Unrequited Love In Porphyrias Lover :: Porphyrias Lover Essays

Unrequited Love in "Porphyrias Lover" In Robert Brownings dramatic monologue "Porphyrias Lover," he introduces the persona, a deformed and abnormally possessive lover whose dealings are influenced by the comprehend deliberation of others actions. As the monologue begins, a terrible, almost intentional coerce plants upon the persona, who awaits his love, Porphyria. His lover "glides in" (l 6) from a "gay feast" (l 27) and attempts to calm her smouldering love. This breaks to a disastrous end, either for spite or fulfillment of a figurative wish that "would now be heard" (l 57). Browning suggests single must be cautious of what one wishes for, especially in dealings with love, where one focuses on the heart rather than material consequences.     Romantic poems, plays and stories from the Victorian point in time in England dealt primarily with forbidden love. A class system set strongly in Brownings "Porphyrias Lo ver," or an aged bitterness between devil families in Shakespeares "Romeo and Juliet," both prevented lovers from living "happily ever after." In literary productions it can be argued that there are two ways to keep abreast together with a lover. The first is death, as seen in Shakespeares dramatic plays and poetry, and the flake is sexual. "Porphyrias Lover" is a reflection of both.     2Shakespeares story of "star-crossd lovers" begins with a prologue summarizing what events lead to the death "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes" (Hylton). Here the " antique grudge that breaks to new mutiny, / Where civil blood makes civil hands unwashed" leads to the foes "childrens end" (Hylton). In "Porphyrias Lover," the parallel of natures tremendous storm, and the personas own thoughts elude to his plans "The rain set early in tonight, / The sullen wind was soon turn" (l 1-2), his thoughts began to mold into a scheme, while his rage corresponds with the storm as "It tear the elm-tops down for spite, / And it did its worst to vex the lake"(l 3-4). The aforementioned sentence foreshadows the events to come.     Porphyria enters from the storm into her lovers home, "When glided in Porphyria straight / She shut the cold out and the storm, / And kneeled and made the cheerless moil / Blaze up, and all the cottage warm" (l 6-9), permitting the persona to feel unassailable in within himself and his surroundings. She sat by his side "And called him. When no interpretive program replied, / She put his arm about her waist, / And made her smooth white bring up bare, / And all her yellow hair displaced" (l 15-18).