Preview

Porphyria's Lover Figurative Language

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
470 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Porphyria's Lover Figurative Language
“Porphyria's Lover” by Robert Browning Robert Browning was born May 7th, 1812 in Camberwell England. He grew up relatively financial stable with both his parents being positive influence into his life. Browning was interested in books and so forth from a small age. He eventually met his wife, Elizabeth Barrett, who was a already known and rather upper class person and a fellow poet/writer. After research it was found that this story was not always named “Porphyria’s Lover”. Although the poem was publicized in 1863 it was not until it was published in a magazine that it was named “Porphyria’s Lover”. A similar poem that Browning wrote was “ My Last Dutchess” which had a similar plot. It goes to show that most of Browning’s monologue is based on some sort of disturbed theme, which makes one …show more content…
The first figurative language seen is personification, “sullen wind was soon awake,” and “and did it worst to vex the lake.” Personification is what is used mostly to describe the scenery and give life to things that are none living. As the poem goes on we see a great deal of symbolization. One of which include the “yellow hair” that Porphyria possesses. The speaker stresses her yellow, or blond, hair a lot and makes it seem that he has a fetish with her hair. It also symbolizes that Porphyria was most likely fair skinned or white. A second out going symbol is “the storm”. This symbolized the mentality of the speaker before the plot plays out. The speaker already had a vicious and negative mentality even before Porphyria arrived at the cottage. The “cuddling by the fire” was also a significant symbol. This showed that the romance was so strong that before the speaker had his head on her shoulders; whiles after he killed her, they changed positions and her head was on his shoulders. The fireplace is a place of romance and protection from

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Macbeth’s emotions in Act 1 Scene 7 contrast to the lack of emotion in ‘Porphyria’s Lover’. The speaker says: “No pain felt she, / I am quite sure she felt no pain.” This may suggest that the speaker is too full of the lack of emotion towards their lover, that they thought that when s/he was strangling their lover, their lover felt no pain and was possibly happy with what they were doing.…

    • 150 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this analysis, I will be comparing Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, Robert Browning’s ‘The Laboratory’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’. All of these texts include one or more villainous characters.…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Robert Browning’s dramatic monologues Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess contain many thematic similarities, despite portraying different scenarios, primarily spoken through a possessive and jealous man. In Porphyria’s Lover a man waits in his cottage for Porphyria. Her arrival “shut[s] the cold out and the storm” both literally and metaphorically. Porphyria confesses her undying love for the speaker, who, “happy and proud”, that Porphyria…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Porphyria's lover" (PL) and "The laboratory" (TL) are two dramatic monologues written by Robert Browning. Browning uses a range of techniques to reveal the characters psyche. The characters are both insane and deluded but have big differences, such as one of them is sadistic and the other suffering from subconscious guilt. I will be discussing the techniques that Browning uses to reveal his characters in PL and TL.…

    • 951 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Porphyria’s Lover takes place in a cottage on a stormy night. Porphyria arrives to her lover’s home and begins to seduce him as “she rose, and from her form/Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl/and lid her soiled gloves by (10-12)”. Her lover is undergoing an internal struggle debating in his head whether or not Porphyria loves him. The couple appears to be cuddling while her lover looks into her eyes and feels “happy and proud; at last I knew Porphyria worshiped me (32-33)”. Porphyria’s lover then proceeds to strangle her with her own hair. Her lover opens her eyes after she has died and props her up against his body thinking about the even that just took place.…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In Porphyria’s lover a man sits alone in his cold cottage, longing for his lover. She walks in after traveling far, through harsh conditions. He looks at her he realises how much she loves him but due to the conditions in the Victorian era they cannot marry, presumably due to class divide. In his deluded mind he finds a solution. He wraps her hair round her neck three times and strangles her. He cuddles with her corpse in front of the fire, happy that he has answered her wish. They can finally stay together without interruption in his secluded cottage.…

    • 1518 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The ways in which the poems begin are quite different. In ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ Robert Browning starts by setting the scene, the mood at the beginning of the poem is very cold and gloomy as he describes the weather outside, using a personification of the wind, ‘the sullen wind was soon awake,’ but then as Porphyria enters the room the mood changes at once bringing warmth to poem, ‘When glided in Porphyria; straight She shut the cold out and the storm, And kneeled and made the cheerless grate Blaze up, and all the cottage warm,’ I think this contrast in settings is very powerful and gives the reader a vivid but simple picture in their head. Whereas in ‘My last duchess’ I think that mood is quite bleak and stays like that throughout the poem as the Duke begins by showing off a painting of his wife to a guest and says that she looks as if she were alive, this immediately tells us that she is dead.…

