The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed’s Church (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Robert Browning
- First Published: 1845
- Type of Work: Dramatic monologue
- Genres: Poetry, Dramatic monologue
- Subjects: Christianity, Wills, Inheritance or succession, Catholics or Catholic Church, Clergy, Popes or papacy, Saints or sainthood, Tombs or graves, Church or churches
The Poem
As the subheading “Rome, 15—” explains, the setting is sixteenth century Rome, Italy. A Catholic bishop lies on his bed, near death. He has summoned his nephews or sons—he is not always sure which—to impart his instructions for his burial in his present church, Saint Praxed’s.
The Bishop’s primary consideration is that his tomb must outshine the tomb of his old rival, Gandolf, presumably his predecessor as bishop, now dead and buried inside the church, as was customary for high-ranking church leaders. The speaker cherishes the idea that old Gandolf...
[The entire page is 1534 words long]
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