count gismond

Quote 1: "Christ God who savest man, save most / Of men Count Gismond who saved me!"

Authorial Method: This opening immediately establishes the speaker's perspective and her profound gratitude towards Count Gismond. It uses direct address to God and highlights Gismond's heroic status in her eyes.

Crime Genre: While not detailing a crime yet, it hints at a past danger or injustice from which Gismond provided salvation, a common precursor to crime narratives involving rescue and retribution.

Context: This reflects Browning's interest in dramatic monologues where the speaker's subjective viewpoint shapes the narrative. The intense emotion is characteristic of Browning's exploration of human psychology.

Quote 2: "Count Gauthier, when he chose his post, / Chose time and place and company / To suit it; when he struck at length / My honour, 't was with all his strength."

Authorial Method: The speaker here details the premeditated nature of Gauthier's attack on her honor. The use of specific detail ("time and place and company") suggests a calculated act of malice.

Crime Genre: This clearly introduces the central "crime" of the poem: slander and a public attack on the speaker's reputation, which in the context of the time, was a severe transgression.

Context: This sets the stage for a narrative involving betrayal and the breaking of social order, key elements of the crime and mystery genre. Browning often explored transgressions against established norms.

Quote 3: "And doubtlessly, ere he could draw / All points to one, he must have schemed!"

Authorial Method: The speaker's inference about Gauthier's planning ("must have schemed!") reveals her suspicion and highlights the intentionality behind his actions.

Crime Genre: This emphasizes the element of premeditation, a crucial aspect in defining criminal intent.

Context: This shows how Browning uses the speaker's thoughts to build the narrative and reveal her understanding of the events.

Quote 4: "That miserable morning saw / Few half so happy as I seemed, / While being dressed in queen's array / To give our tourney prize away."

Authorial Method: The dramatic irony here is significant. The speaker's outward appearance of happiness contrasts sharply with the impending disaster, creating tension for the reader.

Crime Genre: This juxtaposition of outward appearance and hidden threat is a common technique in crime writing to build suspense.

Context: Browning frequently used irony to reveal the complexities of his characters and situations.

Quote 5: "I thought they loved me, did me grace / To please themselves; 't was all their deed; / God makes, or fair or foul, our face; / If showing mine so caused to bleed / My cousins' hearts, they should have dropped / A word, and straight the play had stopped."

Authorial Method: This reveals the speaker's naivety and her later realization of her cousins' jealousy. The conditional statement ("they should have dropped / A word") highlights their lack of honesty.

Crime Genre: Jealousy and betrayal are central motifs in the crime genre. The cousins' silent malice contributes to the unfolding of the "crime."

Context: Browning often explored the motivations of jealousy. This quote shows the speaker reflecting on the social dynamics that led to her downfall.

Quote 6: "However that be, all eyes were bent / Upon me, when my cousins cast / Theirs down; 't was time I should present / The victor's crown, but … there, 't will last / No long time … the old mist again / Blinds me as then it did. How vain!"

Authorial Method: The speaker's memory and her emotional reaction ("the old mist again / Blinds me") vividly convey the trauma of the event. The ellipsis suggests a break in her composure.

Crime Genre: This emphasizes the lasting impact of the crime (the public shaming) on the victim.

Context: Browning often used vivid imagery to convey the emotional states of his speakers.

Quote 7: "See! Gismond's at the gate, in talk / With his two boys: I can proceed."

Authorial Method: This seemingly casual observation serves as a framing device, bringing the speaker back to the present moment of her narration and reminding the reader of Gismond's presence as her protector.

Crime Genre: This reinforces the idea of Gismond as a figure of potential justice or retribution.

Context: The dramatic monologue often features the speaker addressing a listener, and these interjections ground the narrative.

Quote 8: "Well, at that moment, who should stalk / Forth boldly—to my face, indeed—But Gauthier? and he thundered 'Stay!' / And all stayed. 'Bring no crowns, I say!'"

Authorial Method: The use of direct speech and the verb "thundered" create a dramatic and confrontational moment. The speaker emphasizes the public nature of Gauthier's accusation.

Crime Genre: This is the climax of the public accusation, a key event in the unfolding crime against the speaker's honor.

Context: Browning was known for his ability to create dramatic scenes within his monologues.

Quote 9: "'Bring torches! Wind the penance-sheet / 'About her! Let her shun the chaste, / 'Or lay herself before their feet! / 'Shall she, whose body I embraced / 'A night long, queen it in the day? / 'For honour's sake no crowns, I say!'"

Authorial Method: Gauthier's speech is filled with hyperbole and scandalous accusations, designed to publicly shame and humiliate the speaker. The repetition of "'For honour's sake no crowns, I say!'" emphasizes his purported motive.

Crime Genre: This details the act of public defamation, a social crime with severe consequences in the poem's setting.

Context: This reflects potential societal anxieties about female sexuality and honor during the period (though the poem is set in a different era, Browning often explored timeless human conflicts).

Quote 10: "I? What I answered? As I live, / I never fancied such a thing / As answer possible to give."

Authorial Method: The speaker's shock and inability to respond reveal the devastating impact of the sudden and public accusation. The rhetorical questions emphasize her disbelief.

Crime Genre: This highlights the victim's vulnerability in the face of a sudden and overwhelming attack.

Context: Browning often focused on the psychological impact of critical situations on his characters.

