Porphyria's Lover ❤️🔥😍 Flashcards
1
Q
What can you tell me about the title of ‘Porphyria’s lover’ ?
A
- the title was originally called porphyria which placed heavy focus on her, then changed it to madhouse cells and finally to porphyria’s lover.
- Is there a perhaps a forbidden relationship?
- it also has a motion that we don’t know who porphyria’s lover is, is his important gained through her and at the beginning of the poem, it seems that he belongs to her.
- porphyria’s name suggests she is a noble member of society, since purple is normally associated with the colour purple.
[although there is a power shift as the poem progresses]
2
Q
What else can you tell me about the title of ‘Porphyria’
A
- porphyria’s produce heme, which carries oxygen in the blood and porphyria is a rare disease, in which sufferers accumulate dangerous amounts of the chemical ‘porphyrins’
- ; acute systems cam include: paralysis, hallucinations and psychotic behaviour (madness) as porphyria is a disease that can cause psychotic behaviour.
3
Q
How do the 3 different titles affect your interpretation of the poem?
A
- Porphyria could simply just refer to the disease, not just the speaker’s lover.
- However, the title of madhouse cells, makes it clear to the reader that the speaker is insane; could it suggest that prejudice based on social classes + social status, is the cause of the speaker’s madness.
- Because by not allowing people to pursue their passions, their passions are transformed, recklessely. [a commentary on society]
- And the final title is Porphyria’s lover, so perhaps is the speaker so ill with Porphyria’s disease, that he hallucinates his lover- is the poem a hallucination itself?
4
Q
What can you tell me about the metre of ‘Porphyria’s lover’ ?
A
- the metre is iambic tetrameter [ eight syllables per line, with the stress on the second syllable]; at crucial moments in the play, the metre breaks down- does this perhaps reflect the speaker’s psychotic nature, or the internal conflict of the Porphria’s lover.
- For example, the metre changes at ‘I list-end with heart fit to break’- the stress now falls on heart fit, and then break.
- The speaker controls their punctuation and what they say- Browning never specifies whether the speaker is make or female; we assume the speaker is male because of the heterosexual norms in the Victorian era.
R= Moreover, if the speaker is male it affects the reader’s interpretation of the poem- by feeding into the gender stereotypes of males as dominant
5
Q
What can you tell me about the metre of ‘Porphyria’s lover’ ?
A
- The speaker controls their punctuation and what they say- Browning never specifies whether the speaker is make or female; we assume the speaker is male because of the heterosexual norms in the Victorian era.
R= Moreover, if the speaker is male it affects the reader’s interpretation of the poem- by feeding into the gender stereotypes of males as dominant
6
Q
‘The rain set early early in tonight…’ ‘tore the elm-tops down for spite’ ‘did it worst to vex the lake’ ‘sullen wind’
A
- The poet begins with pathetic fallacy + the use of this nature reflects human emotions- coupled with the adjective ‘vex’ and ‘sullen’, perhaps reflects the mood of the speaker; he’s upset + angry.
- Moreover, the vocabulary immediately creates an atmosphere that is unsettling- is the a reflection of the speaker? Vex means to bring physical distress- which is notable/interesting as the physical distress of the speaker is internal, then becomes external as he strangles Porphyria was her own her.
- ; sullen means resentfully silent- therefore the use of pathetic fallacy by Browning, foreshadows the poem- [he will murder Porphyria]
7
Q
What is the symbolism of the quote ‘the elm-tops’
A
- Elm trees symbolises strength + it leaves behind the trees that are the strongest: oak, alder and yew. Symbolically, elk trees are stronger than oak.
- ; elm strength is dark + heavy- it feeds on its primary instincts, instead of making decisions that are conscious.
- The elm tree has too much passion, it’s anger can become too unmanageable- it takes resources from nature: water, nutrients from the soil- like the elm tree feeds on instinct, is the speaker’s instinct to kill Porphyria instead of making a decision that is conscious.
8
Q
‘when glided in Porphyria’
A
- vocabulary changes from pathetic fallacy to her entrance. This is also heightened with the use of caesura, throughout stanza two.
- ; this also has an implication of royalty, that’s in a hierarchy-making Porphyria high status.
- L= verb- ‘glided’- women don’t usually move like this, so this been suggests that the speaker views Porphyria as angelic-like + a goddess as she ‘glided in’. He idolises her.
9
Q
‘when glided in Porphyria’
A
- vocabulary changes from pathetic fallacy to her entrance. This is also heightened with the use of caesura, throughout stanza two.
- ; this also has an implication of royalty, that’s in a hierarchy-making Porphyria high status.
- contrast to the weather= contrasts to the speakers’ missery/ gloomy mood.
10
Q
What can you tell me about the caesura, in Porphyria’s lover?
A
- ‘And, last, she sat down by my side And called me.’
- last is heavily emphasised- is it last, because he feels out out, the she hasn’t given him attention immediately [and reciprocated his feelings].
- The matter of fact tone appears to be quite psychotic Aswell since it’s controlled and calm.
11
Q
What can you tell me about the caesura, in Porphyria’s lover?
A
- ‘And, last, she sat down by my side And called me.’
- last is heavily emphasised- is it last, because he feels out out, the she hasn’t given him attention immediately [and
12
Q
What can you tell me about lines 12-25
A
- From lines 12-25, there is a use of polysndetic listing of ‘and’- this highlights Porphyria’s endless beauty; as the poem furthers it appears that the speaker is clearly starting to obesses over her, or is he perhaps objectifying Pohyrphria?
- I= Alternatively, it could add to the ever-growing frustration of the speaker with her
- R= And eventually it makes the reader feel the speakers’ frustation with Poryphria aswell.
