Robert Browning Porphyrias Lover

Robert Browning “ Porphyria’s Lover”

Robert Browning: Biography
1812-1889
Pauline pub. at age 21
Married poet Elizabeth Barrett in 1846
Elizabeth died in 1861
1869: The Ring and the Book pub.
Considered one of the great Victorian poets

Dramatic Monologue
Poem in which a single character (not the poet) delivers a speech
Speaker indirectly reveals his or her situation and character
A silent listener is often implied

What is Porphyria?
Archaic term for the color “purple” (Greek porphura , meaning “purple pigment”)
A disease characterized by overproduction of porphyrins
Causes urine to appear purple
Hallucinations, anxiety, depression, paranoia
Seizures
Abdominal pain
Receding gums
Pale skin
Vampires and werewolves?
Famous cases: George III, King of England; Mary, Queen of Scots; Vincent Van Gogh; King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon

“ Porphyria’s Lover”
Appeared in 1836
Earliest dramatic monologue
ABABB rhyme scheme
Iambic tetrameter
Tableau vivant

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Robert Browning Porphyrias Lover

by Dana Huff

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