Quote 11: "Till out strode Gismond; then I knew / That I was saved. I never met / His face before, but, at first view, / I felt quite sure that God had set / Himself to Satan; who would spend / A minute's mistrust on the end?"

Authorial Method: Gismond's arrival is presented as a moment of divine intervention in the speaker's eyes. The metaphor of God setting himself against Satan elevates Gismond's role to that of a savior.

Crime Genre: This introduces the figure of the potential avenger and the restoration of order, though through direct intervention rather than investigation.

Context: This reflects a belief in a moral order and the possibility of justice, a theme sometimes found in crime narratives.

Quote 12: "He strode to Gauthier, in his throat / Gave him the lie, then struck his mouth / With one back-handed blow that wrote / In blood men's verdict there. North, South, / East, West, I looked. The lie was dead, / And damned, and truth stood up instead."

Authorial Method: This vividly describes Gismond's immediate and violent response. The metaphor of the blow writing "men's verdict there" emphasizes the public and decisive nature of his action.

Crime Genre: This depicts a swift and physical form of retribution and the immediate refutation of the slanderous accusation. Violence is a common element in crime narratives.

Context: This reflects a more immediate and perhaps less legally formal system of justice.

Quote 13: "This glads me most, that I enjoyed / The heart o' the joy, with my content / In watching Gismond unalloyed / By any doubt of the event:"

Authorial Method: The speaker's passive enjoyment of Gismond's actions reveals her dependence on him and her satisfaction in seeing her attacker punished.

Crime Genre: This highlights the victim's desire for retribution and the sense of relief when justice (in her eyes) is served.

Context: This again shows the speaker's subjective perspective and her emotional investment in Gismond's actions.

Quote 14: "And e'en before the trumpet's sound / Was finished, prone lay the false knight, / Prone as his lie, upon the ground:"

Authorial Method: The simile "prone as his lie" emphasizes the complete and utter defeat of Gauthier and his false accusation. The immediacy of the action is highlighted by "e'en before the trumpet's sound / Was finished."

Crime Genre: This marks the downfall of the antagonist and the apparent victory of truth.

Context: The setting of a tournament provides a backdrop for a public and decisive resolution.

Quote 15: "Gismond flew at him, used no sleight / O' the sword, but open-breasted drove, / Cleaving till out the truth he clove."

Authorial Method: The violent imagery ("flew," "open-breasted drove," "cleaving") emphasizes Gismond's bravery and his commitment to revealing the truth through direct action.

Crime Genre: This depicts a physical confrontation as a means of resolving the "crime" of slander, reflecting a more violent form of justice.

Context: This aligns with the heroic ideals often associated with medieval settings.

"Which done, he dragged him to my feet / And said, 'Here die, but end thy breath / 'In full confession, lest thou fleet / 'From my first, to God's second death!'"

Authorial Method: Gismond's demand for a confession and his invocation of divine punishment add a moral and religious dimension to the resolution. The direct speech is forceful and authoritative.

Crime Genre: Confession and punishment are key elements often explored in the crime genre.

Context: This reflects the religious beliefs of the time and the importance of confession before death.

"'Say, hast thou lied?' And, 'I have lied / To God and her,' he said, and died."

Authorial Method: The concise dialogue and Gauthier's immediate death after confessing provide a swift and dramatic conclusion to the confrontation.

Crime Genre: The confession serves as an acknowledgment of guilt, a common element in the resolution of a crime narrative.

Context: This emphasizes the finality of the judgment and the restoration of the speaker's honor.

"Then Gismond, kneeling to me, asked - / What safe my heart holds, though no word / Could I repeat now, if I tasked / My powers for ever, to a third / Dear even as you are."

Authorial Method: This reveals the personal connection and burgeoning love between the speaker and Gismond, which arises from the resolution of the crisis. The speaker's inability to repeat his words suggests a deeply personal and intimate moment.

Crime Genre: Love can be a central motif in crime stories, often intertwined with motives or consequences of the crime. Here, it arises from the aftermath of the crime against the speaker.

Context: This adds a romantic element to the narrative, which is not uncommon in Browning's works, even those with darker themes.

"Over my head his arm he flung / Against the world; and scarce I felt / His sword (that dripped by me and swung) / A little shifted in its belt:"

Authorial Method: The physical action of Gismond flinging his arm around her and the detail of the "dripped" sword create a powerful image of protection and the immediate aftermath of violence.

Crime Genre: This reinforces Gismond's role as the protector who has physically overcome the perpetrator of the "crime."

Context: This heroic gesture aligns with the romanticized setting and Gismond's role as a valiant figure.

"So, 'mid the shouting multitude / We two walked forth to never more / Return."

Authorial Method: This provides a sense of resolution and a new beginning for the speaker and Gismond, away from the scene of the conflict. The phrase "never more / Return" suggests a permanent departure from the previous troubles.

Crime Genre: This signifies the restoration of order and the escape from the immediate consequences of the crime and accusation.

Context: This ending provides a sense of closure, although the long-term consequences for the speaker's family are also hinted at in the following lines.
Through these quotes, Browning employs the dramatic monologue form to present a vivid account of a public accusation and its immediate violent resolution, as seen through the eyes of the woman wrongly accused. The poem touches on themes of honor, betrayal, public shaming, and swift retribution, all of which align with elements found in the crime genre. The context of a medieval tournament provides a dramatic backdrop for these events and allows Browning to explore the motivations and actions of his characters in a heightened and intense manner