Porphyria's Lover (Complete Edition): A Psychological Poem from one of the most important Victorian poets and playwrights, regarded as a sage and ... The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Paracelsus…

by Robert Browning

"Porphyria's Lover" is Browning's first ever short dramatic monologue, and also the first of his poems to examine abnormal psychology. In the poem, a man strangles his lover – Porphyria – with her hair. Porphyria's lover then talks of the corpse's blue eyes, golden hair, and describes the feeling of perfect happiness the murder gives him. Although he winds her hair around her throat 3 times to throttle her, the woman never cries out. The poem uses a somewhat unusual rhyme A,B,A,B,B, the final repetition bringing each stanza to a heavy rest.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, School, Romance, Fiction, College, Read For School

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1842

About the author

Robert Browning (1812-1889) was a British poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.

Browning began writing poetry at age 13. These poems were eventually collected, but were later destroyed by Browning himself. In 1833, Browning's "Pauline" was published and received a cool reception. Harold Bloom believes that John Stuart Mill's review of the poem pointed Browning in the direction of the dramatic monologue.

In 1845, Browning wrote a letter to the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, professing that he loved her poetry and her. In 1846, the couple eloped to Europe, eventually settling in Florence in 1847. They had a son Pen.

Upon Elizabeth Barrett Browning's death in 1861, Browning returned to London with his son. While in London, he published Dramatis Personae (1864) and The Ring and the Book (1869), both of which gained him critical priase and respect. His last book Asolando was published in 1889 when the poet was 77.

In 1889, Browning traveled to Italy to visit friends. He died in Venice on December 12 while visiting his sister.

Reviews

[♀ ☾ ✧ the dragon queen ✧ ☾ ♀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

robby b sure does love killing women in his poems

[Neha Azhar-Fahad · Rating 5 out of 5]

So twisted and creepy. I think Browning just might have become my favorite poet after Keats and Yeats.

[灰 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have nothing against the poem it’s just not memorable. The concept is captivating and quite interesting but still not enough for me to talk about it in the future or at all.

[Amna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok what the hell did I just read?!

So... he killed her?? WHY??? LIKE WHY???

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Be sure I looked up at her eyes
Happy and proud; at last I knew
Poryphyria worshipped me; surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do."

"Poryphyria's Lover" is genius in how the true drama of the situation unfolds and how the narrator is slowly revealed to be absolutely insane. Beginning with a depiction of dark feelings, Poryphyria's entrance into the scene creates the illusion of warmth and safety, leading to a wonderfully gothic twist and gruesome aftermath. This was a fun one to read in my literature class.

[Deeksha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poem is beautiful in the most sick and twisted way. Love the setting, love the symbolism, love the unexpected ending. As the poem progresses we think that the poet is probably a sick and delirious person by the way he describes his surroundings and porphyria but the last line 'and yet God has not said a word' screams that he was very much in his senses.

[Riley G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite poems! It's a little creepy, but immensely intriguing.

Dramatic monologues are certainly interesting, especially since they're usually a villain character boasting of his villainly deeds. The speaker in this poem reminds me a little of the narrator in Poe's "A Tell-Tale Heart." He's definitely insane.

[Madelén]

That is messed up, dude ...

[carley · Rating 5 out of 5]

lol! 👱🏻‍♀️🪢💀🪦

[jojo · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one had me Choked up

[Ruby Scupp · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 for ever.
But passion sometimes would prevail,
Nor could to-night's gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale
For love of her, and all in vain:
So, she was come through wind and rain.
Be sure I looked up at her eyes
Happy and proud; at last I knew
Porphyria worshipped me; surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do.
That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
Perfectly pure and good: I found
A thing to do, and all her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around,
And strangled her.

[Jiji {semi-hiatus🦭} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly… not bad if you like crime and reading disturbing thoughts.
- Short poem and it’s entertaining
- If you like to analyse, there is a lot to analyse and social commentary to draw on.
- Porphyria’s lover is a psycho with a god complex.

*Quotes incoming….*
────୨ৎ────
“That moment she was mine, mine, fair,”
“And strangled her. No pain felt she; / I am quite sure she felt no pain.”
“Murmuring how she loved me — she”

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm was this better than My Last Duchess...perhaps.

[Hester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark . Very dark .

[البندري · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine line between madness and passion— an attempt to preserve his love and achieve eternity with his lover, only to destroy its very essence.

[Bookish Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instantly became my favourite poem of all time.

[Komal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange, intriguing, ridiculously creepy. Dark is a mild word for this.

[Marcel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this along side, “Incident In A Rose Garden,” in my english class so I thought I’d log them here for funnsies!

[Jerboaz‼️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks (?) Guerra

[lily 🪴 · Rating 4 out of 5]

every poem I’ve read by this man is about him killing a woman. check the hard drive

[Elvia Martinez · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading Porphyria's Lover a few time and hearing it read helped me understand it a little better. I don't fancy poetry all that much. The way I understood this poem was that they were having a clandestine affair and this might be their last rendezvous. When the lover is strangling her, she is not putting as sort of struggle.

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

My all time favourite poem. I fell in the love with the imagery and the characterizations.

[stabbypotato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, thrilling and chilling

[carson · Rating 2 out of 5]

i just remembered that i read this at the beginning of the year for a paper i had to write for my comp class and you bet i’m gonna count it towards my goal because this shit was weird and 100% the worst paper i have ever had to write.

i mean homebody strangles porphyria with her own hair because he wants her to stay as pure and adoring as she is in that moment. this is a victorian piece of literature through and through

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not like Robert's work as well as Elizabeth's. This poem is definitely more on the disturbing side.

[Serkan Kasapoglu · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't as satisfactory.

[Dol Leander · Rating 5 out of 5]

iconic, read this the first time when i was 15

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I....

[steamymuffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chilling

[Andrijana]

what's up with browning and femicide?