How Villainy is depicted in Porphyria's Lover

How Villainy is depicted in Porphyria's Lover

1. The speaker's violence

   • "In one long yellow string I wound // Three times her little throat around // And strangled her."
   • The speaker throttles Porphyria as soon as she confesses her love to him so that he can bring the power back over to him and be dominant once again.
     • This shows his selfishness and greed for power, because as soon as the tables turn and Porphyria has done something to make him feel small, he has to react in a larger way to sway the power back onto his side.
       • This also relates to the time that it was written because when Browning wrote the poem, men were the dominant gender in society, and it was seen as rude for a woman to overpower a man.
   • This is similar to Macbeth because Macbeth kills people to maintain his power over his kingdom, and the speaker in Porphyria's Lover kills Porphyria to maintain his control over her.

2. Metre

   • The rhythm of the poem is constant, which suggests the speaker has a need for order.
     • This somewhat explains his acts towards Porphyria. He does not like that she has suddenly taken charge of the situation by sitting on his lap, so he kills her to restore the order.
       • There is also a rhyme every second line, which also suggests the speaker's desire for order.
     • Similar to Macbeth because whenever Macbeth or another noble is talking in the play, Shakespeare wrote in iambic pentameter or rhyming couplets the entire time, usually. This highlights Macbeth's status compared to other characters such as the witches, whereas with the speaker in Porphyria's Lover, it more suggests that he has a desire for order.

3. Religious sentiment