Introduction of the Poem:
“Porphyria's Lover” is Browning's first monologue. It was written sometime in 1835. Then it was published in a magazine, The Monthly Repository, in 1836. Later it appeared in the poet's poetic volume entitled Dramatic Romance, in 1845. It is a study in abnormal psychology. It describes a grim murder and is narrated by the abnormal, if not actually insane, lover of Porphyria, after strangulating her. It is a love poem but it is more inspired by intellect than by desire.
The lover whose name is not known, yet may be supposed to be a young man, loves a girl called Porphyria. But he has lost all hope of winning her hand. So he has grown pale. His heart is at the verge of breaking. One evening he is in his cottage. He is too much unhappy. It is raining heavily. A storm is also blowing. At such a time, Porphyria comes to meet him. Straight she goes into his embrace. She also tells him how passionately she loves him. But the man makes her yellow hair into one cord and strangles her to death. Her dead body lies in his arms. At this point, he starts telling his own moral sense why he has killed her.
The death of Porphyria is tragic, but it also constitutes a satire against social conventions and barriers which stand in the way of sincere lovers. The poem is a good psychological study of a soul for the simplicity and naturalness of narration, economy and intensity of style and lyric charm. The dramatic and the lyric are fused together harmoniously.
Summary of the Poem:
It was raining and storm was blowing. The storm was doing a lot of damage to the topmost branches of the elm trees. It was also agitating the waters of the lake. The lover was inside his cottage, listening to the tumult of Nature, Just then Porphyria arrived, entering the cottage softly and noiselessly. Immediately after entering the cottage she closed the door and lighted a fire in the chimney, making the cottage warm both with the fire and her own presence. Then she took off her dripping cloak and shawl, loosened her damp hair, and sat down by the side of her lover. She addressed him lovingly. When the lover made no reply, she placed his arm round her wrist and bared her smooth white shoulder. She dishevelled her long golden hair and bent towards him just to have his cheek on her bosom. Then she said to him in a sweet low voice how passionately she loved him but as she was fickle, she could not free herself from social barriers, false family pride and give herself to him forever. But that night passion prevailed upon her, and the thunder, the rain and the wind could not prevent her from visiting her pale lover. Even feasting at her palace could not restrain her when all of a sudden she was reminded of her lover. Now the lover felt exalted and his heart swelled with pride because he was sure that Porphyria adored him, otherwise she would not have visited him in such a rough weather. Because of the sudden fulfilment of his desire in such an unexpected manner, he could not decide what he should do then.
This was the moment when she belonged to him completely, in all her beauty, goodness and purity. All of a sudden an idea struck his mind and he made up his mind to put the idea into practice. He took her long golden hair, twisted them into a cord which he encircled three times round her white throat and strangled her. He was sure that Porphyria did not feel any pain, otherwise she might have cried out of pain. He very carefully opened her eye lids and found her blue eyes without a strain. Then he loosened the cord made of her hair about her neck and kissed her rosy cheeks. He raised her head but this time her head was supported by his shoulder. He felt that she was smiling because of the fulfilment of her wish. The social bars and barriers which forbade her meeting with her lover came to an end. Porphyria could never have imagined in what manner her desire to possess her lover would be fulfilled. Throughout the night the lover sat with the head of Porphyria drooping over his shoulder, but throughout the night God did not speak a single word of approbation or disapprobation.
Theme of the Poem:
This poem, like much of Browning's work, conflates, sex, violence, and aesthetics. Like other Victorian writers, he also tries to explore the boundaries of sensualities. Browning over turns normal expectations of such stories by presenting the sex between Porphyria and her lover as natural making the reader consider the relationship between sex and violence, and exploring the complex nature of the speaker’s madness. The result is a study of human nature and morality that poses more questions than it provides answers. The reader is left wondering, for example, whether to believe the mad narrator's account, how to understand society's condemnation of sexual transgressions, and why sexuality is so often linked with dominance and power.
Porphyria fell in love with a young man, but could not reciprocate the greetings and advances of love on account of the ties of an artificial world. But one stormy night while it was raining hard the beautiful Porphyria voluntarily entered the house of her lover and gave herself upto him. It was a joyous night full of pleasant experiences. The lover, mad with the frenzy of love, entwined the long yellow hair of the love smitten girl round her slim neck and strangled her to death. It was a euthanasia or painless death, because the girl passed away without a word of protest.
In this short story Browning focuses the reader's attention not on the grimness of the murder, but on the importance of their supreme moment when the girl gave herself up to her lover. Such a moment may never come once again in the whole life - time of the lover, who was eager to solemnize this intense moment. Porphyria’s lover gained once and for all—she could not belong to anybody else. It is very powerful description of the frenzy of lover that wants to appropriate everything for itself.
