Porphyria's Lover Analysis

‘Porphyria's Lover’ shows the shift of power in a loving relationship. The poem begins by telling us that the speaker is sitting around in his cottage listening to a storm outside, ‘The rain set in early tonight, the sullen wind was soon awake’. Waiting for Porphyria to enter, ‘I listened with heart fit to break’ this here shows that the reader was in some way obsessed with her Porphyria, I say this because he sounds like he is on the edge of desperation to see her as he says his ‘heart fit to break’, this may mean that he may feel heartbroken if she does not turn up at his cottage. The speaker seems to be rather helpless, as he does not make much of an effort to greet Porphyria, who is his lover, as she enters into the cottage ‘and called me. When no voice replied’ In fact this shows that he is not only obsessed but he has some ignorance in him, It also shows that he has power on his side as he does not reply to her, it also give the reader an impression that the speaker looks down on Porphyria, that he thinks higher of himself. However, it shows a sign of resentfulness as if he is almost trying to put a point across that he doesn’t want her, that he doesn’t want to speak to her. ‘She put my arm about her waist’, Porphyria had to put her arm around him, ‘stoop’ to place his head on her shoulder, perhaps implying that he will not or cannot return any form of loving gestures, maybe because he has not acknowledged what is happening because he has a mental issue. Porphyria confesses her love for the speaker, ‘Murmuring how she loved me’, Porphyria's confession of love then seem to imply that, she does love him, but she cannot take herself away from other things in her life, therefore cannot be with him. ‘She too weak, for all her heart's endeavour, to set its struggling passion free from pride, and vainer ties dissever, And give herself to me forever.’ This may mean the Porphyria and the speaker are having an affair; this may be the reason to why the speaker strangled Porphyria with ‘Long yellow string’ like hair.
IN SHAKESPEARS MACBETH STRONG LANGUAGE DEVICES ARE USED TO SHOW EMOTION THROUGH HIS AMBTIOUS CHARACTERS, THESE CHARACTERS CAN BE COMPARED TO THE NARRATER IN ROBERT BROWINGS PORPHYRIAS LOVER WHO’S EMOTIONS OF LOVE TOWARDS HIS LOVER BECOME TOO MUCH FOR HIM TO HANDLE.