Not Alone in Our Hate: R Browning

Many of those who still cleave to religious trapping like to believe that there are those who remain pious and pure. Within the Catholic faith, we have the nuns, the priest, and so on, which have sworn their oaths to G-d in order to live a most poised life. These people swear upon the holiest of text to abstain from the worldly sins which the general population finds themselves too human to try and scurry away from. Yet, in the poem “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” by Robert Browning, the people are reminded through the inner most thoughts of a Spanish monk that no one is above sin no matter their rank within the church.

As the poem begins, the Spanish monk is literally growling at the simple fact of his hatred for Brother Lawrence. One can almost see his eyes rolling and a scoff leaving his mouth, barely audible, as he watches as a smiling and humming Lawrence water and trim his plants completely oblivious to the hate the boils inside his “friend.”  As the poem continues, the narrator ironically notes the ways in which Brother Lawrence fails in his Christian ways. The narrator then begins to plan his demise, only to be interrupted by him.

Though this poem is broken into nine parts, its meaning is meant to be taken as a whole. Many times, the common people of everyday life look towards religion and hold those of a higher rank above themselves. These people or peoples that are places on these high horses are seen to be above human emotion. Even within their own circle they are supposed to be without greed, lust, envy, and so forth. Yet here, Browning shows that these people are still human and can feel just as strongly as anyone else. While this may be painful for others to see, it is meant to be refreshing in that we are all equal and not alone in these feelings.