Porphyria's Lover - Robert Browning

• "And yet God has not said a word!"
• "She rose up, and we stood together"
• Context

  Porphyria's lover may have been influenced by a famous murder from 'Gosschen's Diary' 1818 about a woman who had radiant golden hair.-The woman in the poem is named after a disease called Porphyria. It is a rare type of disease, which can result in madness of some kind.
• Themes

  -mental instability-unrequited love-power-religion-class
• Structure

  the poem has a regular rhyme scheme and is written in iambic tetrameter reflecting his consistent feeling for porphyria.-the sudden outburst is shown through the stressed syllables implemented by Browning.
• could suggest he is love sick for porphyria. He implies that his love is not good enough for her to love him the way he loves her (Theme of unrequited love).

  'one so pale/For love for her'
• 'she shut the cold out' and 'blaze up'

  As porphyria enters the cottage is described in a contrasting way to the weather outside, creating a false sense of safety within the cottage.
• 'Porphyria worshipped me'

  -he views himself in a god like way and feels he now has her forever and we continuously be worshipped by her, he wanted the eternal feeling of euphoria he got when she was with him.
• What is "Porphyria's Lover" about?

  • a man sits in his cold cottage on a stormy night, his lover, Porphyria, arrives and makes the cottage warm and comfortable, before sitting down next to himhe ignores her while shes flirting with himhe seems upset with herhe decides that she loves him and that she belongs to himhe wants to preserve the moment, so he strangles her with her own hairits clear that the speaker is mentally disturbedhe opens her eyes and spends the rest of the night sitting with her dead body
• What is the form of the poem?

  • dramatic monologueasymmetrical rhyme scheme (ABABB)enjambment suggests that the reader is unstableregular rhythm of the poem suggests his calmness
• What are the feelings and attitudes in this poem?

  MADNESS- it becomes clear that the speaker is delusional, he believes that she wants to be murdered so that she can be with him foreverPASSIVITY- in the first half of the poem Porphyria is active an her lover is passive. however by killing her, she becomes passiveSIN- the speaker comments that God hasn't punished him for the murder so he must not have committed a sin.
• How does Robert Browning use language to present the themes of love and violence?t"

  the speaker combines love and violence to reflect the troubled and destructive nature of his love, e.g. "heart fit to break", "burning kiss" and "blushed bright"
• Quotes about possession.

  • "that moment she was mine, mine"repetition is disturbing and suspiciousemphasises how he wants to possess her"rosy" and "drops"flowery image reflects her beautyalso reflects narrators foolishness as flowers droop, just as this perfect moment won't lasthe describes her as "it", shes just an object to him now
• " The sullen wind... tore the elm-tops down for spite"

  Pathetic fallacy creates an ominous and destructive atmosphere.

  This foreshadows the death of the girl).

  Nature behaving in a destructive manner.

  An angry image conjuring danger, with the wind being personified encouraging the reader to see danger in a normally perceived calm environment. Illustrates the voice of the poem as irrational.

  Dramatic monologue (perspective from a murderer) desensitized us from the truth.
• "When glided in Porphyria"

  Poetic inversement which constructs an angelic and magical image of Porphyria.
• "And"

  Content: Device of Anaphora used, as the repetition at the start of the line emphasises the calm way he is chronologically recounting the events leading up to her murder.
• "And last she sat down by my side"

  Bracketed commas put emphasis on the word "last" and helps us imagine his madness because he is not the first thing on Porphyria's mind.
• "made her smooth white shoulder bare,"

  The color white is a connotation of innocence in relation to her lack of awareness of what is about to happen to her. Alternatively, it could be interpreted as a sign of illness.

  Female sexuality was repressed in Victorian times, but Porphyria is openly flaunting hers. Porphyria's behaviour would have been seen as sinful.
• "her yellow hair"

  Repetition of the colour of her hair shows the narrator's obsession with it. It foreshadows his using her hair to strangle her with it, later in the poem.

