This document provides an in-depth analysis of the poem "Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning. It examines the poetic devices, form, structure, imagery, tone, and context of the work. The analysis notes that the poem tells the story of a psychopath calmly murdering his lover through its use of an unusual rhyme scheme, dramatic monologue form, and disturbing yet calm narrative voice. It also explores how the poem reflects Victorian social attitudes and Browning's interest in exploring twisted psychology through his dramatic monologues.

1. PLASTICPoetryNotes – GCSE EnglishLiterature PastandPresent:PoetryAnthology –Love andRelationships –Porphyria’sLoverp.18
Poetic devices and their effects – form (ballad,
sonnet,free verse, dramatic monologue),alliteration,
rhyme, rhythm, onomatopoeia,
Verytightlycontrolled eight-syllable lines, rhyming
alternatelybut with a rhyming couplet everyfifthline ababb
Establishes a relentlesslyregular rhythm, suggesting some
kind of inevitabilitywhichsuits the subject matter of
psychopath calmlyslaughtering their lover! The five-line
pattern is unusual andadds an uncomfortable tone –
something is amiss.
Rhyming keywords emphasise important ideas – ‘night’,
‘’spite’. The rhyming couplet everyfifthline adds, ironically,
disharmony
Although the rhyme scheme is veryregular, it does not really
fit the syntax. The rhymingcouplets donot end a stanza, as is
conventional, but occur inthe middle ofsentences,
sometimes withenjambment. This is ‘masculine rhyme’ –
onlythe last syllable of the words rhyme (‘endeavour’,
‘dissever’. All adds a sense of disharmonybecause the rules
aren’t being followed.
Dramatic monologue Interesting because we are told the storyfrom the
perspective ofthe crazypsychopath – whoseeshis actions as
completelynormal. There is a silent listener impliedhere – as
if he is talking directlyto us, the reader. Or to himself? He is
an unreliable narrator as there is noother viewpoint.
Language and its effects – what sortof words are in
the poem? Violent,loving, colloquial,archaic,semantic
fields,diction,religious,romantic language
Settingof stormyweather at the beginning establishesthe
uncomfortable tone
A certain amountofpathetic fallacy here – the weather
perhaps reflecting the speaker’s passionate feelings
abouthis lover, creates a threatening,ominous
atmosphere.
Repetitionof ‘mine, mine’ inline 36 – adds a hint ofmadness Here we hear the madvoice of the speaker with a hint of
triumphas he has his idea to kill his lover and keepher. Until
now, she hasseemed dominant inthe relationship, but this is
all about to change.
Alliteration line 37 ‘perfectlypure’ sounds rather clippedand
proper. However the title ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ emphasisesthat
this is a forbiddenrelationship, anillicit affair.
Emphasises the perfectionthat the lover observes and wants
to preserve for ever, which is impossible in life.
‘When glided in’ Poetic inversion – whenthe word order is not as you would
expect. This emphasisesthe word ‘glided’ andmakes
Porphyria soundsomewhat ethereal andother-worldly, but

