"Fra Lippo Lippi"

Poem Review # 55621

English
Literature
Philosophy

"Fra Lippo Lippi"

An examination of Robert Browning's dramatic monologue, "Fra Lippo Lippi."

4,434 words () | 7 sources | MLA | 2004 United States

Paper Summary:

The quest for identity marks the central movement in Robert Browning's dramatic monologue, "Fra Lippo Lippi." This paper looks at how, during the course of the poem, Lippi depicts his patrons and, particularly the Church, as entities that wish to solidify their respective identities through artistic representation. Conversely, it explains how Lippi utilizes painting to point out his personal distance from the Church and to solidify his own identity as an individual who privileges body over soul.

From the Paper:

"What he had thought was free artistic expression was little more than a critical assessment of his surroundings through art. The art itself offered no insights to Lippi's personality or identity; rather it allowed him to avoid self-scrutiny. The Prior's criticism of Lippi's work acts as a catalyst for self-evaluation because it creates and highlights a division between Lippi's social obligations and his belief system. However, Lippi's self-evaluation is as meaningless as his art until he verbalizes it. The form of the dramatic monologue indicates that identity exists and has meaning only insofar as it is a response to social context."