Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Lippo does all the talking in this poem. How would the feeling and tone change if it was written in third person and Lippo was just a character?
- Is Browning on Lippo's side? How can you tell?
- What's the point of including direct quotations from the other monks, from the Carnival revelers, etc.? Through his responses to these direct quotations (and the implied questions), what seems to be Lippo's attitude toward each person or group of people?
- Why doesn't this poem rhyme? If it did, how would its effect change?
- In the end, how does Lippo reconcile his own beliefs about art with those of the Church and his patrons?
- In what ways is Browning providing a critique of the Church in this poem? How does he do this without coming across as outwardly disobedient or blasphemous?