    • 1071 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Throughout history, the prevalence of evil and its good counterpart has become increasingly evident; beyond that, the physical and emotional conflict between the two has led to many controversial and brutal internal and external conflicts. This phenomena is made clear in several selections of various media-types, such as Macbeth by Shakespeare, “Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, and "How One Notorious Serial Killer Got Caught" by Charles Monaldo. In each, characteristics of individuals are clearly altered through the influence of evil, yet in most cases, good ultimately overcomes these new-bred flaws. Oftentimes these evil characteristics that the individuals come to possess are masked…

    • 1706 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    A monster is defined as something which inspires horror and disgust and is shockingly hideous or frightful. The characters of both males in 'Porphyria's Lover' and 'My Last Duchess' definitely give the impression of fitting this description, as they both commit, or at least command the committing of murders. They are also controlling of the women in their lives and crave power over them – in both cases, the woman behaving in a way the man does not approve of is the reason for their demise. The characterisation of these men as monsters is further justified by their lack of remorse for their acts; the man in 'Porphyria's Lover' argues that it was for her own good, and the man in 'My Last Duchess' is proudly recounting his actions to an envoy, showing he does not regret what he has done. The only possible redeeming feature of the man in 'Porphyria's Lover' is his insanity, as it could be argued that due to his mental instability he is not responsible for his own actions, and perhaps in 'My Last Duchess' the Duke may feel a shred of guilt for what he has done, which would not redeem him, but would make him less despicable and monstrous.…

    • 1751 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although the era was a likely influence Undeniably In both pieces, the speakers appear to be greatly deluded. The fact that there is no addressee in “Porphyria’s Lover”, highlights “the insanity and loneliness of the criminal” (Paccaud-Huguet 94). The lover further Psychotic. Why did porphyria have to come in and start a fire? Why wasn’t it already started? Why was he sitting in the dark? Further more the cold. Says something about the lover. Either in deep thought or just plain mad. The wife had paranoia, browning depicts this in his rhyme and repetition “laugh laugh at me”…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The “Color Purple” and “Porphyria’s Lover”, a poem by Robert Browning, are very thematically similar. Both have very closely related but different examples to show the effects and the power of possession.…

    • 2187 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Man of Design

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Robert Fulton was born on November 14, 1765. His parents were immigrants from Ireland and came to Pennsylvania. They owned a farm, but lost it because they could not afford it. They moved to Lancaster, PA. His dad died there in 1774. He learned to read and write at home, and at 8 years old he went to a Quaker school. At a young age Robert Fulton was talented. He was an artist and at 10 years old, he did design work for gunsmiths. At 17 years old, he went to Philadelphia. He worked in a jewelry store as an apprentice. He worked with lockets, but he was well known for miniature painting. He had met Benjamin Franklin, becoming friends with him, and painted his portrait. He got paid a lot of money and moved his mom on a farm he bought.…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author uses many literary elements in the short story. Some are personification, imagery, and similes. Personification is stated in the line that follows: "she was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression," This element shows how strongly she is in repression. It makes the reader actually feel how depressing her life with her husband was. She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. "The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves." Imagery is portrayed in these sentences. By using imagery, the author can help the reader see and feel the environment the character is in. This helps the reader understand the poem on a next level. "She carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory". The author uses simile to describe how calm and happy she is now. She really feels free of all negative vibes now.…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Browning uses a number of different narrative techniques to tell the story in Porphyria’s Lover.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Browning’s poem “Porthyria’s Lover” tells a story of a murder seen through the eyes of Porphyria’s lover- the murderer. It takes place on a rainy night, in the speaker’s home, where he sits alone in the dark until Porphyria’s arrival. She lights the fire place, takes off her garments and sits by her lover whispering how much he loves him. He then decides to strangle her with her hair, after which he lays her head once again on his shoulder and they sit as they are for the rest of the night. The poem might be influenced by Browning’s own inner thoughts and feelings, since during his lifetime he has been less appreciated as an author compared to his wife.…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays