Pure Murder: Motives and Character in "Porphyria's Lover"
Robert Browning’s poem “Porphyria’s Lover” is written in a first person narrative style. This narrator is the unnamed lover of the title character Porphyria. Because of the nature of the first person writing style, the reader cannot always trust the narrator, making them unreliable. In the case of “Porphyria’s Lover”, this fact makes the analysis of the character of the narrator even more ambiguous.
In the opening lines of the poem, Browning uses the literary technique pathetic fallacy to mirror the narrator’s feelings. The storm shows the reader the inner turmoil that he is feeling – he hears the storm and “listen[s] with heart fit to break.” (1411) This gives the appearance that he is wrestling gravely with something in his mind – something that is tearing him apart.
Coming through the storm like an angel, Porphyria appears and “shut the cold out and the storm” (1411) giving the idea that her appearance has stopped the inner struggle within the narrator, maybe he has come to a conclusion. Immediately after her entrance, Porphyria proceeds to make a fire even before she takes off her wet and sopping clothes. This action could show that the narrator never thought to make a fire himself, or that perhaps he preferred not to have one. Maybe sitting in the cold was a form of punishment for the deed he was contemplating.
After stoking the fire, Porphyria removed all of her wet clothing and called to the narrator, who didn’t reply. Not answering Porphyria’s call may signify that the narrator at this time was wary and perhaps a bit skittish. He doesn’t want to be near her anymore, he knows what they are doing is wrong. This causes Porphyria to make the first move, she “put [his] arm about her waist” (1412) and makes his head lie on her shoulder. In this position, the narrator tells us about Porphyria and her feelings – how she will not leave her high status to be with him. Instead they have to hide their love, causing her to lose her virtue and purity.
The narrator above all wants to save Porphyria – save her from the damnation she will receive from society and God, but at the same time he wants her for himself. As he gazed upon her, in pure happiness, he saw that she was his, “fair/Perfectly pure and good” (1412) and he came to a solution. He would keep her like this forever, she would be eternally pure. After strangling her, he tells us “No pain felt she/I am quite sure she felt no pain” (1412) this utterance reveals the only time throughout the poem that the narrator might not be one hundred percent sure of his actions.
After this lapse in certainty, he goes on to justify his action by describing how perfect she now looked. He describes her eyes being “without a stain” (1412) – she is no longer tainted with impurity. He then props her head up on his shoulder, showing that he is now in control of the situation, unlike before.
The insanity of the narrator cannot be denied, but one cannot almost help but feel a bit sorry for him. He feels trapped in the situation – he loves Porphyria, but he wants to do right by her, give her what she wants above all, to “give herself to [him] for ever” (1412). He gives her this wish, albeit in a very twisted and dark way - maybe in the only way he knows. In a sense, he kills two birds with one stone – he gives Porphyria “her darling one wish” (1412) and sends her to God cleansed of any ill deed. Supporting this is the last line: “And yet God has not said a word,” (1413) which implies that the narrator believes He does not disapprove of the narrator’s action.
In the opening lines of the poem, Browning uses the literary technique pathetic fallacy to mirror the narrator’s feelings. The storm shows the reader the inner turmoil that he is feeling – he hears the storm and “listen[s] with heart fit to break.” (1411) This gives the appearance that he is wrestling gravely with something in his mind – something that is tearing him apart.
Coming through the storm like an angel, Porphyria appears and “shut the cold out and the storm” (1411) giving the idea that her appearance has stopped the inner struggle within the narrator, maybe he has come to a conclusion. Immediately after her entrance, Porphyria proceeds to make a fire even before she takes off her wet and sopping clothes. This action could show that the narrator never thought to make a fire himself, or that perhaps he preferred not to have one. Maybe sitting in the cold was a form of punishment for the deed he was contemplating.
After stoking the fire, Porphyria removed all of her wet clothing and called to the narrator, who didn’t reply. Not answering Porphyria’s call may signify that the narrator at this time was wary and perhaps a bit skittish. He doesn’t want to be near her anymore, he knows what they are doing is wrong. This causes Porphyria to make the first move, she “put [his] arm about her waist” (1412) and makes his head lie on her shoulder. In this position, the narrator tells us about Porphyria and her feelings – how she will not leave her high status to be with him. Instead they have to hide their love, causing her to lose her virtue and purity.
The narrator above all wants to save Porphyria – save her from the damnation she will receive from society and God, but at the same time he wants her for himself. As he gazed upon her, in pure happiness, he saw that she was his, “fair/Perfectly pure and good” (1412) and he came to a solution. He would keep her like this forever, she would be eternally pure. After strangling her, he tells us “No pain felt she/I am quite sure she felt no pain” (1412) this utterance reveals the only time throughout the poem that the narrator might not be one hundred percent sure of his actions.
After this lapse in certainty, he goes on to justify his action by describing how perfect she now looked. He describes her eyes being “without a stain” (1412) – she is no longer tainted with impurity. He then props her head up on his shoulder, showing that he is now in control of the situation, unlike before.
The insanity of the narrator cannot be denied, but one cannot almost help but feel a bit sorry for him. He feels trapped in the situation – he loves Porphyria, but he wants to do right by her, give her what she wants above all, to “give herself to [him] for ever” (1412). He gives her this wish, albeit in a very twisted and dark way - maybe in the only way he knows. In a sense, he kills two birds with one stone – he gives Porphyria “her darling one wish” (1412) and sends her to God cleansed of any ill deed. Supporting this is the last line: “And yet God has not said a word,” (1413) which implies that the narrator believes He does not disapprove of the narrator’s action.
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