Porphyria's Lover Pear 4 Analysis (character)

Question 1

repetition “no pain”

Answer 1

Browning uses repetition to emphasise the persona’s insistence that Porphyria did not suffer and the fact that he is trying to reassure himself that what he did was justified and without cruelty.

Question 2

“As a shut bud that holds a bee”

Answer 2

The poet’s image “As a shut bud that holds a bee” is oddly sexual: just as a shut bud has not yet bloomed, so too Porphyria has been on the cusp of blossoming. Perhaps the wish of the speaker was to preserve her purity.

Question 3

“warily”

Answer 3

The fact that the speaker opened Porphyria’s eyes “warily” suggests his uncertainty and causes the reader to question whether he is in control of his actions.

Question 4

“laughed the blue eyes”

Answer 4

The phrase “laughed the blue eyes” is unusual personification of a dead body. Laughter suggests joy and therefore creates a sinister contrast with reality. This reminds us of the twisted and deranged mindset of the unreliable narrator.

Question 5

“without a stain”

Answer 5

The absence of “a stain” in Porphyria’s eyes once more evokes ideas of purity and sin.