Porphyrias lover

• Robert Browning


  • He became one of the foremost poets of the Victorian period
  • He developed the form of poetry known as the dramatic monologue
• Porphyria


  A blood disease that can result in madness, therefore, the poem can be interpreted as a metaphor for dealing with this disease
• Porphyria


  The regal colour of purple as it is derived from the Greek word porphyrus, meaning purple. This implies that Porphyria is of a higher social class (possibly even royalty) than the speaker which has led to a power imbalance in their relationship and his feelings of insecurity and inferiority
• Title: Porphyria's Lover


  The title makes the poem about the speaker, but he's only identified through his relationship to Porphyria – he is never named. The use of the possessive apostrophe suggests the speaker defines himself as belonging to Porphyria
• The rain set early in to-night, The sullen wind was soon awake, It tore the elm-tops down for spite, And did its worst to vex the lake


  The personification of the weather reflects the speaker's feelings of anger and resentment. It suggests that he is sulky and bad tempered about something. The violent and hostile behaviour of the weather foreshadows the speaker's actions later in the poem
• When glided in Porphyria; straight She shut the cold out and the storm, And kneeled and made the cheerless grate Blaze up, and all the cottage warm


  The verb "glided" suggests that Porphyria is angelic, elegant and ethereal. She literally and metaphorically shuts out the cold. His previous stormy feelings have subsided. The fire symbolises his passion and longing for her
• Porphyria's appearance


  Her hat and let the damp hair fall, And, last, she sat down by my side And called me. When no voice replied, She put my arm about her waist, And made her smooth white shoulder bare, And all her yellow hair displaced, And, stooping, made my cheek lie there, And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair
• Victorian women were expected to dress in a modest way with no visible exposure of flesh. Porphyria's bare shoulders is a seductive and erotic image which adds to the speaker's desire, frustration and longing for her. Porphyria's actions are overtly sexual, demonstrating how she is not conforming to the strict 'moral code' of Victorian society
• Porphyria's "yellow hair"


  It is a recurring image in the poem, as she spreads it over the narrator's shoulder as she sits next to him. The imagery of Porphyria's 'yellow' hair is almost angelic – contrasting with her rather sexual actions
• Murmuring how she loved me… Happy and proud; at last I knew Porphyria worshipped me; surprise Made my heart swell, and still it grew While I debated what to do That moment she was mine, mine, fair, Perfectly pure and good: I found A thing to do, and all her hair In one long yellow string I wound Three times her little throat around, And strangled her. No pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain.


  This is a turning point (volta) in the poem, finally he is convinced that she loves him and so he wants to preserve the moment forever. The repetition of "mine" is disturbing and suspicious – it emphasises how he wants to possess her forever
• The final line is also an interesting one. The narrator may be suggesting that what he has done is not a sin, because God has not objected. This might be just another indication of madness, with delusions of grandeur because God should speak to him. Some critics have interpreted it as a promotion of atheism
• The narrator is delusional. He describes her as blushing when her appearance is a result of him strangling her. His positive language shows he feels no remorse for her murder. He describes her corpse as beautiful
• The word 'murmuring'


  It is ambiguous as it could suggest that her tone is flirtatious or it could imply that the speaker thinks she is insincere and he doubts her love and loyalty to him. The word 'murmur' implies insincerity and that someone does not mean what they are saying
• Structure and Form


  • The dramatic monologue form represents the thoughts and feelings of the narrator (stream of consciousness)
  • The lack of stanzas could represent how the narrators thoughts are crashing into one another; hinting at his unstable mind set
  • While the monologue is supposed to mimic the thoughts and speech of the narrator it does follow an ABABB rhyme scheme – this intense, patterned style could reveal the narrators hidden madness
• Key Themes


  • Sex
  • Frustration
  • Desire
  • Control
  • Power
• Compare this poem to Farmer's Bride


  Both poems explore: Sexual desire, Sexual frustration, Power, Images of nature, A loss of control