Robert Browning’s “Porphyria’s Lover” tells the tale of a twisted man,
who in the hopes of making love eternal, kills his beloved. At first it
seems like a classic love poem, but the tone shifts and the speaker
does the unthinkable which leaves the reader questioning everything -
from the authority of the speaker to the reality of his descriptions.
The poem presents a highly subjective perspective on the story - with
Browning’s message coming out not just through the text but also
through the ironic disconnect of what the speaker justifies and what
the audience knows to be real.
In this poem, the irony is abundantly clear: the speaker has committed
an atrocious act and yet justifies it as not only acceptable, but as
noble. Throughout the poem, the imagery and ideas suggest an
overarching conflict of order vs. chaos, with the most obvious
manifestation being the way the speaker presents his beastly murder
as an act of rationality and love.
Summary:
The poem begins with the classic setting of a storm - stormy weather
and a storm in the heart of the narrator. In the first few lines, the wind
is personified to convey the damage that is being caused by the
storm. As the storm rages on, the narrator sits in his cottage “with
heart fit to break.” This shows that he is deeply affected by the storm
brewing in his heart - the actual storm is a metaphor for the one in his
heart.
This is when Porphyria enters. She is said to have “glided in” - as
though the storm did not bother her. It was a momentary obstacle for
her. With her presence she shut out the cold and the wind and made a
, fire in the cheerless grate. It wasn’t just the act of making a fire that
brought light and warmth to him - it was her mere presence.
Thereafter, she shed off her soaked and soiled garments and sat down
by the narrator’s side. (The act of taking off her soaked garments that
represent her higher social standing shows that it is extremely easy
for her to transition from one aspect of her life to another - this shows
the signs of an independent and strong woman, especially according
to the narrowed perception of the Victorian era.)
She called out his name, but he did not reply. So, she put his arm
around her waist, made her shoulder bare, opened her yellow hair and
lay his cheek on her shoulder. (This shows that she is supporting him.
Although it may seem romantic at first, when we read the rest of the
poem we realise that this may have been a trigger for the narrator. The
act of her supporting him may have been a blow to his already inflated
sense of ego.)
As she murmured how she loved him, the speaker’s internal
monologue changes. Instead of observing her, he now focuses on his
internal conflict. He claims that she is too weak to go after what she
truly desires, that she can never disentangle herself from her pride and
allow her passions to take over. He declares that she can never let go
of her societal obligations and give herself to him forever.
He does say that her “passion sometimes would prevail” - as it
happened tonight. While she was at a merry gathering of people, she
must have been struck by the thought of her beloved, sitting in his
cottage, lonesome and pale - sick with love. He realises that she
braved the elements to come be with him. This realisation leads him
to draw up an absurd conclusion - that Porphyria worships him.
who in the hopes of making love eternal, kills his beloved. At first it
seems like a classic love poem, but the tone shifts and the speaker
does the unthinkable which leaves the reader questioning everything -
from the authority of the speaker to the reality of his descriptions.
The poem presents a highly subjective perspective on the story - with
Browning’s message coming out not just through the text but also
through the ironic disconnect of what the speaker justifies and what
the audience knows to be real.
In this poem, the irony is abundantly clear: the speaker has committed
an atrocious act and yet justifies it as not only acceptable, but as
noble. Throughout the poem, the imagery and ideas suggest an
overarching conflict of order vs. chaos, with the most obvious
manifestation being the way the speaker presents his beastly murder
as an act of rationality and love.
Summary:
The poem begins with the classic setting of a storm - stormy weather
and a storm in the heart of the narrator. In the first few lines, the wind
is personified to convey the damage that is being caused by the
storm. As the storm rages on, the narrator sits in his cottage “with
heart fit to break.” This shows that he is deeply affected by the storm
brewing in his heart - the actual storm is a metaphor for the one in his
heart.
This is when Porphyria enters. She is said to have “glided in” - as
though the storm did not bother her. It was a momentary obstacle for
her. With her presence she shut out the cold and the wind and made a
, fire in the cheerless grate. It wasn’t just the act of making a fire that
brought light and warmth to him - it was her mere presence.
Thereafter, she shed off her soaked and soiled garments and sat down
by the narrator’s side. (The act of taking off her soaked garments that
represent her higher social standing shows that it is extremely easy
for her to transition from one aspect of her life to another - this shows
the signs of an independent and strong woman, especially according
to the narrowed perception of the Victorian era.)
She called out his name, but he did not reply. So, she put his arm
around her waist, made her shoulder bare, opened her yellow hair and
lay his cheek on her shoulder. (This shows that she is supporting him.
Although it may seem romantic at first, when we read the rest of the
poem we realise that this may have been a trigger for the narrator. The
act of her supporting him may have been a blow to his already inflated
sense of ego.)
As she murmured how she loved him, the speaker’s internal
monologue changes. Instead of observing her, he now focuses on his
internal conflict. He claims that she is too weak to go after what she
truly desires, that she can never disentangle herself from her pride and
allow her passions to take over. He declares that she can never let go
of her societal obligations and give herself to him forever.
He does say that her “passion sometimes would prevail” - as it
happened tonight. While she was at a merry gathering of people, she
must have been struck by the thought of her beloved, sitting in his
cottage, lonesome and pale - sick with love. He realises that she
braved the elements to come be with him. This realisation leads him
to draw up an absurd conclusion - that Porphyria worships him.
