Browning also drops a hint of the speaker’s corrupt nature through the rhythm and rhyme scheme in the poem. The rhythm of the poem is iambic tetrameter which in this poem serves to create a regular pattern. The point in using this rhythm is to make the speaker seem rational, calm and normal while effectively disguising his true nature. However the Rhyme in the poem follows the scheme of ABABB. Unlike the regular, naturalistic rhythm of the poem the rhyme scheme is asymmetrical and adds intensity to the speaker’s words. This is possibly a hint to the speaker’s unstable nature and the madness within his head.
The speaker’s obsession with Porphyria is developed when she eventually enters the cottage. He describes her as having “glided” in which shows she moved elegantly and gracefully. This word choice captures the speaker’s passion for Porphyria. The reader learns from the poem that she is from a higher social class than the narrator, which in turn makes the reader suspect that their relationship is a forbidden affair. However, this is left ambiguous and for the reader to decide.
“straight/She shut the cold out and the storm”
The poet’s use of enjambment here emphasises the power of Porphyria’s arrival and this also helps to continue the idea that she holds the dominant role in their relationship. The poet uses transferred epithet to stress the immediacy of the change in atmosphere after Porphyria’s arrival. Her practical actions represent the change in the speaker’s mind set. This example of transferred epithet effectively represents the immediate effect that Porphyria’s entrance had on the speaker. At the beginning of the story his heart was cold and his mind was stormy whereas following her entrance he feels content and calmed by her presence as she has metaphorically shut the storm out of his mind.
Another aspect of the poem which would have been somewhat shocking to a Victorian audience is the unusually sexual manner in which Porphyria next behaves. She removes her outdoor clothing, lets her hair hang lose, puts her arm around the narrator, positions his head on her bare shoulder then proceeds to declare her love for him.
However the narrator’s reaction to this takes the reader by surprise. A dash is used to introduce a change in tone as the speaker begins to describe Porphyria in a negative light:
“Too weak, for all her heart’s endeavour”
Here, Browning writes in an almost contemptuous tone. The narrator is disapproving as he believes that- although Porphyria wants nothing more than to be with him- she is unable to leave behind other ties in her life which are preventing her from being with the speaker forever. The narrator’s resentment towards these complications out-with his control is portrayed as resentment towards Porphyria and this sudden change in mood offers the first slight indication that the narrator is not mentally stable. At this point in the poem the reader does not know whether to trust all that the speaker is saying. We are shocked by the speaker’s lack of interest and lack of love towards Porphyria.
However, the speaker then experiences the sudden realisation later in the poem that Porphyria worshiped him. This is a very strong emotional word which goes past simple passion and suggests he believes that he is the only thing Porphyria really cares about. It also shows that the speaker thinks of himself as almost god-like in her eyes. He is vain and narcissistic. Any sane person would be content with the declaration of love however not the speaker. The reader being sane finds his next actions even more shocking. He is not sane, he is troubled and his corrupt nature is beginning to show.
The poem reaches the shocking and disturbing turning point when becomes clear that the speaker is going to strangle Porphyria:
“I found\ A thing to do”.
The use of enjambment here effectively draws out this realisation to the reader and elongates the moment. The use of the word thing creates an unnerving picture in the reader’s mind as the speaker does not name his crime. The speaker does not see the significance in his actions and his mundane language hints at the depths of his delusion. This, along with the mere three line description of the murder itself, is very simplistic.
“all her hair/In one long yellow string I wound/Three times her little throat around,/And strangled her.”
There was no debate in the speaker’s mind and this shows that his actions were completely natural. Prior to the chilling description of the murder the speaker describes Porphyria at that moment in time as being “perfectly pure and good”. It is made clear that he kills her as he wants to preserve this moment forever; where none of the other complications in her life are interfering with them being together. The narrator believes that by killing her he is giving her what she truly desired therefore it becomes immediately clear that he is not mentally stable. The inversion of word order here delays the fact that the speaker has actually killed Porphyria and thus proves to be very effective as it makes the impact of his demoralising actions hit the reader harder and come more as a shock. He genuinely believes that in killing her he has given Porphyria what she truly desired; the ability to be with him forever. The narrator repeats that she “felt no pain” to emphasise this.
The latter half of the poem is significant as it is the exact opposite from the beginning of the poem. There is symmetry replicating Porphyria’s actions in the first half. Every single thing is repeated; from letting her hair hang loose again to baring his shoulder and resting her head upon it. This adds to the previous point of the speaker feeling emasculated, he is now not the one in control. Porphyria is no longer the strong Victorian woman that she was; she is now viewed as the speaker’s doll. His feelings towards them being together forever are now true in his eyes as he processes her. The reader is shocked at the brutality of the murder and the speaker’s casual nature towards the crime he has just committed.
The narrator’s insanity and corruption is truly confirmed in the last line of the poem through a disturbing statement:
“And yet God has not said a word!”
Here it is made clear the extent to which he believes what he did was acceptable and morally correct. He does not think ahead of this moment in time when he sits with Porphyria; he believes that as he has not been condemned by God his actions have been correct. This again justifies the murder as insignificant to him and effectively leaves the reader believing that the speaker is a corrupt figure who shows no guilt in what he has done. The speaker is devious and egotistical. Browning successfully created a poem which made the reader think about the incidents that are described. This is no love poem, it is about a psychopath.
by
nicolamershoo (student)
