Porphyria's lover

• "The sullen wind was soon awake,[...] did its worst to vex the lake:"

  • pathetic fallacy - punishing Porphyria for her sins
  • personification of wind sets eerie tone - speaker's emotions are unstable
• 'Porphyria's Lover'


  Porphyria- disease that can lead to mental disturbances/madness
• "When glided in Porphyria"


  Context - unlawful for Victorian women to go out alone --> she's immoral
• "yellow hair"


  repetition of this shows his obsession -> foreshadows how she dies
• "And give herself to me for ever"


  Possessive love/tone

  Patriarchal society -> women must submit to their husbands (tho not husband in this case)
• "yet God has not said a word!"


  Claims to have gotten away with murder/ God approves him saving Porphyria from committing more sins

  Blasphemy- shocking to contemporary audience