Porphyria’s lover:
Like ‘My Last Duchess’, this poem is an example of a dramatic monologue – a poem in which the impression the speaker unwittingly gives is rather different from the picture they intend to present. Initially, the poem appears to be built around a contrast between the storm outside and the cosy domestic scene within the cottage that Porphyria and her lover share. But there are unsettling notes from the very start –the storm is strangely personified in terms of sullenness, ‘spite’ and anger, and the speaker is for some reason so moved by it that his heart is ‘fit to break’ (5), while – on the other hand – when Porphyria arrives, he is entirely passive and all but emotionless. A psychological reading of the poem would
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Paradoxically, Porphyria is presented by the speaker as more alive than she ever was when living – a paradox which maintains our sense of his derangement. Where once she merely ‘murmur[ed]’ (21), now her blue eyes ‘laugh... without a stain’ (45);instead of the somewhat marmoreal ‘smooth white shoulder bare’ (17), we now have a cheek ‘blushed bright beneath [a] burning kiss’ (48); and in the space of nine lines the ‘shut bud’ (43) has developed into a ‘smiling rosy little head’ (52), as if Porphyria is a flower at last in bloom. It is at the end of line 51 that we get a second sudden revelation – the first being her death – that forces us to re-evaluate our picture of the lover: that she is propped up beside him as he speaks to us. If anything, this increases our horror, particularly as so important a piece of information has been so casually delayed by the speaker and for so long. A comparison with our earlier picture of the couple is interesting: once she brought him, entirely passive, to rest on her ‘smooth white shoulder bare’ (17) –frequently used by Victorians as a euphemism for the breasts, and clearly an erotic detail for him – before covering the submissive lover with her hair; now instead it is his shoulder that bears her head. There is a second, similar shift in power: once he was entirely silent; now his voice is the only one heard. But
The authors use characterization to show how the attitudes of both General Zaroff and the narrator of “Porphyria’s Lover”are taken over by this desire of power over other people. In the story “The Most Dangerous Game”, General Zaroff and Rainsford are talking about hunting. Zaroff says how he has gotten bored of hunting just animals, even the vicious jaguars. He thinks no animal is a match for him. Zaroff then leads into telling Rainsford that he hunts man. Zaroff then says, “The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth…” (Connell: Page 35). General Zaroff believes that the weak people of the world were put here to entertain the strong people. He believes in the power that the stronger people have over the weaker people. He is a very cocky person, particularly over his hunting, making him feel even more entitled to that power. Zaroff loves the power he thinks he has over people, especially over whom he is hunting. In the poem “Porphyria’s Lover”, Porphyria comes home from a long day. Her presence warms the cottage as she sits down next to her lover. The narrator then starts saying weird things about Porphyria. He then says,“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” (Browning: Lines 22-25). The narrator wants Porphyria all to himself. She seems to be the one in control of their relationship but, the narrator wants to be the one in control and have that power over her. He is very obsessive and psychotic, which are the characteristics that led him to murdering his lover. Both characters have many characteristics like obsession and cockiness, that makes them want that power and control over the people around them. This characterization shows how needing that power and control leads them to making bad decisions.
The atmospheric conditions may represent the hardships that the couple had to go through in their relationship, and may also be used contrast the unpredictability of the outside world compared to the steady relationship that the couple have. ‘A Youth Mowing’ is also a poem about relationships, this time it is between a younger couple. The river ‘Isar’ is a symbol of freedom, it represents the way that the men’s lives are. However, this sense of liberty is broken by the ‘swish of the scythe-strokes’ as the girl takes ‘four sharp breaths.’ Sibilance is used to show that there is a sinister undertone to the freedom that the boy has which will be broken by the news that his girlfriend is bringing. She feels guilty for ‘what’s in store,’ as now the boy will have to be committed to spending the rest of his life with her, and paying the price for the fun that they had.
Indeed, her entire speech within the poem is negative, detailing how Porphyro is a "traitor" to the ritual of St. Agnes, since he is not the vision she had previously seen. Instead, Porphyro displays obsessive behaviour in the face of such negativity hiding in a cupboard and laying out a full meal demonstrating behaviour "consistent with being a voyeur". Certainly, Porphyro 's speech patterns suggest an overexcitement perhaps brought on by unfamiliarity. Although this may also be brought on by the supposed consummation of their love, the splintered syntax of "This is no dream, my bride, my Madeline!" suggests a certain desperation to convince Madeline of their love in spite of her obvious unhappiness. However, the castle 's becoming the "final tomb" of romance is alluded to directly after the sexual encounter between the two, with the suggestion that "St. Agnes ' moon hath set". The unsuccessful conclusion of the superstition appears to have led to the ritual 's death, and with Porphyro 's voyeuristic and obsessive behaviour, any notion of romance.
