Robert Browning

"Porphyria's Lover" seems to be the most shocking monologue that Browning wrote. I found this work to be extremely weird, but by far the most attention-grabbing. The author lives in a cabin in the middle of no where, it seems. "When glided in Porphyria; straight she shut the cold out and the storm, and kneeled and made cheerless grate blaze up, and all the cottage warm" (p. 662). Then his lover, a young woman named Porphyria comes in from a storm and makes a fire to keep them warm. Porphyria seems very giving of herself to her lover. "She sat down by my side and called me. When no voice replied, she put my arm about her waist." I was not sure why her lover did not answer when she called him. I also thought it was interesting that after he says nothing she shows him that she wants to be with him by placing his arms around her. "And made her shoulder bare....Murmuring how she loved me--she too weak, for her heart's endeavour, to set its struggling passion free" (p. 662-663). She makes her shoulder bare for him and tells him how she feels about him. I interpreted the lines about her being too weak for her heart's endeavour to mean that it is not easy being in love with him. There could be many reasons why. Her family may not approve or he may have hurt her before. I could tell there was some strain on the relationship. "Porphyria worshipped me; surprise made my heart swell, and still it grew while I debated what to do." No matter the strain, her lover could tell from her words she spoke that she not only loved, but worshipped him. This made his heart swell to know how strongly she feels for him. "A thing to do, and all her hair in one long yellow string I wound three times her little throat around, and strangled her. No pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain." I was completely surprised when I read these lines. He had just realized how Porphyria cares for him and now he kills her. I did not understand why he would want to do such a thing. The way he did it was really weird. She had long blond hair and he strangled her with it. "I warily oped her lids: again....I propped her head up as before...Porphyria's love: she guessed not how.....And all night long we have not stirred, And yet God has not said a word!" Just to show what a real weirdo he is, he plays with her corpse after she is dead. He opens and closes her eye lids and then props her up beside him. He continues to sit there with her dead body through the night as if she is still alive and nothing ever happened. I feel that Porphyria's lover knows he has done is wrong. Murder is a grave sin. He mentions that God has not said a word. He must realize that sometimes we are punished for a bad deed when we least expect it.