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1) Love
The saying “Love is a powerful motivation and can be a dangerous thing too” is exemplified in
this poem “Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning.
Robert Browning’s Porphyria’s Lover initially seems like an ordinary romantic poem detailing a
romantic evening. However, it tells a story of intense and passionate love that takes an
unexpected turn. A romantic evening between two lovers turns out to be far from typical. In the
poem, we learn from Porphyria that she loves the speaker and desired to “give herself to him
forever.” On the other hand, the narrator feels such a strong emotion for Porphyria that he wants
to be with her for eternity and believes that the only way to accomplish this is through taking her
life – revealing his dark passion within.

2) Madness
Robert Browning’s poem “Porphyria’s Lover” introduces an unsettling change in perspectives as
it follows the story of two lovers.
The speaker begins by painting a vivid picture of an evening storm, followed by portraying an
account of Porphyria’s movements, everything methodically from shutting out the cold to
kneeling down, making a fire, taking off her coat and setting by his side. However, it is
remarkable how this detail – oriented narrative shifts suddenly. At first, Porphyria was seen as
strong and compelling, and at the very next movement as weak and uncertain.
In the later half of the poem, the speaker reveals his madness by describing how he lethally
strangles his lover with her own hairs. Ultimately, it becomes clear that the speaker has become
disconnected from reality yet there is no direct indication of it through either tone or diction, one
can sense an underlying atmosphere of dementia as they read on.

3) Social Class
Porphyria’s Lover by Robert Browning also discusses Social Class as its one of most prominent
themes. Porphyria is of a higher class than the speaker which may have played a part in her
murder. For example, Porphyria rests the speaker’s head on her shoulder, symbolizing her
higher status. However, after killing Porphyria, the speaker places her lifeless head against his
shoulder symbolizing that killing her gives him a sense of superiority.

4) Love, Sexuality and Violence

Porphyria’s Lover is a poem that depicts an illicit love affair between two people from differing
social classes, something that was bound to shock the readers of its time. Though it might not
be seen as overly sexual by today’s standards, Porphyria’s lover pushed boundaries in terms of
what could be written about with the regard to Victorian – era relationships and sexuality.
Its frank description of an illegitimate love affair between a socially prominent woman and her
parameter would have stirred considerable shock among Victorian readers.