Comparison of Porphyria's lover by R.Browning & La Belle Dame san merci by J.keats
COMPARISON OF 'PORPHyRIA'S LOVE' BY r.BROWNING AND 'LA BELLE DAME SAN MERCI' BY J.KEATS
The narrator in 'Porphyria's lover' is the man who murders Porphria, who is Porphyria's lover. The poem is in past tense, but at the end of the poem it changes into present, it makes you feel that it has just happened.
In 'La Belle Dame San Merci' there are two narrators. In verse one there is a person passing by who asks a question and repeats it in verse two, "Oh what can ail thee knight at arms," and "Oh what can ail thee knight at arms" the knight might not be responding because of his love for the faery lady. In verse four the knight takes on the role of the narrator and starts to tell his story.
The form of both poems differs. In "Porphyria's lover" there is one long narrative which works well because it enhances the drama, emotions and atmosphere of the story line. The poem is in a monologue because Porphyria's lover talks about the murder, which is different from "La Belle Dame San Merci."
"La Belle Dame San Merci," is written totally differently from "Porphyria's lover," It has a regular form of twelve verses, of four lines each and a regular rhyming scheme with every other line rhyming. (Verse 1 and verse 2 are questions, which are answered in verse 12).
It's raining when Porphyria came in to the building. She took off her cloak off and hung it up. She then lit the fire and walked over to her lover. He ignored her until she told him that she loved him, he then killed Porphyria by rapping her hair around her neck. He did this because he believed that she wasn't completely his and he wanted her all to him self. When Porphyria was dead he stayed with the body as if it was still alive.
"La Belle Dame San Merci," starts off with a knight without any one to love until he is visited by a faery lady who sings songs to him and makes him fall in love with her. The knight fell asleep after kissing the faery lady and was warned in his sleep by kings and princes of the faery lady when he awoke the faery lady had gone and left him. And the knight was left to wonder the hills looking for his faery lady.
"Porphyria's lover" was written in 1836 and is based in the same ...
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"La Belle Dame San Merci," starts off with a knight without any one to love until he is visited by a faery lady who sings songs to him and makes him fall in love with her. The knight fell asleep after kissing the faery lady and was warned in his sleep by kings and princes of the faery lady when he awoke the faery lady had gone and left him. And the knight was left to wonder the hills looking for his faery lady.
"Porphyria's lover" was written in 1836 and is based in the same period. When Porphyria comes into the scene it is raining and thundering, "The rain set in early tonight the sullen wind was soon awake," it gives you scenes of fear and makes you think something bad will happen. The cottage were his lover is staying is also cold because he hadn't lit the fire. This has two meaning one is that he has got his mid on things and hasn't got round to doing it. And the second is that he is cold hearted or evil.
"La Belle Dame San Merci" was written in 1819 and was set during the medieval period (13th century). It is a story set in the country side near a lake, "The sedge has wither'd from the lake," this shows that it is autumn. The writer recreates the code of chivalry. The breaks it when he meets the faery who uses sex as a weapon. But the knight doesn't he is breaking it because he is under a spell.
The mood in both poems is a love/horror story. The beginning of "Porphyria's lover" suggests a horror story," The rain set in early tonight, the sullen wind was soon awake," It makes you feel something bad will happen.
The beginning of "La Belle Dame San Merci" gives you a deserted feel, "the sedge has wither'd from the battle," it shows the person has been there a long time.
In "Porphyria's lover" there are two main characters and a third character that is hinted about. Porphyria's lover is described as a cold hearted person who has a psychotic mind who thinks that he can kill his lover and believe that it's not a crime. Porphyria is described as a middle class person. She is also described attractive with long blonde hair. It's suggested that she is married "to weak for all her hearts endeavour, to set her passion free," it shows that she's living two lives and isn't committed to either of them; this could be why her lover thinks he has to kill her.
The lovers in the poems are described as victims. Porphyria is trapped by her own love for her lover. The knight is also trapped in her love for the faery lady but she doesn't love him back. When the faery lady leaves the Knight he trusts her to return, that's why he is left wondering the hill side. Porphyria's lover and the faery lady are both murderers. Porphyria's lover traps Porphyria by killing her. The faery lady traps the knight by making him love her and when she leaves him, he slowly dies away.
The beginning o "Porphyria's lover," describes a setting of a storm, "the rain set in early to-night, the sullen wind was soon awake," it gives you a little hint that something bad will happen. The term used glided, "when glided in Porphyria," could be used to describe an angel and the fact that she came out of a storm, like a Phoenix out of a fire, shows that she is something special. When Porphyria lit the fire and called over to her lover. And no voice replayed," Kneeled and made the cheerless grate blaze up," "And called me," and "when no voice replied," It shows that he is cold hearted and depressed. When Porphyria tells her lover that she loves him, "murmuring how she loved me," he believes her and starts to think that she should be completely his. When the lover said all mine, mine you know that he has finally gone mad, "she was mine, mine," he is completely mad. When he kills Porphyria, "one yellow string I would three times, her little thought around, and strangled her," He is like a praying mantis waiting for his pray his victim to come close and then strike. When he thought she felt no pain, "no pain she felt," It proves that he is insane. When he enlightened the hair and she blushed, "blushed bright," he thinks that it's as if she's still alive and he will be with her for ever. He stays with the body as if Porphyria is still alive. When the lover said God has not said a word, "God has not said a word," he thinks he has done the right thing.
When "La Belle Dame San Merci," begins there is a person questioning the knight, "O what can ail thee, knight at arms Alone and palely loitering?" The person is probably a traveller who is wondering the hills, and when the knight doesn't reply the person repeats it, "O what can oil thee, knight at arms, so woe-begone?" The knight answered after the second question, it shows that something is on his mind. The knight was wondering the meads when he met a beautiful woman, "I met a lady in the meads. Full beautiful -a faerys child," If meadows are full of green grass, it shows that he had been there a long time. When he met the faery he instantly liked her and made her a garland for her head, I made a garland for her head, "I made a garland for her head," the knight is slowly falling in love with the faery. When the knight puts on his horse he starts to break the code of chivalry and fall into her trap. The faery lady started to sing to get the knight hypnotised in love, "and song, a faery's song," the song is part of a trap which is luring the knight closer to the faery lady. In return for garland she gave him some sweet food, "roots of sweets," it good be a love position to make people madly in love with the faery. The faery took the knight to her elfin grot, "she took me to her elfin grot," it could be to seduce the knight. When the knight kissed the faery she was in complete control, "with kisses four," the trap was set, the knight had took the bait and was now imprisoned in love, for her. He fell a sleep and in his dream he was visited by kings and princes and they warned him of the faery lady, "I saw pale kings and princes too," "They cried La Belle Dame San Merci," he had fallen in love and he wasn't going to listen to the kings and princes. When the knight had awoken the faery lady had vanished, he was left alone in love and the person he was in love with had ran away, "alone and palely loitering," the knight was destined to search for his love for ever.
Paul Harris 10F