13
Q
What can you tell me about the symbolism of the colour ‘yellow’ in Porphyria’s lover?
A
- studies have shown that the adjective ‘yellow’ + the meaning of it, is increased mental activity, Aswell as happiness.
- Furthermore, the colour yet also helps to build confidence which is interesting since symbolically, does it elicit the speakers confidence, allowing him to kill Porphyria ?
- Additionally, because the meaning of yellow is also increased mental activity, is this seen in the speaker, as we able to see his feelings + thoughts and see the description of Porphyria as her corpse is upon his shoulders, as he tells us the story of what has happened [through a monologue]
14
Q
Is Porphyria objectified?
A
- There are connotations of sexual imagery throughout the poem- sexually, is she too good for him?
- does the speaker know he is not good enough for her, as she is perceived to be of higher status than him [because the name Porphyria, suggets she has a noble status within society- which may perhaps be royalty]
15
Q
‘And spread, o’er, her yellow hair’
A
- perhaps Porphyria consumes him, as her yellow hair is spread all over the speaker. linking to the ‘burning’ kiss [since it nearly has imagery of fire]
- She is control at this point in the poem; the speaker subverts this as he kills her later in poem.
16
Q
‘And spread, o’er, her yellow hair’
A
- perhaps Porphyria consumes him, as her yellow hair consumes him- linking to the ‘burning’ kiss. She is control at this point in the poem; the speaker subverts this as he kills her later in poem.
17
Q
‘And, stooping, made my check lie there,”
A
- L= transitive verb- ‘stooping’- by stooping, is she doing this by lowering herself to his class since stoop means ‘to descend from a superior rank, dignity or status’.
L= coupled with the caesura around it..
R= makes the reader pay attention to it.
18
Q
‘To set its struggling passion free’
A
- L= oxymoron- Porphyria struggles with society, since there are connotations that she shouldn’t be with him.
- Or is it perhaps the struggling passion of the speaker, which then progresses into anaphora ‘But passion sometimes would prevail’ as he prevails passion.
L= ‘But’- conjunction- changes the mood of the poem
- Prevail means to gain ascendancy through strength or superiority- this is the point where the speaker subverts the power that Porphyria currently has.
19
Q
‘Perfectly pure and good’
A
- the speaker has murdered her, yet tries to deny what he has done by using a euphemism- he refers to the murder as a ‘thing’ and then tries to justify her actions, claiming that Porphyria felt ‘no pain’
- L= plosive alliteration- emphasises her sexual purity= her sexual virginity.
19
Q
‘Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss’
A
- plosive b sounds infers/suggest violence- he has strangled her; hasn’t payed attention to that + seems to dismiss it, as it what he did isn’t a huge deal.
- the speaker kisses the dead boy + the kiss is metaphorically described as burning, because it reflects his passion for Porphyria.
- Moreover, Porphyria is described as still alive and ‘blushing’ which juxtaposes with what the speaker has dome to her, since he’s strangled Porphyria.
19
Q
What other alternative interpretations can we say about the quote ‘Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss’ ?
A
- the plosive b sounds could also reflect the internal rage of the speaker, as he may be losing control internally.
- ; burning could relate to a sexual reference- once again highlighting, how perhaps she is too much for the speaker? Or a sex the speakers driving force towards murder, as there a reference to necrophillia at the end of thei poem.
- L= alliteration- emphazises her blushing cheeks, because its as if Porphyria is still alive in the speaker’s mind and blushing.
20
Q
What can you tell me about the internal conflict of the speaker?
A
- the internal of the speaker furthers in the poem, with the clear contrast of ‘free’ [stanza 4] and ‘restrain’ [stanza 5]- is he perhaps restraining his true feelings (instead of verbalising them), which then violently outburts into him killing her.
- Or does he restrain Porphyria, by restraining her- as the speaker kills her, and then keeps her body- the speaker controls her.
20
Q
‘That moment she was mine, mine, fair’ ‘Perfectly pure and good’ ‘no pain’
A
- L= ominous + sinister repetition, suggests he views her as an object, further emphasising the speaker’s possessive nature; it also highlights how desperate he is to hold onto Porphyria’s love.
- the speaker then murders her, and tries to deny what he has done by using a euphemism- he refers to the murder as a ‘thing’ and then tries to justify his actions, claiming that Porphyria felt ‘no pain’- or perhaps, he’s trying to reassure himself.
- D= On a deeper level, this description is - unusual, since it involves one person strangling another; her struggle isn’t described- so perhaps the speaker is trying to portray himself as Porphyria’s saviour [as he sanitises the truth]
20
Q
‘That moment she was mine, mine, fair’ ‘Perfectly pure and good’ ‘no pain’
A
D= On a deeper level, by stating ‘That moment’ was mine, it implies he’s afraid of losing her, therefore it might suggests because of this he kills her- since he wants to posses Porphyria forever
L= alliteration- ‘perfectly pure’- reflects how the speaker wants Porphyria’s virginity to be metaphorically perfect and ‘pure’- but this is ironic/paradoxical since Porphyria is not a virgin anymore. She is only pure in the speaker’s mind as she ‘worshipped’ him.
21
Q
What else can we say about the quote ‘Blushed beneath my burning kiss’ ?
A
- it suggests that Porphyria perhaps feels satisfied/fulfilled [from the speaker’s perspective]; in reality, its just suffering, instead of satisfaction.
- L= the use of a lexical field of hellfire, ,au also lead to the fact he feels anger/hatred/malice, from the speaker since he feels betrayed.
22
Q
Why can’t the speaker name the fact, he murdered Porphyria?
A
- he doesn’t care, as he labels it as ‘a thing to do’ , he only cares that he has possessed Porphyria for all eternity.