The poet also evokes sympathy and compassion in us through her powerful descriptions of the girl 's fragile state of mind. Her perceptions of how she looks and what is important have been warped by anorexia. We might conclude that perhaps her husband has left her as she used to wear a 'gold band ' and the final lines tell us that 'it 'll be worth it to see his face. ' This causes us to consider that perhaps she wants the man in her life who has left her to see her now that she has controlled her weight. Her mental condition does not allow her to see that she is not attractive. She strives to have some kind of control over her life and thinks that controlling her eating is doing this, whereas the opposite is true. This idea is further developed by her use of personification in 'going where the wind dictates. ' This image emphasise just how powerless she is- she has no control over where she goes as she is so
The loss of a loved one is perhaps the most difficult experience that humans ever come up against. The poem Porphyria’s Lover, written by Robert Browning, adds a sense of irony to this. At the most superficial layer, the speaker’s in both Porphyria’s Lover and Neutral Tones, written by Thomas hardy, both deal with loss. The tones in Neutral Tones seem to be indifferent, or Neutral. Porphyria’s Lover speaker ends up murdering his beloved at the end the poem. While this isn’t the case with the speaker in Neutral Tones, the two speakers are much more similar than we might think. The speaker in Neutral Tones doesn’t outright murder his lover, but there is a considerable amount of disdain and contempt towards his supposed lover. The speaker in Porphyria’s Lover is quite obviously a disturbed man, the sinister nature of the speaker in Neutral Tones, however, is not as clear. Delving further into this idea, I will also discuss other obscure parallels throughout the two poems.
The use of symbolism and imagery is beautifully orchestrated in a magnificent dance of emotion that is resonated throughout the poem. The two main ideas that are keen to resurface are that of personal growth and freedom. Furthermore, at first glimpse this can be seen as a simple poem about a women’s struggle with her counterpart. However, this meaning can be interpreted more profoundly than just the causality of a bad relationship.
The poem’s structure as a sonnet allows the speaker’s feelings of distrust and heartache to gradually manifest themselves as the poem’s plot progresses. Each quatrain develops and intensifies the speaker’s misery, giving the reader a deeper insight into his convoluted emotions. In the first quatrain, the speaker advises his former partner to not be surprised when she “see[s] him holding [his] louring head so low” (2). His refusal to look at her not only highlights his unhappiness but also establishes the gloomy tone of the poem. The speaker then uses the second and third quatrains to justify his remoteness; he explains how he feels betrayed by her and reveals how his distrust has led him
He describes the love he feels towards her and her love towards him. He gets more excited and happy as the poem goes on. “She’ll run upstairs through the decaying porch burning with love and happiness." (453, Yevtushenko). Although things have changed and gotten old, she still burns with love at the idea of seeing him. He continues on, getting more heartfelt and emotional. He describes what happens when they finally embraced. “She’ll run dripping upstairs, she won’t knock, will take my head in her hands.” (453, Yevtushenko). His lover didn’t even bother covering herself from the rain when she ran in because she was too excited to see him after so long. He explains that only she understands him. He does not worry about how much he has changed over the years, he believes that even if they had changed, they would still love each other regardless. “Will understand my fears, observe my changes.” (453, Yevtushenko). He has absolute love and trust in her, and rests his entire entity with
Usually a storm creeps upon us, hits a luminous climax, and then fades away into nothingness. In The Storm, Kate Chopin develops a parallel between a rainstorm and an emotional storm in a woman’s life. Chopin uses symbolism to depict the feelings of relationships that are as unpredictable as that of a raging storm.
Porphyria’s Lover and The Laboratory “Porphyria’s Lover” and “The Laboratory” both deal with crimes of passion. Explore ways Browning explains ways of obsessive nature of his character and analysis the effects of literary techniques. “Porphyria’s Lover” is a poem about a crime and passion. Porphyria is a young, wealthy girl who seems to have abandoned her family’s tradition of choosing wealthy men as lovers. Her lover remains anonymous, this could be because he has murdered her and does not want his name releasing.
The disjunction of the mother and her son provides the external conflict. The speaker talks about how the child is being forcefully taken away from his slave mother. For example, the speaker talks about how the “cruel hands” (21) take away the only thing that makes her “breaking heart” (24) complete. Most of the conflict can be visualized by the vivid imagery that the speaker provides. The reader is given the visual image of “the look of grief and dread” (3) in which the mother can be seen with. Also, the reader can see how the woman’s son “clings to her side” (14) because he is looking for safety beside his mother. The reader can hear the “bitter shrieks” (37) of the mother as she was dealing with the agony of the broken bond between her and her child. The sound demonstrates the suffering that slavery brings upon the mothers. There are figurative images that emphasis the idea that the descriptive imagery shows. One of the metaphors that is used is when the speaker states, “his love has been a joyous light”. This can let the reader conclude that the mother certainly needs her child in order to be content. However, with the pain of seeing her son go, the event is devastating to her. Personification is utilized in the poem by depicting that the “bitter shrieks” (37) of the mother are so full of sorrow that they “disturb the listening air”
look at but he feels as if the Duchess takes him for granted and she
To start off the analysis, the setting of the entire poem is significant. Though the poem takes place in a house, the atmosphere the house is set in is also important. The month is September which is a month of fall which can be seen as a symbol for decline. It definitely insinuates that the poem is leading towards death. Line 1 has “September rain falls on the house” which gives the feeling of a dark and cold night with a storm on top of that. To further develop that, Bishop gives us the failing light in line 2 to also give us an idea of the grandmother’s struggle. Bishop uses the cyclical theme of changing seasons to show the unending nature of what is transpiring within the
Despite the flowing syntax, the poem has a clear and predictable structure to replicate the persona’s calm familiarity with experiencing and answering to “storms” in their life. It is interesting to note that even though parlous weather is on its way, there is a lack of panic, chaos, and anomalies in the structure of the poem. There continues to be seven lines in each stanza throughout the piece;