had his wife murdered when he professes, 'This grew; I gave commands;/Then all smiles stooped together.' This line comes as a shock, because up until now, the poem has simply been about reflection.

'Tithonus' deals with a Trojan Prince who is beloved by the goddess of dawn - Aurora. As she was immortal, but he wasn't, she begs Zeus to grant him immortal life, forgetting to ask for immortal youth to go with it. This proves to be a big problem for Tithonus for the obvious reasons. Although he will never die, with every day that passes, he will become weaker, frailer.

Although 'Ulysses' and 'Tithonus' are not polar opposites, they aren't exactly the same either. It is a case of imperfect immortality and imperfect mortality - neither can win. Tithonus does not want his immortality, and although Ulysses has his life, he does not want it either, but doesn't mind taking advantage of the time he has left. Whereas Ulysses has a confident and almost persuasive personality, Tithonus is always moaning. Although they are both depressed with their current situations, Ulysses can change his, whereas Tithonus can do nothing but accept the way it is.

The irony of the situation is great, as Aurora is reborn every day, whereas Tithonus is getting older with each day. He has to watch this taking place every day, and we can imagine how painful it must be for him to go through this.

As they walk off to meet their company, the duke points out other works of art along the way, suggesting that his new wife will simply become another painting on the wall - another work of art. The duke's personality comes shining through in this monologue - his arrogance and egotistical nature is clear. The mood of the poem seems light hearted at first, but once we are made aware of the fact that he has had his last wife killed, we begin to wonder whether he is crazy. The entire situation is so far fetched, and because we don't feel the reason for killing her was one of much credibility, I found the duke's character almost laughable.

Then all of a sudden, we are given an unambiguous admission of murder. Not only is he admitting that he has had his last wife murdered, but also he is admitting it to the person who will be arranging the duke's next marriage. The fact that the situation is so ridiculous makes you almost question the duke's sanity.

Ulysses admits that they are not as strong as they were when they were young. However, only their physical strength has deteriorated, as they are still 'strong in will'.

In his dramatic monologue 'Ulysses', Alfred Lord Tennyson deals with a very different type of personality and mood. Ulysses is a restless seaman who expresses his discontent with his current condition He calls himself and 'idle king,' and does not believe there to be any use for him at home. This sets the mood for the rest of the poem, alerting the reader of the adventurous spirit of Ulysses, and his dissatisfaction with remaining at home. He starts explaining his restlessness by telling his crew 'I cannot rest from travel' giving us a great insight as to the kind of person he is. We can already assume that he has a desire to live life to th

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