6- Patriot into
Traitor
Q.1: Explain the following verses:
There’s nobody on the house-tops now—
Just a palsied few at the windows set;
For the best of the sight is, all allow,
At the Shambles Gate—or, better yet,
By the very scaffold’s foot, I trow.
Explanation:
In this stanza, the patriot compares his present with his past. A year ago people
gathered on the roof-tops to cheer and welcome him. But now there is no one to greet
him. Only a few diseased persons are sitting beside the windows to watch him going to
the gallows. The symbol of a palsied few augments the torture and agony of the fallen
hero. It also increases the sadness of the scene.
The best scene for the people today is the scaffold where he is going to be hanged.
So people have gathered there. He believes that people would be trying to get close to the
foot of the gallows so that they may see the pain of death written on his face.
Q.2: Explain the following verses:
Go in the rain, and more than needs,
A rope cuts both my wrists behinds;
And I think, by the feel, my forehead bleeds
For they fling, whoever has a mind,
Stones at me for my year’s misdeeds.
Explanation:
In this stanza, the patriot describes his present pitiable condition and the callous
attitude of the people. It is raining and he is being taken to the gallows. His hands have
been tied together so tightly with a rope that he is feeling intense pain. People are
throwing stones at him to show their strong feelings of anger and annoyance at his
misdeeds. His forehead is bleeding.
They were the people who had showered flowers on him just a year ago when he
was in power. At that time every deed of his was considered a noble deed. But now when
he is out of power all his noble deeds are being termed as misdeeds.
Q.3: Explain the following verses:
Thus I entered, and thus I go
In triumphs, people have dropped down dead.
‘Paid by the world, what dost thou owe
Me?’. God might question; now instead,
‘Tis God shall repay: I am safer so.
Explanation:
This is the concluding stanza of the poem. In spite of all his pains and agonies the
patriot expresses his firm belief in God. He says that a year ago he entered this city with
respect and honour. But just after one year when he has lost power he is being pushed out
of the city with humiliation and degradation. He thinks that he should have been killed
when he was in power and was enjoying people’s support. But then, he thinks, what he
could beg from God. If he had been paid by the world for his services, God would have
refused to give him anything more. Now when all his services for the amelioration of the
people have been rejected and forgotten, he believes that God shall bless him with His
reward in the life hereafter. This belief gives him solace and peace at a time when he is
undergoing the worst kind of trial and ordeal.
Important Question:
Q.No.1: Discuss the poem “Patriot into Traitor” by Robert Browning as a dramatic
monologue.
Ans: A dramatic monologue is a speech delivered by a character when he is alone or
isolated on the stage. It can be public when the character directly addresses the audience
who never respond. It can also be private in which case the audience overhear the
character talking to him or herself. The remarkable thing about monologues is that they
mostly reveal the truth and so help in solving critical problems.
“Patriot into Traitor” is also a dramatic monologue by Robert Browning. In this
poem, the poet has drawn a contemporary political scene with its turmoil and betrayal.
Change of Government by coups and take-over is common is Third World countries. The
poem is a speech, in the form of a monologue, made by a political leader. Apparently he
is speaking to himself but the purpose is to let other people know his rise and fall in
politics and his firm belief that in the world hereafter his services would be recognized
and God will bless him with His mercy and reward. This lends an optimistic note to the
poem. The poem is a fine example of a dramatic monologue.
Q.No.2: What is the relevance of this poem to the political conditions prevailing in the
countries of the Third World?
Ans: In a way this poem is an impartial and unbiased review of the political situation of
the Third World countries. Most of the underdeveloped countries of the world have fallen
a prey to political turmoil because of political immaturity, instability of the institutions
and economic insecurity. In these countries, political and military revolutions frequently
take place. Mostly the people are illiterate with little political consciousness. They are
easily befooled by the selfish politicians who turn their loyalties in their favour either by
threats or by temptations. Pakistan is an example of this deplorable situation. A politician
who was considered a hero in 1965 because of his historical speech in the U.N.O was
declared a traitor in 1979, and was hanged to death.
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