Porphyria's Lover - Robert Browning

Porphyria's Lover - Robert Browning

1. "heart fit to break"

   • Hints at his mental instability

2. "And" (repetition)

   • Chronologically recounting the events leading up to her murder

3. "Yellow hair...yellow hair" (repetition)

   • Shows his obsession with it
   • Foreshadowing his use with it

4. "From pride, and vainer ties dissever"

   • Narrator is critical of Porphyria's lack of commitment

5. "In one long yellow string I wound three times her little throat around"

   • Description is shocking because it is unexpected
   • No change in rhytm

6. "As a shut bud that holds a bee, I warily opened her lids" (simile)

   • Suggests that he is afraid of something when he opens her eyes

7. "droops...rosy" (flower imagery)

   • Reflects her beauty
   • Flowers droop, just like this perfect moment won't last

8. "God has not said a word"

   • Ambiguous
     • 1) Could be he is surprised he is not yet punished
     • 2) He believes he's not committed a sin at all