Porphyria's Lover | Crime Poetry Flashcards
Who is it by?
Robert Browning
What is some of the Context?
Fallen Woman - A woman who lost her innocence before marriage & therefore fell from grace. Prevalent in 19thC Britain associated with prostitution.
Psychosis - a mental disorder where thoughts & emotions are so impaired that contact with reality is lost.
Porphyria - means purple in /greek, suggests a high status
What is its form?
Dramatic Monologue - personality is revealed unwillingly, showing the murderers thought process
Rhyme Scheme
ABABB - reflects speakers calmness, giving an eerie atmosphere. The unbalance reflects his psychosis but regularity shows self-awareness
Elements of Crime
Nature of the Criminal - wants to preserve love and to accomplish this he needs to kill her
Victims - fallen women or from a high status
Lack of Guilt - criminal seems more content with his actions and doesn’t show regret - justifiable death?
Setting - isolated setting away from society, presents the idea that there will be no justice or restoration of order
Language Techniques
Pathetic Fallacy - reflects his conflicted feelings for P, nature is against their relationship b/c of the difference in social class
Change in Tense - unknown how long they have been there emphasising his psychosis & how he doesn’t know what to do next
Repetition - reassurance that he did the right thing
Religious Vocab - puts himself higher than P, uses God to justify his actions
When glided…
in Porphyria
L6
She shut the…
cold out and the storm
L7
She put my arm around her waist/And…
made her smooth white shoulder bare…Stooping my cheek lie there
L16-19
at last I knew/…
Porphyria worshipped me
L32-33
I found a…
thing to do
L37-38
It’s love,
am gained instead
L55
Her darling one wish
would be heard
L57
yet God has…
not said a word!
L60
And thus
we sit together now
L58
