In “Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning, the narrator displays a bitter and passionate tone by the use of abbreviated words and long syntax. When Porphyria’s lover waits, he sits in a cold house listening to the storm. He tells us, “I listen’d with heart fit to break.”(5) The narrator waited expecting Porphyria not to come. He’s bitter towards her because he’s planning for her to stand him up. Her social status is above him and he believes that Porphyria’s desire for riches will keep her from him. Despite Porphyria’s lover’s bitterness, he’s passionate towards her. After he strangles her, he looks back at her beauty and love. “...her cheek once more / Blush’d bright beneath my burning kiss: / I propp’d her head up as before, / Only, this time my shoulder bore”(47-50). After the narrator kills Porphyria he kisses her cheek and holds her. He didn’t see her blotchy skin from being strangled as ugly, but as a rosy blush. He also held her dead body close becoming the active one in the relationship. He brings her social status down to below his. With ending her life he make’s himself the one with more power. The emotional and symbolic word choice Browning uses in “Porphyria’s Lover” is displayed through his use of descriptive words and colors.
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When Porphyria first gets to the cottage she, “...made the cheerless grate / Blaze up…”(8-9). She started a fire in the empty fireplace. Porphyria’s lover was waiting for her in the cold and darkness. Browning uses the word “cheerless” to describe that her lover revoled his happiness around her and how much he emotionally relies on her. He’s emotional towards her in good and bad ways. He loves her, but he thinks her social status that’s above him will keep her from him. Browning also uses symbolic wording. When Porphyria’s lover won’t respond she goes to him and holds him. She, “...made her smooth white shoulder bare...all her yellow hair displaced…”(17-18). Porphyria bared her shoulder to him- which was risky in her time- and moved her yellow hair out of the way. Browning uses colors to symbolize her purity and angelic view in her lover’s eyes. She physically offered herself to the narrator. With her social status this elevates just how risque this is. Even when doing a ‘sinful’ act in their time Porphyria’s lover still sees her as pure and angelic. The image of the storm raging outside Porphyria’s lover’s cottage personifies the narrator 's feelings of bitterness and passion. Porphyria’s lover sits waiting for her as, “The sullen wind was soon awake,”(2). The wind was starting to pick up. The personification of the wind being “sullen” relates to the bitter sadness Porphyria’s lover feels. Browning personifies the wind letting the outside show what we know is happening inside Porphyria’s lover. The narrator is depressed. His lack of social status prevents him from being with his lover that he doesn 't believe is coming. His passion for Porphyria shine through also. He goes on to continue describing the storm. “It tore the elm-tops down for spite, / And did it’s best to vex the lake:”(3-4). The wind was tearing at the trees and churning the lake. His passion and need for Porphyria causes him to see the wind as emotional and passionate towards the elms and the lake. The narrator sees the wind as Porphyria’s social status on their relationship. Since he would pull her status down he sees the wind as her status “vexing” their relationship. Robert Browning uses the point of view of Porphyria’s lover -the narrator- and iambic tetrameter rhyme to depict the narrators desperate passion and bitterness. After Porphyria holds her lover and he looks and see’s her happiness he snaps. “In one long yellow string I wound.”(39) He wraps her hair around her neck to strangle her. He wishes to preserve her beauty and love in this moment. The iambic tetrameter intensity increases showing his desperate passion to have her. Porphyria’s lover takes her status out of the picture. He takes away all status by killing her. He makes her below him for once. After Porphyria comes in he judges her. “And laid her soil’d
When Porphyria first gets to the cottage she, “...made the cheerless grate / Blaze up…”(8-9). She started a fire in the empty fireplace. Porphyria’s lover was waiting for her in the cold and darkness. Browning uses the word “cheerless” to describe that her lover revoled his happiness around her and how much he emotionally relies on her. He’s emotional towards her in good and bad ways. He loves her, but he thinks her social status that’s above him will keep her from him. Browning also uses symbolic wording. When Porphyria’s lover won’t respond she goes to him and holds him. She, “...made her smooth white shoulder bare...all her yellow hair displaced…”(17-18). Porphyria bared her shoulder to him- which was risky in her time- and moved her yellow hair out of the way. Browning uses colors to symbolize her purity and angelic view in her lover’s eyes. She physically offered herself to the narrator. With her social status this elevates just how risque this is. Even when doing a ‘sinful’ act in their time Porphyria’s lover still sees her as pure and angelic. The image of the storm raging outside Porphyria’s lover’s cottage personifies the narrator 's feelings of bitterness and passion. Porphyria’s lover sits waiting for her as, “The sullen wind was soon awake,”(2). The wind was starting to pick up. The personification of the wind being “sullen” relates to the bitter sadness Porphyria’s lover feels. Browning personifies the wind letting the outside show what we know is happening inside Porphyria’s lover. The narrator is depressed. His lack of social status prevents him from being with his lover that he doesn 't believe is coming. His passion for Porphyria shine through also. He goes on to continue describing the storm. “It tore the elm-tops down for spite, / And did it’s best to vex the lake:”(3-4). The wind was tearing at the trees and churning the lake. His passion and need for Porphyria causes him to see the wind as emotional and passionate towards the elms and the lake. The narrator sees the wind as Porphyria’s social status on their relationship. Since he would pull her status down he sees the wind as her status “vexing” their relationship. Robert Browning uses the point of view of Porphyria’s lover -the narrator- and iambic tetrameter rhyme to depict the narrators desperate passion and bitterness. After Porphyria holds her lover and he looks and see’s her happiness he snaps. “In one long yellow string I wound.”(39) He wraps her hair around her neck to strangle her. He wishes to preserve her beauty and love in this moment. The iambic tetrameter intensity increases showing his desperate passion to have her. Porphyria’s lover takes her status out of the picture. He takes away all status by killing her. He makes her below him for once. After Porphyria comes in he judges her. “And laid her soil’d