2. PLASTICPoetryNotes – GCSE EnglishLiterature PastandPresent:PoetryAnthology –Love andRelationships –Porphyria’sLoverp.18
also veryactive andpowerful.
Alternative interpretations – Can quotations be read in
two ways for different meanings?
‘yellow hair’ repeated lines 18 and20 Could be describing her natural beauty, emphasising that she
is a lovelyblonde – yet ‘golden’ wouldbe more beautiful –
there is something unpleasant about the ‘yellow’; it is alsoa
clue, this emphasison the hair foreshadowing that the lover
is about to strangle her with it.
‘too weak’ line 22 Could suggest she is physicallyweak, but also emotionally
weak, that for some reason she cannot be withher lover
because social pressures prevent it. Maybe she is ofa higher
socialclass thanhim and expectedto marrysomeone of
equal status.
‘’And yet God has not said a word!’ We don’t know what the speaker expects Godto say –
maybe to punish him for murder. Or to congratulate himfor
at last allowingthe lovers to be together?
Structure and its effects – tonal shifts,pace, caesura,
what rhyme stresses,beginning, middle,end,repetition,
dialogue and where ithappens,enjambment
Structured a little like a ballad, chronologicallytellinga story It is onlyat the end that we realise the speaker is narrating
the storyfrom the endpoint as he has sat all night withhis
deadlover’s headlollingon hisshoulder. Verydramatic and
horrifying for the reader.
Enjambment inmanyof the lines – ‘straight/She shut the
cold out andthe storm’
Suggests continuous movement, reflecting the motion in this
case of Porphyria as she bustles about lighting the fire etc.
Propels the storyrelentlesslyforward.
Veryclear progressions witheachpatternof five lines – the
settingoutside; Porphyria’s arrival;her attempt to speak to
the speaker;her act of putting his head onher shoulder;
explaining how she cannot give up her life andbe withhim,;
his realisation that she loves him;hisidea and act of
strangling her with her own hair;his preparation ofthe body
– first openingthe eyes;then untyingthe hair andpropping
up her headonhis shoulder;his reassuringhimself that he
has done the right thing.
Chronological structure, simple narrative toldinquite a
charming style, makingthe actual murder all the more cold-
bloodedandhorrifying to the reader, as the speaker narrates
is as quite a harmless act ‘no pain felt she’. Ironically,
Porphyria places her lover’s headonher shoulder at the
beginning of the poem;he thendoesthe same to her
corpse’s head after he has murdered her. There is a clear
shift inpower from Porphyria to her lover.
‘And strangledher.’ Caesura emphasises the suddenandfinal nature of the
murder, whichuntil this moment is narrated ina verymatter-
of-fact waywithout a change in rhythm.
Tone and its effects – talking about moods which are
Quiet, matter-of-fact narrative with anunderlyingtone of Exemplifies the psychopathic nature of the speaker – at once

3. PLASTICPoetryNotes – GCSE EnglishLiterature PastandPresent:PoetryAnthology –Love andRelationships –Porphyria’sLoverp.18
evoked and where, narrative voice
desperation:‘withheart fit to break’ line 5;‘struggling
passion’ (foreshadows the strangling)
calm andyet with an underlyingdesperation
‘she shut…And kneeledandmade’; ‘she rose…And laid…sat
down…andcalled’
Initiallyall the action is Porphyria, withthe narrator a
completelypassive observer – gives a sense of himstalking
her somewhat, veryunnerving. She seems verypowerful –
not the typicalsubmissive Victorianwoman.
‘tonight’s gayfeast’ Sets up a contrast from the partyPorphyria has come from to
the odd, silent, ‘cheerless’ meeting place
Imagery and its effects - metaphor,simile,
personification,visual sense
Aspects ofweather personified:‘sullen wind’, ‘tore…for spite’ Perhaps reflects the speaker’s ownfeelings, as he alsoseems
sullen yet violent
‘as a shut bud that holds a bee’ line 43 Veryodd simile to describe the deadPorphyria’s eyes, as if
the speaker is expecting something to shoot out ofher eyes
and hurt him…
‘blushed bright beneath myburningkiss’ line 48 Alliteration and the metaphor ‘burning’ is juxtaposedwith
the coldat the beginning ofthe poem, symbolisesthe killer’s
passion, and is ironic as the corpse cannot blushnow. His
fantasyhas takenover, perhaps. Here the lover lists
Porphyria’s physical elements – eyes, neck, cheeks, head.
This is conventional in a courtlylove poem, but here takes a
more sinister, ironic tone as she is a corpse.
Context – authorial,social and historical
RobertBrowning (1812-1889) Browning was a very famous Victorian poet. This is
importantbecause the poem reflects Victorian attitudes
to women (seen as passive and powerless often) and to
class (very important – you did not easilymarry outside
your own class).‘Pophyria’ is typical of Browning’s
dramatic monologues – he often focused on twisted,
morbid psychological states. ‘Porphyria’ is a disease
that can resultin madness,butwhich also can make the
skin turn a purple colour.