“PippaPasses“，“TheRingandtheBook“，“TheInnAlbum“，theseareBrowning’sthreegreatdramaticpoems，asdistinctfromhispoeticplays。
Allaredramasintheexactsense，thoughthethreeIhavenamedaredramasformentalandnotforpositivepresentation。
Eachreadermustembodyforhimselftheimagesprojectedonhisbrainbytheelectricqualityofthepoet’sgenius：withinthekenofhisimaginationhemayperceivescenesnotlessmoving，incidentsnotlessthrilling，complexitiesofmotiveandactionnotlessintricatelyinvolved，thanupontheconventionalstage。
Thefirstisadramaofanidea，thesecondoftheimmediateandremoteconsequencesofasingleact，thethirdofthetyrannyofthepassions。
IunderstandthegeneralopinionamongloversandearneststudentsofBrowning’spoetrytobethatthehighestpeaksofhisgeniustowerfromthevasttablelandof“TheRingandtheBook“；
thatthenceforththerewasdeclension。ButBrowningisnottobemeasuredbycommonestimates。Itiseasytoindicate，intheinstancesofmanypoets，justwherethemusicreachesitssweetest，itsnoblest，justwheretheextremeglowwanes，justwherethefirstshadowscomeleapinglikegreyhounds，orstealalmostimperceptiblyfromslow-closinghorizons。
ButwithBrowning，aswithShakespeare，aswithVictorHugo，itisdifficultforourvisiontopenetratetheglowirradiatingthesupremeheightsofaccomplishment。LikeBalzac，likeShakespeareagain，hehasrevealedtousaterritorysovast，thatwhilewebowdownbeforethesunwesteringathwartdistantAndes，thegoldofsunriseisalreadyflashingbehindus，upontheshoulderofAtlas。
Itiscertainthat“TheRingandtheBook“isunique。
EvenGoethe’smasterpiecehaditsforerunners，asinMarlowe’s“Faustus“，anditsambitiousoffspring，asinBailey’s“Festus“。
Butisitaworkofart？Hereistheonlyvitalquestionwhichatpresentconcernsus。
Itisaltogetheruselesstourge，assomanyadmirersofBrowningdo，that“TheRingandtheBook“isasfullofbeautiesastheseaisofwaves。
Undeniablyitis，havingbeenwritteninthepoet’smaturity。
But，tokeeptothesimile，hasthisepicalpoemtheunityofocean？
Doesitconsistofseparateseas，orisitreallyone，asthewasteswhichwashfromArctictoAntarctic，throughzonestemperateandequatorial，areyetoneandindivisible？Ifithavenotthisunityitisstillastupendousaccomplishment，butitisnotaworkofart。Andthoughartisbutthehandmaidenofgenius，whatstudentofComparativeLiteraturewilldenythatnothinghassurvivedtheruiningbreathofTime
notanyintellectualgreatnessnoranyspiritualbeauty，thatisnotcladinperfection，beitabsoluteorrelative
forrelativeperfectionthereis，despitetheapparentparadox。
Themerebulkof“TheRingandtheBook“is，inpointofart，nothing。
Oneday，afterthepublicationofthispoem，Carlylehailedtheauthorwithenthusiasticpraiseinwhichlurkeddamningirony：
“Whatawonderfulfellowyouare，Browning：youhavewrittenawholeseriesof`books’aboutwhatcouldbesummedupinanewspaperparagraph!“Here，Carlylewasatoncerightandwrong。
Thetheme，lookedatdispassionately，isunworthyofthemonumentinwhichitisentombedforeternity。Butthepoetlookeduponthecentralincidentastheinventivemechanicianregardsthetinypivotremoteamidtheintricatemazeofhismachinery。
Here，aselsewhere，Browning’srealsubjectistoooftenconfoundedwiththeaccidentsofthesubject。Histriumphisnotthathehascreatedsohugealiterarymonument，butratherthat，notwithstandingitsbulk，hehasmadeitshapelyandimpressive。Stresshasfrequentlybeenlaidonthegreatnessoftheachievementinthewritingoftwelvelongpoemsintheexpositionofonetheme。Again，inpointofart，whatsignificancehasthis？None。Thereisnoreasonwhyitshouldnothavebeeninnineorelevenparts；noreasonwhy，havingbeendemonstratedintwelve，itshouldnothavebeenexpandedthroughfifteenortwenty。
Poetryeverlooksaskanceatthatgipsy-cousinofhers，“Tour-de-force“。
Ofthetwelvepartsoccupyinginallabouttwenty-onethousandlines
themostnotableaspoetryarethosewhichdealwiththepleaoftheimplicatedpriest，Caponsacchi，withthemeditationofthePope，andwiththepatheticutteranceofPompilia。Itisnotadramaticpoeminthesensethat“PippaPasses“is，foritstenBooksthefirstandtwelftharerespectivelyintroductoryandappendical
aremonologues。“TheRingandtheBook“，inaword，consists，besidesthetwoextraneousparts，oftenmonodramas，whichareastenhugefacetstoapoeticKoh-i-Noor。
ThesquarelittleItalianvolume，initsyellowparchmentandwithitsheavytype，whichhasnowfoundahaveninOxford，waspickedupbyBrowningfora`lira’abouteightpence，onasecond-handbookstallinthePiazzaSanLorenzoatFlorence，oneJuneday，1865。Thereinissetforth，infulldetail，alltheparticularsofthemurderofhiswifePompilia，forhersupposedadultery，byacertainCountGuidoFranceschini；andofthatnoble’strial，sentence，anddoom。ItismuchthesamesubjectmatterasunderliesthedramasofWebster，Ford，andotherElizabethanpoets，butsubtletyofinsightratherthanintensityofemotionandsituationdistinguishestheVictoriandramatistfromhispredecessors。
