Study Notes on Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning

Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning

Brief Summary

  • Overview: "Porphyria's Lover" is a dramatic monologue that explores themes of love, violence, and madness.
    • The speaker, overwhelmed by his emotions, strangles his lover, Porphyria, and spends the night with her corpse.
    • Post-murder, the speaker expresses a twisted perception of love, indicating he feels more connected to her in death than in life.

Synopsis

  • Setting the Scene:
    • The poem begins with unfavorable weather, establishing a gloomy atmosphere.
    • A woman named Porphyria enters the speaker's cottage, creating a juxtaposition with the severe weather.
  • Porphyria's Actions:
    • She undresses and dries herself, portraying intimacy and vulnerability.
    • Porphyria confesses her love for the speaker.
  • Climactic Decision:
    • The speaker, conflicted by her affection, ultimately decides to strangle her with her hair.
    • After the act, he insists she felt no pain and enjoys her lifeless company, proclaiming divine validation.

Context

  • Author Background:
    • Robert Browning (1812-1889) wrote during the Victorian era, a time marked by strict societal norms and prevalent scandals.
    • He often employed controversial topics to challenge readers and provoke thought.
  • Literary Technique:
    • Browning uses an unreliable narrator to present violent and transgressive themes, emphasizing fictional events distinct from his personal life.

Themes and Analysis

  • Pathetic Fallacy:
    • Utilized to establish the dark tone reflective of the speaker's disturbed mindset.
    • Examples of weather reflecting emotional turmoil: "The rain set early in to-night".
    • The description of the weather as "sullen" and violent suggests a conflict between nature and humans, mirroring the turbulent relationship.
    • Porphyria's entrance disrupts this stormy imagery, symbolizing transient joy.
  • Portrayal of Porphyria:
    • Supernatural descriptors ("glided in") create an otherworldly perception of her, distancing her from humanity.
    • The speaker's objectification escalates throughout the poem, progressively seeing her less as a person and more as an object to possess.

Literary Devices

  • Imagery and Language:
    • Juxtaposition of violent imagery with tender moments emphasizes the tragic nature of their relationship.
    • "Smooth white shoulder" and "yellow hair displaced" indicate objectification; the hair symbolizes her beauty and ultimately becomes a weapon.
  • Enjambment:
    • Reflects the speaker's stream of consciousness and impulsive decision-making, illustrating psychological disarray.
  • Alliteration and Sound Devices:
    • Plosive alliteration (e.g., “perfectly pure”) juxtaposed with violent actions signifies underlying aggression beneath seemingly tender moments.

Key Quotes

  • Opening Lines:
    • "The rain set early in to-night, / The sullen wind was soon awake, / It tore the elm-tops down for spite…":
    • Establishes a foreshadowing tone, hinting at impending violence.
  • Climactic Moment:
    • “I found / A thing to do, and all her hair / In one long yellow string I wound / Three times her little throat around, / And strangled her.”
    • Directly conveys the speaker's violent act, stripped of empathy.
  • Post-Murder Reflection:
    • "And yet God has not said a word!”
    • Pointed blasphemy showcasing the speaker's disconnect from morality.

Structure and Form

  • Narrative Style:
    • The poem follows a chronological order chronicling the relationship's evolution from arrival to murder to post-murder contemplation.
    • The absence of stanzas suggests a flowing, natural progression, reinforcing the idea of inevitability in the speaker's actions.
    • Primarily uses first-person narrative to increase intimacy and perspective in the madness.

Objectification Theme

  • Porphyria as an Object:
    • The shift from describing Porphyria's experience to her being viewed solely as an object grows more pronounced following her death.
    • Color Imagery: Descriptions like “blue eyes without a stain” illustrates how the speaker idolizes her beauty now that she is dead.

Comparisons to Other Works

  • With "When We Two Parted" by Byron:
    • Similarities: Both works address themes of love and death; however, Byron's treatment is more subtle.
    • Differences: Browning's imagery posits his lover as alive in death, whereas Byron evokes death to evoke emotional separation.
  • With "Sonnet 29‘ by Barrett Browning:
    • Both feature speakers with unhealthy fixations, but Barrett Browning acknowledges the destructive potential of obsession more overtly.
    • The structural difference highlights varying approaches to love.

Conclusion

  • Final Reflection:
    • "Porphyria's Lover" encapsulates the extremes of desire and possession within love, exhibiting Browning's commentary on gender dynamics and societal expectations.
    • The deliberate language and structure mirror the speaker's psychosis and moral ambivalence, leaving readers to grapple with the implications of violent love.