What is Paracelsus about?

Published in 1835, Paracelsus is a long poem by the British poet Robert Browning. It explores the life and struggles of a man of great ability who attempts to reconcile the demands of his own personality with those of the world around him.1

While the poem is named after the 16th-century Swiss-born alchemist and physician Paracelsus—who was known for his medical contributions as well as his imaginative theories regarding elemental spirits—Browning’s work focuses on the internal conflict and ambition of its protagonist rather than a strictly historical account of the physician's life.23