Porphyria’s Lover (AQA GCSE English Literature): Revision Notes

Porphyria's Lover

"Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning

Context

• Robert Browning was a Victorian poet known for his dramatic monologues. "Porphyria's Lover," published in 1836, is one of his most famous works. The poem explores themes of love, power, and madness. The dramatic monologue form allows Browning to delve deeply into the psyche of the speaker, revealing his disturbed mind and obsessive desire for control.

The Poem

The rain set early in to-night,

The sullen wind was soon awake,

← Pathetic Fallacy

It tore the elm-tops down for spite,

And did its worst to vex the lake:

I listened with heart fit to break.

When glided in Porphyria; straight

She shut the cold out and the storm,

← Imagery.

And kneeled and made the cheerless grate

Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;

Which done, she rose, and from her form

Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,

And laid her soiled gloves by, untied

Her hat and let the damp hair fall,

And, last, she sat down by my side

And called me. When no voice replied,

She put my arm about her waist,

And made her smooth white shoulder bare,

And all her yellow hair displaced,

And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,

And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair,

Murmuring how she loved me – she

Too weak, for all her heart's endeavour,

To set its struggling passion free

From pride, and vainer ties dissever,

And give herself to me for ever.

But passion sometimes would prevail,

Nor could to-night's gay feast restrain

A sudden thought of one so pale

For love of her, and all in vain:

So, she was come through wind and rain.

Be sure I looked up at her eyes

Happy and proud; at last I knew

Porphyria worshipped me: surprise

Made my heart swell, and still it grew

While I debated what to do.

That moment she was mine, mine, fair,

← Metaphor

Perfectly pure and good: 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. No pain felt she;

I am quite sure she felt no pain.

As a shut bud that holds a bee,

← Simile

I warily oped her lids: again

Laughed the blue eyes without a stain.

And I untightened next the tress

About her neck; her cheek once more

Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss:

I propped her head up as before

Only, this time my shoulder bore

Her head, which droops upon it still:

The smiling rosy little head,

So glad it has its utmost will,

That all it scorned at once is fled,

And I, its love, am gained instead!

Porphyria's love: she guessed not how

Her darling one wish would be heard.

And thus we sit together now,

And all night long we have not stirred,

And yet God has not said a word!

← Irony

5 quotes + analysis to achieve a grade 9

1. Language Device = Pathetic Fallacy. "The sullen wind was soon awake"

• Analysis: The use of pathetic fallacy reflects the turbulent emotions of the speaker. The "sullen wind" sets a foreboding tone, suggesting that something sinister is about to happen.

2. Language Device = Imagery. "She shut the cold out and the storm"

• Analysis: This imagery contrasts the external storm with the warmth Porphyria brings into the cottage. It highlights her power to create comfort and warmth in the speaker's life, which he desires to control.

3. Language Device = Simile. "As a shut bud that holds a bee"

• Analysis: The simile comparing Porphyria's closed eyes to a "shut bud that holds a bee" creates a disturbing image of lifelessness. It emphasises the unnatural stillness and the speaker's delusional sense of peace in her death.

4. Language Device = Metaphor. "That moment she was mine, mine, fair, / Perfectly pure and good"

• Analysis: The repetition and metaphor of Porphyria being "mine" reflect the speaker's obsession with possession and control. He believes he has preserved her purity by killing her, revealing his disturbed mindset.

5. Language Device = Irony. "And yet God has not said a word!"

• Analysis: The speaker interprets God's silence as approval of his actions, highlighting his delusion and moral corruption. This ironic statement underscores the theme of madness and the skewed perception of right and wrong.

Form & Structure Points to Mention for Top Grades

• Dramatic Monologue: The poem is a dramatic monologue, allowing the reader to delve into the speaker's disturbed mind.
  • Effect: This form effectively reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings, providing insight into his obsessive and controlling nature.
• Regular Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABABB rhyme scheme.
  • Effect: The regular rhyme scheme creates a rhythmic and almost hypnotic effect, mirroring the speaker's calm and methodical approach to his actions.
• Enjambment: The use of enjambment creates a flowing, continuous rhythm throughout the poem.
  • Effect: This technique reflects the uninterrupted flow of the speaker's thoughts, enhancing the sense of his obsession and the inevitability of his actions.

Example Paragraph for a Grade 9 Answer:

In "Porphyria's Lover," Robert Browning presents ideas about control and madness through vivid imagery and the dramatic monologue form. The poem opens with the use of pathetic fallacy, "The sullen wind was soon awake," reflecting the turbulent emotions of the speaker. The imagery of Porphyria "shut[ting] the cold out and the storm" highlights her ability to create warmth and comfort, which the speaker desires to possess. The simile "As a shut bud that holds a bee" creates a disturbing image of lifelessness, emphasising the unnatural stillness of Porphyria in death. The metaphor "That moment she was mine, mine, fair, / Perfectly pure and good" reveals the speaker's obsessive need to control and possess her, believing he has preserved her purity by killing her. The irony in the statement "And yet God has not said a word!" underscores the speaker's delusion and moral corruption, as he interprets God's silence as approval of his actions. Through these literary devices, Browning effectively captures the themes of control and madness, illustrating the speaker's disturbed mind and the dangerous consequences of his obsessive love.