ThestoryfascinatedBrowning，who，havinginthisbookandelsewheremasteredallthedetails，conceivedtheideaofwritingthehistoryofthecrimeinaseriesofmonodramaticrevelationsonthepartoftheindividualsmoreorlessdirectlyconcerned。Themoreheconsideredtheplanthemoreitshapeditselftoagreataccomplishment，andearlyin1866
hebeganthemostambitiousworkofhislife。
Anenthusiasticadmirerhasspokenofthepoemas“oneofthemostextraordinaryfeatsofwhichwehaveanyrecordinliterature。“
Butpoetryisnotmentalgymnastics。Allthisinsistenceupon“extraordinaryfeats“istobedeprecated：itpresentsthepoetasHercules，notasApollo：inaword，itisnotcriticism。Thestoryisoneofvulgarfraudandcrime，romantictousonlybecausetheincidentsoccurredinItaly，inthepicturesqueRomeandArezzooftwocenturiesago。
Theoldbourgeoiscouple，PietroandViolanteComparini，managetowedtheirthirteen-year-oldputativedaughtertoamiddle-agednobleofArezzo。Theyexpecttheexquisitereputeofanaristocraticconnection，andothertangibleadvantages。
He，impoverishedasheis，looksforasplendiddowry。
Noonethinksofthechild-wife，Pompilia。Shebecomesthescapegoat，whenthegrossselfishnessofthecontractingpartiesstandsrevealed。
CountGuidohasageniusfordomestictyranny。Pompiliasuffers。
Whensheisabouttobecomeamothershedeterminestoleaveherhusband，whomshenowdreadsaswellasdislikes。Sincethechildistobetheinheritorofherparents’wealth，shewillnotleaveittothetendermerciesofCountGuido。Ayoungpriest，acanonofArezzo，GiuseppeCaponsacchi，helpshertoescape。Induecourseshegivesbirthtoason。Shehasscarcetimetolearnthefullsweetnessofhermaternityeresheisdonetodeathlikeatrampledflower。Guido，whohasheldhimselfthralltoanimperativepatience，tillhisholduponthechild’sdowryshouldbesecure，hiresfourassassins，andinthedarknessofnightbetakeshimselftoRome。HeandhisaccomplicesenterthehouseofPietroCompariniandhiswife，and，notcontentwithslayingthem，alsomurdersPompilia。Buttheyarediscovered，andGuidoiscaughtred-handed。Pompilia’sevidencealoneisdamnatory，forshewasnotslainoutright，andlingerslongenoughtotellherstory。
Franceschiniisnotfoiledyet，however。Hispleaisthathesimplyavengedthewrongdonetohimbyhiswife’sadulterousconnectionwiththepriestCaponsacchi。ButevenintheRomeofthatevildayjusticewasnotextinct。Guido’smotiveisprovedtobefalse；
hehimselfiscondemnedtodeath。AnappealtothePopeisfutile。
Finally，thewretchedmanpaysthetoomercifulpenaltyofhisvillainy。
Thereisnothinggrand，nothingnoblehere：atmostonlyatragicpathosinthefateoftheinnocentchild-wifePompilia。Itisclear，therefore，thatthegreatnessof“TheRingandtheBook“mustdependevenlessuponitssubject，itsmotive，thanuponitsbeing“anextraordinaryfeat“
inthegymnasticsofverse。
Inasense，Browning’slongestworkisakintothatofhiswife。
Both“TheRingandtheBook“and“AuroraLeigh“aremetricalnovels。
Theoneisdiscursiveinepisodesandspiritualexperiences：
theotherinintricaciesofevidence。Buttheretheparallelends。
If“TheRingandtheBook“weredefloweredofitsbloomsofpoetryandrenderedintoaprosenarrative，itmightinterestabarrister“gettingup“acriminalcase，butitwouldbemuchinferiorto，say，“TheMoonstone“；itsauthorwouldbeinsignificantbesidetheingeniousM。Gaboriau。Theextraordinarinessofthefeatwouldthenbebutindifferentlycommentedupon。
Asneitheritssubject，noritsextraordinarinessasafeat，noritsmethod，willwithstandasearchingexamination，wemustendeavourtodiscerniftranscendentpoeticmeritbediscoverableinthetreatment。
Toarriveatajustestimateitisneedfultofreethemindnotmerelyfrompreconceptions，butfromthatniggardlinessofinsightwhichcanperceiveonlytheminorflawsandshortcomingsalmostinevitabletoanyvastliteraryachievement，andbeblindtothesuperbmerits。
Onemustprepareoneselftolistentoanewmusician，withmindandbodyalerttothenovelharmonies，andobliviousofwhatothermusicianshavedoneorrefrainedfromdoing。
“TheRingandtheBook“，asIhavesaid，wasnotbegunintheyearofitsimagining。*Itisnecessarytoanticipatethebiographicalnarrative，andstatethatthefindingoftheparchment-booklethappenedinthefourthyearofthepoet’swidowerhood，forhishappymarriedperiodoflessthanfifteenyearscametoaclosein1861。
*Thetitleisexplainedasfollows：“ThestoryoftheFranceschinicase，asMr。Browningrelatesit，formsacircleofevidencetoitsonecentraltruth；andthiscirclewasconstructedinthemannerinwhichtheworkerinEtruscangoldpreparestheornamentalcircletwhichwillbewornasaring。
Thepuremetalistoosofttobearhammerorfile；