Critical Appreciation of the Poem:
Introduction of the Poem:
“Porphyria's Lover” is one of the very pretty poems ever composed by Robert Browning. It was written sometime in 1835. Then it was published in a magazine, The Monthly Repository, in 1836. Later it appeared in the poet's poetic volume entitled Dramatic Romances, in 1845. It reflects an abnormal lover's character, as a soul reflector. It is a dramatic monologue spoken by that lover. His name is not known. Yet he may be supposed to be a young man. He loves a girl called Porphyria. But he has lost all hope of winning her hand. So he has grown pale. His heart is at the verge of breaking. One evening he is in his cottage. He is too much unhappy. It is raining heavily. A storm is also blowing. At such a time, Porphyria comes to meet him. Straight she goes into his embrace. She also tells him how passionately she loves him. But the man makes her yellow hair into one cord and strangles her to death. Her dead body lies in his arms. At this point, he starts telling his own moral sense why he has killed her.
Thought Content:
The lover tells his own conscience as follows: The rain starts early in the evening. He burns in the fire of Porphyria's love. He has no hope of winning her hand. So he is heart - broken. Just then she comes into his cottage. Immediately she shuts the door and blazes up the fire in the grate. Then she takes off her dripping wet clothes, hat, and gloves. Having let her damp hair fall, she comes over to him and sits beside him. She also calls him. But he makes no reply because of the great surprise caused by her untimely visit. Upon this, she puts his hand about her waist and also puts her nude shoulder to his lips. She also let fall all her yellow hair over his back. She then murmurs passionately that she loves him tenderly. That is why she has set at naught her modesty and all the restraints of society.
That is too much for the lover. He is too much happy. Suddenly the lover's jealousy arises in his heart. He decides to make her his own sweetheart forever. To his end, he takes all her yellow hair in his hand and twists them into one cord. After that he winds the cord of her hair about her neck three times. And then he strangles her to death. But he believes she felt no pain when she died.
Thereafter he unwinds the rope of her hair and opens her eyes. He notices that her eyes are happy and there is no sign of pain in them. He kisses her passionately. And he imagines that she blushes with shame, although she is dead. Keeping her in his arms, he sits all the night. He is also convinced that God has not passed any adverse judgment against his act of strangling her.
Lyrical Beauty:
The poem has been praised by a number of critics. Technically it is said to be a perfect lyric. George Saintsbury praises it for its lyrical beauty. But almost all critics point out a flaw in it. The lover twists Porphyria's yellow hair into a strong cord. Then he winds the twisted cord about her thin neck three times. Then he strangles her. As a matter of fact, he should wind the cord about her neck only once, in order to strangle her. Then her eyes should be open. For when a person is strangled to death, his eyes are open and bulge out. But he says they are shut. Supposing a woman can be strangled to death by means of a cord of her own hair. But she must struggle to free herself from being strangled. She must also feel great pain while dying. The signs of pain must appear on her face and in her eyes. But the lover says that she died “without a stain”. Is it possible? The lover is also a strange man. He kills his own sweetheart out of jealousy. He seems to be a bit insane. He may be called an abnormal character. Such men are rare in the civilized society.
Imagery in the Poem:
Poetic feeling is genuine. The lover's feelings are normal in the beginning. But they become intense and abnormal when he decides to strangle her. Henceforth his feelings are inhuman and even unbelievable. The imagery in the poem is little. In the first five lines, we perceive a rainy stormy night. The stormy wind tears down elm - tops. Then there is Porphyria's image. It is a matter - of - fact description. Then there comes a pretty image in a cruel situation. Dead Porphyria's half shut eyes are described as rose buds holding bees. Her face is rosy, so each of her half - shut eyes is a rose bud. Her irises are blue. They were like bees in rose buds.
Form and Structure of the Poem:
The poem is a dramatic monologue. In Browning's words, it is a dramatic romance. The lover's statement has not been divided into stanzas. The whole poem is made up of sixty lines. Yet, from the beginning, every set of five lines has one and the same rhyme which is: a b b a b b. Each poetic line is an iambic tetrameter. It is made up of four iambic feet. Monotony has been relieved by variations here and there.
The rhythm in the poem is iambic and sweet. It has been made stronger with the use of fluid words here and there. Consider the following lines:
“In one long yellow string I would
Three times her little throat around.”
The diction of the poem is simple, poetic, refined, and suitable. It is also lucid and natural. The style of the poem is classical in form and realistic in spirit. It is in search of representation after Realism.
On the whole, the poem entitled “Porphyria’s Lover” is a great poem. It has a sweep that carries the reader away into its own world. As a lyric, it is striking and of the first water. But the lover's cruel behaviour is shocking.
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