Porphyria's Lover

Difference in social class can lead to the resentment and eventual conflict between individuals. This is shown in Robert Browning’s poem Porphyria’s Lover where the narrator, the ‘lover’, develops a sense of contempt towards Porphyria that is culminated as a result of her higher social class. Browning conveys the narrator’s perspective on Porphyria through the use of negative connotations in “dripping cloak… soiled gloves… damp hair”. The synecdoche used in this imagery indicates Porphyria’s high status, although the connotations in “dripping”, “soiled” and “damp” display the narrator’s focus on the negative aspects of Porphyria’s appearance, alluding to his resentment of her class. This resentment is also shown when Porphyria “put my arm about her waist,/ And made her smooth white shoulder bare,/ And all her yellow hair displaced,/ And, stooping, made my cheek lie there”. The anaphora of “and” reveals the narrator’s slightly voyeuristic attitude towards Porphyria and also conveys his passivity as opposed to her activity. Browning’s use of “stooping” indicates Porphyria’s high social class, and her need to come down from above to be with the narrator, an issue that causes conflict and resentment in their relationship. The narrator’s ominous silence starkly contrasts to Porphyria’s movement and creates an unsettling atmosphere, perhaps foreshadowing the narrator’s decision. Browning further portrays the conflict between the two with the syntactical arrangement of the line “… and called me. When no voice replied…” The use of the caesura causes an unnatural break in the rhythm of the poem and also divides the line into two sections. The contrast between “called me” and “no voice replied” indicates the difference between Porphyria and the narrator and again emphasises the growing tension and conflict in the poem. Browning successfully shows how differences in social class can cause resentment between individuals and can also lead to an inevitable conflict in...