ROBERT BROWNING
PORPHYRIA’S LOVER
What is the poem about?
The narrator of "Porphyria's Lover" is a man who has murdered his lover, Porphyria. He begins by
describing the tumultuous weather of the night that has just passed. It has been rainy and windy,
and the weather has put the speaker in a melancholy mood as he waits in his remote cabin for
Porphyria to arrive
Who is the voice of the poem?
The voice of the poem is the “Man”
Who has the power in the poem?
In the poem the man is dominating as the prospective is mainly reflective on his point of view.
The speaker of "Porphyria's Lover" sounds awfully straightforward. His tone is incredibly reasonable,
which makes it even creepier considering he's describing horrific things (such as strangling his
girlfriend and cuddling with the corpse). ... Thus, the calm, smooth tone of the speaker adds to the
effect of the poem.
He even makes it sound as though he was doing her a favour – he calls it "her darling one wish"
The “Man” seem to have some sort of psychopathic character as he has a lack of empathy towards
his lover and promiscuous sexual behaviour: “That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
perfectly pure and good”. He seems to have a Lack of empathy, guilt, conscience or remorse as he
seems to be able to describe his crimes calmly with a smooth tone.
What type of role does the female character(s) play in the poem?
The title of this poem “Porphyria’s Lover” immediately satirises the convention that the woman
would always be the possessed object however as it turns out it is the man who is passive, sitting
waiting for her in a cottage and watching her action drive the narrative while he is inert.
What implicit presupposition does the poet appear to have (who the poem is aimed at)
This poem is clearly a controversial one, in the eyes of contemporary Victorian audiences and even
more so in the eyes of an audience of today, accustomed to relative equality.
This poem could therefore have been aimed to satirise the stringency of the idea of perfect
femininity, tied to husband and home, and the endemic domestic violence that was only just coming
into public awareness.
From a feminist’s point of view, this poem could be seen to represent the indifference that men
seem to show towards women exerting power and control to a degree, especially in a sexual sense,
where this poem seems to infer the way men seem to find the reversal of dominance and passivity in
this area erotic and even preferable.
Although those who retain a Victorian perspective on women might argue that Porphyria is some
kind of loose woman or whore, a feminist or indeed a male inclined to respect the prerogatives of
women over their own bodies and their sexual liberation would disagree. The way Porphyria “Made
her smooth white shoulder bare” and made the lover’s “cheek lie there” is more of a sign of sexual
PORPHYRIA’S LOVER
What is the poem about?
The narrator of "Porphyria's Lover" is a man who has murdered his lover, Porphyria. He begins by
describing the tumultuous weather of the night that has just passed. It has been rainy and windy,
and the weather has put the speaker in a melancholy mood as he waits in his remote cabin for
Porphyria to arrive
Who is the voice of the poem?
The voice of the poem is the “Man”
Who has the power in the poem?
In the poem the man is dominating as the prospective is mainly reflective on his point of view.
The speaker of "Porphyria's Lover" sounds awfully straightforward. His tone is incredibly reasonable,
which makes it even creepier considering he's describing horrific things (such as strangling his
girlfriend and cuddling with the corpse). ... Thus, the calm, smooth tone of the speaker adds to the
effect of the poem.
He even makes it sound as though he was doing her a favour – he calls it "her darling one wish"
The “Man” seem to have some sort of psychopathic character as he has a lack of empathy towards
his lover and promiscuous sexual behaviour: “That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
perfectly pure and good”. He seems to have a Lack of empathy, guilt, conscience or remorse as he
seems to be able to describe his crimes calmly with a smooth tone.
What type of role does the female character(s) play in the poem?
The title of this poem “Porphyria’s Lover” immediately satirises the convention that the woman
would always be the possessed object however as it turns out it is the man who is passive, sitting
waiting for her in a cottage and watching her action drive the narrative while he is inert.
What implicit presupposition does the poet appear to have (who the poem is aimed at)
This poem is clearly a controversial one, in the eyes of contemporary Victorian audiences and even
more so in the eyes of an audience of today, accustomed to relative equality.
This poem could therefore have been aimed to satirise the stringency of the idea of perfect
femininity, tied to husband and home, and the endemic domestic violence that was only just coming
into public awareness.
From a feminist’s point of view, this poem could be seen to represent the indifference that men
seem to show towards women exerting power and control to a degree, especially in a sexual sense,
where this poem seems to infer the way men seem to find the reversal of dominance and passivity in
this area erotic and even preferable.
Although those who retain a Victorian perspective on women might argue that Porphyria is some
kind of loose woman or whore, a feminist or indeed a male inclined to respect the prerogatives of
women over their own bodies and their sexual liberation would disagree. The way Porphyria “Made
her smooth white shoulder bare” and made the lover’s “cheek lie there” is more of a sign of sexual
