Summary of Robert Browning's Andrea del Sarto
This is summary of the Robert Browning's dramatic monologue Andrea del Sarto. This is syllabus for post graduation students of Andhra University, Nagarjuna and Kuppam Universities. Browning has vividly portrayed the Andrea and his love is displayed through his monologue. This is useful to write essay questions, annotations and small type of questions.
Andrea del Sarto in detail
Andrea del Sarto is a painter who has worked in the court of French king Francis I. He loves Lucrezia in his youth and he could not marry her at that time. He marries her when she is widowed. But, she is not faithful to him. This is conversation between Lucrezia and Andrea del Sarto. Lucrezia wants to leave him forever even his love for her is not yet all diminished. The following paragraphs deal with this issue in detail. This is total summary of the monologue.Andrea praises Lucrezia's beauty
Andrea del Sarto asks his wife to sit beside him and listen to him. He beseeches to wait and stay for some time to relax and be inspired through her smiles. But, Lucrezia is not faithful to him. She is ready to go out as his cousin (actually lover) is whistling to call her. She needs money to pay off the debts. For that purpose, Andrea has to draw a picture. The picture will be sold and the money is kept into the hands of his wife to clear the debts. For that, he needs inspiration. The smile of the loved wife can help him get inspiration. But, she is reluctant to smile as she is between the two. One is beside her and the other is calling for her staying outside. Andrea loves her. Even he knows that she is going to part with her, she urges to stay with him some more time. He begins to admire her beauty. He says her ears are so beautiful that even pearls hanging from ears can disturb her beauty. He loves her voice and the serpentine beauty. He says her face is like moon and has been loved by all but she does not love any. This brings smile on the beautiful face of Lucrezia. Remembrance of Andrea's mistakes
The smile hurled at Andrea awakens the spirit that he begins to convince Lucrezia to stay with him. He says that autumn grayness has filled in his life and as well as in his art. Hence, he wants her to stay with him. He wants to speak volumes on his failure in bringing great art from him. He would have got name and fame if had walked in the way of Michael Angelo and Rafael. They have not kept their art for money but for the service of God. The popes and kings admired them for their great paintings. They have earned name and fame. But because of Lucrezia, he has to go after money rather than in the ways of great painters. He can draw faultless paintings. But coercion of his wife and nagging nature of her made him deceive the king Francis I of France. He is appointed as a painter to decorate the royal chambers. He has spent his time in drawing paintings in royal palace. He has been given money to procure needed paintings and for his future paintings. But, for Lucrezia's insistence, he has built a house for her by deceiving the king and stayed in Italy. Now, he cannot show his face to king or officers. He cannot come out in daylight as royal officers may recognize him. Those who know him in Italy scold him. Thus, he is restricted to his palatial home. He remembers the respect he got from the king in France. King used to look at his paintings when he draws coming close to him which is not possible to any subject of that country. He is appreciated by the courtiers. They used to look at him with surprise looking at the ease of drawing. He is perfect painter as Lucrezia who is perfect beauty. In the beginning, she is a model for his paintings. Later, she had become better half of him. But, insistence of money has made Andrea Del Sarto deceive king. He let his parents die in misery. Even in such situation, he is not ready to leave her. Her smile can pay all the sorrows of him generated by her. She does not like painting and does not know the nuances of it. He tries to say how difficult it is to paint and how his peers are still lagging behind to complete a simple work. Inspiration and success
He could not convince her and this leads to disappointment in him. Even he tries to say how importance she is to him. She is the sole inspiration to his pictures. She has been a model for his drawings. If she seems happy, it will provide more inspiration to draw. He says that praise or blame does not work on him. If any painter is praised, he is inspired and paints. Otherwise, if one is blamed for his drawing, he will have anger to show what he is. But, these two do not work on him. He is not perturbed and not moved like mountain. But the smile of Lucrezia can inspire him. Even this could not satisfy her. With this, he says there are no nagging wives for painters who have excelled in their paintings. Yet, he does not blame her, but he blames himself that inspiration should not come from external influences but to come from inner spirit. Angelo or Rafael is inspired themselves. That is the reason they have excelled. Thus he blames himself for his bad plight.His understanding of capability and will
