The Patriot Context and Summary

The Patriot by Robert Browning Context and Summary

Context

Robert Browning was a leading poet of the Victorian Era. Although he is revered today, he did not attain success for several years in his career. He was the husband of another noted poet of the time, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. As a child, Browning was exposed to a wide range of books, and was inspired by poets of the Romantic Era, especially Percy Bysshe Shelley.

His most known works include The Ring and the Book, My Last Duchess, Porphyria's Lover and The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Browning was best known for his seemingly effortless use of the dramatic monologue, a form of poetry, and his psychological portraits of characters. His poems also often had a philosophical and spiritual touch. The Patriot is a profound dramatic monologue. The opening line of the poem 'It was roses, roses all the way' is popular and quoted often. In the poem, a man, who was once idolised, describes his fall from grace as he is being led away to be executed. The poem serves as a reminder of the harsh fact that public opinion, fame and glory is impermanent.

Summary

Here is a summary of The Patriot by Robert Browning.

The poem begins with the speaker reminiscing about the grand welcome that he had received exactly a year earlier. His path was strewn with flowers like roses and myrtle. People had assembled in such huge numbers that the rooftops on which they stood seemed to sway. There were so many flags that the church steeples seemed to be flaming.

The sound of bells filled the air, and old structures swayed owing to the massive crowd and their cries. There was so much love and admiration for him that had he asked for the sun, the people would have willingly plucked it out of the sky and given it to him. Clearly, the speaker was a hero for the masses.

The speaker then describes what he did for the people and admits regretfully that he crossed limits for his "loving friends". Perhaps, he was over-ambitious like Icarus from Greek mythology.

According to the legend, Icarus's father fashioned wings from feathers and wax for himself and his son. Icarus, thrilled at being able to fly, flew close to the sun and fell into the sea as the wax holding his wings melted away. The speaker then asserts that he did everything any man could have done. However, what he received in return was not what he truly deserved. How completely his fortunes changed in a year!

Unlike the previous year, no one stood on rooftops to watch him. Only a few faces, that too of unwell people bound. to their homes, appeared at windows. This was because the speaker was being led to the gallows for a public execution, and people had most likely already gathered at the Shambles Gate, that is, the hanging ground.

The speaker reveals that even the weather was sombre on that fateful day; it was raining.

The rope with which his hands had been bound behind his back was so tight that it cut into his wrists. He even felt blood flowing down his forehead.

People were flinging stones at him to punish him for his actions that year. Clearly, the speaker was no longer a hero for the masses.

In the final stanza, the speaker sounds philosophical. He reflects on his life, remarking how he entered it, and how he would now leave it. Many people do drop dead after becoming victorious without enjoying the fruits of their actions. So would he. His only relief was that his final judgement would be carried by God who knows and sees everything. Unlike common people, God would understand the motives of his actions and reward him justly. The poem concludes on an optimistic note with the speaker saying that he would be safer in God's just hands than on earth.