Genre
Dramatic Monologue
Developed by Robert Browning and Alfred Tennyson in the 19th century. A key form for voicing historical, psychological, and morally complex perspectives.
Definition
A poem in which a single speaker — not the poet — addresses a silent listener, revealing character through the speech itself.
Example
Browning's 'My Last Duchess' (1842): the Duke's words gradually expose his vanity and menace.