Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_d8fbon
1. OVERALL - ABABB, asymmetrical rhyme scheme to mirror their dys-
functional relationship
- dramatic monologue
- balanced scansion, rhyme and regular meter to lull read-
er in false sense of security yet the balance also creates
unease
- often in a regular iambic tetrameter,a line of four beats
where a stressed syllable follows an unstressed syllable.
- lack of stanzas and the first-person narrative implies that
we are following a stream of consciousness
2. Porphyria a disease that can result in madness which leads to
hallucinations therefore the perspective of the narrator is
unreliable
- latin 'purple' -> greek mythology
'porphyrian = king of the gigantes who was known for his
strength, excessive violence and little respect for the other
god's (links to the last sentence)
- narrator is nameless and defined by his relationship to
Porphyria
- implies death is her 'darling wish' because he euthanises
her
3. it tore the - continues on the pathetic fallacy from the first line
elm-tops down
for spite - symbolism of 'elm-tops'
- the harsh, percussive consonance of 't' emphasises
'spite' and its aggression; it mimics the wind and trees
cracking
4. tore - 'tore' is an active verb used to emphasise aggression and
the pathetic fallacy, also has violent imagery
elm-tops - it suggests that nature is at conflict with its own self
1/5
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_d8fbon
1. OVERALL - ABABB, asymmetrical rhyme scheme to mirror their dys-
functional relationship
- dramatic monologue
- balanced scansion, rhyme and regular meter to lull read-
er in false sense of security yet the balance also creates
unease
- often in a regular iambic tetrameter,a line of four beats
where a stressed syllable follows an unstressed syllable.
- lack of stanzas and the first-person narrative implies that
we are following a stream of consciousness
2. Porphyria a disease that can result in madness which leads to
hallucinations therefore the perspective of the narrator is
unreliable
- latin 'purple' -> greek mythology
'porphyrian = king of the gigantes who was known for his
strength, excessive violence and little respect for the other
god's (links to the last sentence)
- narrator is nameless and defined by his relationship to
Porphyria
- implies death is her 'darling wish' because he euthanises
her
3. it tore the - continues on the pathetic fallacy from the first line
elm-tops down
for spite - symbolism of 'elm-tops'
- the harsh, percussive consonance of 't' emphasises
'spite' and its aggression; it mimics the wind and trees
cracking
4. tore - 'tore' is an active verb used to emphasise aggression and
the pathetic fallacy, also has violent imagery
elm-tops - it suggests that nature is at conflict with its own self
1/5