  Porphyria is dominating him, he doesn't like looking up to her
• "Too weak, for all her heart's endeavour,

  ...

  "From pride and vainer ties dissever"


  Language of possession: The narrator is critical of Porphyria's lack of commitment to him. The speaker wants Porphyria to belong to him "for ever" but he believes that her "pride" and "vainer ties" (possibly meaning her higher social status) are stopping her from being with him. He is desperate to possess her, and in death she becomes his object.
• "To set its struggling passion free

  Language of possession: The use of the word "struggling" foreshadows her death and it is ironic that she does not struggle when he does kill her.
• "And give herself to me for ever."


  Language of possession: The narrator clearly wishes to possess Porphyria as an object and possession and to keep her "for ever".
• "Porphyria worshipped me"


  Language of possession: He wants to be loved by her and to have power over her. Similarity to "The Farmer's Bride", both speakers desires to be loved by another. However, a contrast is that in 'Porphyria's Lover' he has the affection but then ends her life.
• "That moment she was mine, mine, fair,"

  Language of possession: She's come to be with him tonight and he is convinced she loves him, so he wants to preserve the moment. The repetition of "mine" is disturbing and suspicions - it emphasises how he wants to possess her.
• "And strangled her. No pain felt she;


  Form: This description of murder is shocking because it is unexpected and matter of fact - there is no change in rhythm. The Caesura of the full stop, mid line emphasises the final nature of this action.This is clearly not true the reader now has reason to question everything the speaker has been saying
• "Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss"


  Language of violence and love: He believes her red face,as a result of being strangled, is actually a blush from his passionate kiss - this shows that he's deranged.

  Alliterative 'b' would have meant the speakers' two lips coming together, to make this sound. The juxtaposition of the kiss shows the narrator's love for Porphyria is passionate but also destructive.
• "Only this time my shoulder bore

  Her head..."

  Structure: A reversal, he is now active and Porphyria is passive. Symbolism of her being below him.
• "... which droops upon it:

  The smiling rosy little head,"

  Language of possession: Flower imagery reflects her beauty, but also depicts the speaker's foolishness - flowers droop, just as this 'perfect' moment for him, will not last.
• "Her darling one wish would be heard."


  The idea of euthanasia. He is deranged, he believes that she wishes to be murdered in order to stay with him.
• "And yet God has not said a word!"

  Devises a disturbing image as the reader realises that this is how he is behaving after he has murdered her. Ambiguity - could be surprised that he hasn't been punished or perhaps he does not believe he has committed a sin at all.
• Form

  Dramatic monologue (perspective from a murderer) desensitized us from the truth. Porphyria does not have a voice in the poem, the speaker projects his own thoughts and feelings onto her in life and in death. Similar to The Farmer's bride.

  1 long verse reflects the speaker's uncontrollability to control his thoughts (Iambic pentameter) (8 syllables.
• Rhyme scheme

  ABABB is asymmetrical. Irrational rhyme schemes reflects his irrational and psycho-social behavior. Predominantly male rhyme scheme to reflect male dominance over female. Comparison to The Farmer's Bride.
• Rhythm

  The enjambment suggests that the speaker is unstable. However, the regular rhythm reflects the speaker's calmness.
• Structure

  Events in the poem mirror each other. In the first half of the poem, Porphyria is active and dominant, whilst her lover is passive, which is shown by the way she rests his head on her shoulder. These positions are revered when the speaker kills her - afterwards he places her head on his shoulder.
• Key themes: longing, destructive love, death

  Desire and Longing is presented as potentially destructive. This can be compared to 'The Farmer's Bride'. Also 'Sonnet 29' or 'Eden Rock' both explore the idea of love enduring beyond death.
• Cont

  Robert Browning (1812-1889).

  Famous Victorian poet.

  Attitude to women and class.

  Browning focused morbid, twisted and psychological states.

  Published 'Porphyria's Lover in 1836.
• 3 Interpretations

  1)Euthanasia

  2)Division in class

  3) Dominant, psychopath lover.
• Tone

  Processive