Andrea del Sarto laments on his situation saying that he has the capability but there is no will or inspiration for him. Those who have will lack in capacity. This is what he feels. He is still in the infatuation of Lucrezia. The combination of will and capacity is rarest of rare. Only those come out and get name and fame. He has been dependent on Lucrezia for his inspiration. He stayed in France for painting beautiful pictures for King Francis. At that time itself, he used to imagine her face that she will surely be happy for his position as he had been supported as Rafael has attained. He used to surmise that one day or the other he will become like Angelo and Rafael. This is not the opinion of him but the opinion of Angelo too. Once he has spoken about Andrea with Rafael which has been over heard by him. Andrea clearly wants to win the heart of Lucrezia and for her calling back; he leaves the great life in France. The king used to be near him. He used to listen to the jingling sound of king's chain. But, he has left such honor for the sake of Lucrezia. But now he has lost the glory. He needs compensation for that in the form of smiles to be hurled at him all the time. That is the reason he says with Lucrezia to stay with him. But, Lucrezia says it is the waste of time to stay with him even that evening. He compares himself as bat
Andrea compels and at times tries to convince to stay with him as she is the source of his inspiration. Lucrezia wants to clear the debts of her lover and hence she asks to draw a picture which can clear the debts of her friend's friend. He asks to sit beside him. The presence will rejuvenate him to draw wonderful master pieces and it will provide more money. Then he can give not only for her friend but also for her dress frill. Andrea compares him with bat. The bat could not tolerate the sunshine and wants to stay among the four walls closed. Now he is also in the same position. He has left the glorious monarchs presence in France and living a life of solitary confinement in his palatial which he embezzled under the pressure of Lucrezia to own a house. Now he cannot show his face to anyone. Now he stays in Italy. Even though he fears that some French officials on tour may see him. They may curse him for his betrayal and spat on his face. He is ready to bear it but he does not incline to leave the presence of her. He wants to prove how talented he is and how great her husband is to Lucrezia. In this attempt, he quotes what Angelo has spoken of him and what Rafael has mistaken in the Virgin Mary picture which has been sent Rafael's disciple Vasari. Talking about his excellence in art with Lucrezia
It is the great attempt of Andrea to get Lucrezia to be with him. He sacrificed a lot for her. If pictures of virgin Mary's' are taken of Rafael and Andrea. If they ask anyone to tell which picture they want to take for devotional purpose they surely select Rafael's. If you ask why you have selected Rafael's, they tell you that Andréa has Lucrezia as his model. Still Rafael's Mary is technically defective. Andrea cannot say to the world that it is defective. But with his wife he can say that. Even though it is technically wrong it is filled with the soul of Rafael. It is the presence of heavenly inspiration which helped him filled with soul imbibed picture even a child can understand. Andrea's pictures are technically perfect and at the same time they are soul less. He questions himself
In the monologue, he does attempt by attempt to get her. This time she stands at the window perhaps she wants to communicate with her lover as he is whistling outside the house in night. But Andrea says that there has prevailed darkness and stars are appearing in the sky. The mount Morella has been shrouded by night but city walls are looking bright as guards have lit the lights. He says the owl is crying that might be the sarcastic reminder that fellow is whistling. So he says her to come inside the house. He says that the house is filled with melancholy. He wants her to change mind of going away from him. At the same time, his conscience pricks him by saying that it has served him right as he has deceived the king and the money is misappropriated in the construction of house. He has not taken care of his poor parents who are born, lived and died in poverty. He is always taken away by the beauty of Lucrezia and he shunned everything. After all these, his heart says that she is gifting smile not to please him but to get money from him to pay off the debts of her lover. He questions himself that what lacks in him and what the lover of her can provide her.Lucrezia leaves Andrea
Still he loves Lucrezia as a crazy being. He wants create some hope in her by saying that whether he is summoned by French king. Then he will paint Virgin Mary not her as a model but she is offered to sit beside him listening praises of Angelo looking at his artistic excellence. Thus, he tries to persuade her. He thinks that this has not worked but tries to have her sit for that evening. He asks her to go for next day. He says her presence help him draw beautiful drawings which will bring more money. Then she can pay off the debts of her cousin (actually her lover). But this also does not work. Then he begins to chide himself that he has deceived the king which cannot be corrected. He is not a good son as he has left his parents die in misery and poverty. It is also not revocable. He loses his hope of keeping his wife with him and says lastly that if in heaven there may be a chance to paint the walls of new holy city. There are four painters i.e. Leonardo, Angelo, Rafael and Andrea. The three do not have wives. But, Andrea has wife. He leaves that position to have Lucrezia. He is ready to pay anything for her. He wants to see happiness in her eyes. For that he is ready to give up anything. All his attempts to keep her with him become futile. A whistle noise is heard and Lucrezia is allowed to meet her lover. Thus, Andrea is left alone and he dies at the age of forty three due to plague. Thus the life of Andrea has ended without recognition of his sacrifices. This is dramatic monologue by Robert Browning.
You should talk about Andrea's failure as a artist because he always give the failure reason to the Gods and his wife.