Porphyria

The narrator describes Porphyria as ‘The smiling rosy little head’. The use of the word ‘The’ changes the view of Porphyria from a person to an object, and as an object, she can no longer argue with the narrator’s views and opinions. Therefore, he can interpret her feelings, however he wants and she will not complain. Browning also uses the word ‘it’ in lines 53 and 54 to show the dehumanisation of Porphyria; ‘So glad it has its utmost will //That all it scorned at…

are the lovers to Porphyria and the Duchess, respectively, who commit similar crimes of passion. However, as Browning changes his diction and prosody from poem to poem, their differences become more clear. Moreover, Browning’s differences in diction and prosody between “Porphyria’s Lover” and “The Last Duchess” help contrast the Duchess to Porphyria, and, in turn, helps characterize their lovers and their motives for murder. In “Porphyria’s Lover,” upon first glance, Porphyria seems like an…

social hierarchy were the reasons he murdered Porphyria. There are many points in the poem where the narrator shows he has a mental disorder. One of the first pieces of evidence is in the beginning of the poem when the narrator describes…

Porphyria’s Dying Wish In Robert Browning’s poem “Porphyria’s Lover”, a woman named Porphyria travels through a storm to meet her lover. Porphyria and her lover sit together and flirt a bit; her lover later decides to strangle her. Porphyria’s lover killed her out of love and respect for her, he was granting her, her one and final wish; which is something they both agreed upon. The storm at the beginning of the story sets the mood for what is to come. “The rain set early in to-night, The…

his love as she is sick with Porphyria. This verdict can be reached after considering the clues which indicate that Porphyria is sick and how the speaker behaves before and after the murder. “[The Disease] Porphyria refers to a group of disorders that result from a buildup of natural chemicals that produce porphyrin in your body. …. High levels of porphyrins can cause significant problems” (Mayo Clinic: Porphyria) The speaker makes mention to many things about Porphyria that indicate that she…

duchess like a toy: he does not like that she is easily appeased by others-- as if he ought to be treated specially-- and so he gets angry at his “toy.” She is a toy, an object, that can be replaced at any time. Similarly, in “Porphyria’s Lover,” Porphyria is also seen as an object.…

pale/For love of her, and all in vain” (L27-29). The narrator was not at the “gay feast” which suggests that he is not of the same class as Porphyria. The suggestion of a class difference is supported because the narrator suggests that the thought of this party should be keeping him from thinking of Porphyria as someone he loves. He feels inferior to Porphyria because of this class…

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…

To what extent is a Marxist reading of "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria 's Lover" useful in opening up potential meanings? Ultimately, the source of tragedy in both 'My Last Duchess ' and 'Porphyria 's Lover ', is the capitalistic societal structures that provoke the oppression of its people. Though this subjugation may arise from the corrupt economic system that Marxism critiques, Browning 's scrutiny of society may also delve into social barriers such as feminism, and the adverse…

After murdering Porphyria, the speaker believes that he did the right thing: “And all night long we have not stirred, / And yet God has not said a word!” (59-60). He suspects that if it was really so wrong to kill Porphyria, then why would God do nothing? Surely he would punish the speaker. Or maybe God would prevent Porphyria from going to his house in the first place. Perhaps that was the purpose of the raging storm. With no punishment from God, the speaker interprets that his murder was…