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The Bishop Orders His Tomb at St. Praxed’s Church
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The Bishop Orders His Tomb at St. Praxed’s Church

poem by Browning
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History

The Bishop Orders His Tomb at St. Praxed’s Church, poem considered to be the first blank verse dramatic monologue in English, by Robert Browning, published in the collection Dramatic Romances and Lyrics (1845). The poem is a character study of a powerful, worldly prince of the Roman Catholic Church at the time of the Renaissance. The dying bishop is surrounded by his “nephews,” who are really his illegitimate sons. The prelate asks especially that his funeral be more elaborate than that of his rival in life and love, Fra Gandolf.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.