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Cristina by Robert Browning
Overview
● This poem details how a woman breaks the
heart of a young man who falls deeply and
passionately in love with her
...
The speaker is portrayed as
deeply delusional, as he tries to come to terms
with his internal struggles surrounding the
rejection he has faced from Cristina
...
The tone of the narrative alternates
between hope (“better ends may be in
prospect”) and despair (“strew the bleakness”
and “sunk”) suggesting the narrator’s conflicting
emotions
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● There is a loose rhyme scheme, in which every other line rhymes, however
the poem feels like it is spoken in free verse
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● Exclamatives are used frequently throughout the poem, particularly at the
ends of lines
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● Hyphens are also used - particularly in stanza 2 - to create a conversational
rhythm
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● The use of ellipsis in the line “There are plenty… men, you call such, I
suppose… she may discover” suggests that the speaker is almost mocking
Cristina’s male admirers
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However, this suggests that the speaker feel superior and unique
(“But I'm not so”) from any of her other suitors, once again highlighting his
bitterness and delusion
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Context
● Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies was forced to marry her uncle, King
Ferdinand VII of Spain, and become his fourth wife when she was in her 20s
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● Women were also seen as sexual beings who could have enduring power
over men - this is seen clearly in this poem
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This suggests that she paralysed
him with her beauty and grace, when in fact she had no idea that he even
existed
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However the
narrator contradicts this by stating that he is unable to read social signals (e
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if someone is flirting with you or not), suggesting that he may be emotionally
immature or inexperienced
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This reflects his perhaps double-sided personality as well as
suggesting that he may have low self-esteem
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● “Strange yearning” - this phrase may suggest that the speaker has never
experienced love before, or perhaps romantic love that is this strong and
powerful
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● “Lone shore with its pearl-seed” - here we could compare the speaker to the
“lone shore” as he feels isolated and confused about his feelings towards
Cristina, which are not reciprocated
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Pearls
are very expensive - reinforcing the speaker and Cristina’s different roles and
positions in society - as well as being rare
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Pearls are also difficult to find, adding to the idea
that the speaker is truly infatuated with this woman
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However he does appear to be repeatedly
over analysing something which was nothing more than a fleeting glance
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● “Come next life quickly!” - this phrase suggests that the speaker is ready and
willing to die and that he might as well, seeing as he has experienced true
love (“This world’s use” and “God’s secret”)
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● The speaker suggests that the Devil took away his love with Cristina
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Key themes
● Obsession
● Jealousy
● Madness and delusional love
● Loss
● Courtly love
● Strong narrative voice



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