Porphyria's Lover

Cards (56)

  • Porphyria'

    Porphyria is a disease that affects the brain
  • Poem may be a metaphor of the disease
    which can cause mental, nervous or skin problems. Her hair is rope and he is ridding himself of the disease (her) .
  • Dramatic Monologue

    of the horrific death of Porphyria
  • Regular Rhyme
    scheme contrasts the speakers state of mind. He adopts a logical, orderly state but he is masking his true emotions
  • Regular Rhythm with 4 stressed syllables in each line.

    This is interrupted to draw readers attention
  • Enjambment
    shows the speakers fragmented and disturbed thoughts
  • rain set early in tonight'

    Pathetic fallacy foreshadows the dark events to come. In past tense, what happened earlier. Setting the scene
  • rain'

    can mean imprisonment because you must stay indoors when it rains.
  • tonight'

    shows its evening.
  • tore the elm

    tops' - Using the personification of 'tore' it is foreshadowing Porphyria's death by the death of the tree
  • heart fit to break'

    He yearns for her arrival and he's anticipating her arrival. Also shows how much pain she is unknowingly causing him in her visits.
  • glided in Porphyria'

    The verb is powerful and shows she is in control of him
  • glided'
    is almost supernatural, like a ghost
  • she shut the cold out'

    Shows her arrival epitomises warmth and comfort and that she is the opposite of the storm outside
  • made the cheerless grate blaze'

    The role reversal is evident, she is dominant, and he is passive. shows her power over the cottage as well as him
  • withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl'
    Perhaps a seductive gesture
  • soiled gloves'
    Her gloves represent the scandalous nature of their meeting. They are dirty and unclean just like sex out of marriage.
  • let the damp hair fall'
    The word 'the' emphasises her hair and suggests this is her most attractive thing.
  • my arm about her waist'

    Their first physical touch. She is seducing him.
  • Her making the first move emphasises role reversal
  • her smooth white shoulder bare' This is a very raunchy move and also shows that she is the stereotypical beautiful Victorian woman
  • her yellow hair' This combined with her white skin makes her seem like a china doll. This is where it begins to turn around
  • too weak' Suggests that because she is a woman she cannot cope with love. He sees her as weak
  • for all her hearts endeavour' Suggests she has had many lovers
  • set its struggling passion free' Insight into how he sees their relationship and his unhealthy obsession for her. Could be the moment he thinks about killing her
  • give herself to me for ever' Turning point. He knows she won't be in love with him forever so he must kill her.
  • Porphyria worshipped me' He sees love in terms of power. So now he knows she loves him he makes the next move as the now dominant one in the relationship
  • surprise made my heart swell' He feels euphoric that she feels the same way.
  • This could show his mad state
  • perfectly pure' Alliteration. He kills her when she is at her most perfect and beautiful
  • in one yellow string I wound' Linked linguistically to lines 20

    21 were he is so loving and tender which adds to the horror of the situation
  • Repetition of 'yellow', continues his obsession with her hair
  • three times' Alliteration and Rule of three
  • her little throat' Repetition of 'little' makes her seem vulnerable and fragile and easier to kill
  • no pain felt she' She didn't resist or cry out whilst he was strangling her which is odd
  • I am quite sure she felt no pain' He wanted to do it quickly and without her feeling pain
  • In a twisted way he cares for her a lot here
  • The repetition suggests he's reassuring himself and justifying what he has done
  • As a shut bud that holds a bee' Simile shows he is scared she may still be alive
  • warily open her lids' Emphasise he is scared she's still alive