Porphyria S Lover Term paper
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Romantic writers often held interesting philosophies of sexuality. On one hand, they were taught to believe that sensual things were sinful, while on the other hand, they were constantly confronted with sexuality in everyday life. Robert Browning is one of the most renowned Romantic poets who often explored the issue of sexuality. In his dramatic poem “Porphyria’s Lover” Browning demonstrates a malicious intertwining of violence, morals, masculinity, and sexuality. His use of setting, gender roles, and transgression illustrate this point.
Romanticism is partially characterized by its longing to return to a leisurely, peaceful, private era in which society is not confined in an urban setting. In the beginning of the poem, the setting is perfectly romantic: a cottage by a lake, a roaring storm, and perfect seclusion. As the depiction of the setting is complete, Porphyria enters, soiled from the storm. The woman comes from the woods, having escaped from a party to see her lover. Here, Browning is equating the woman to nature. The two are traditionally compared to one another for their purity and beauty. This sets the model for what a woman should be.
When Porphyria comes to see her lover, she is concerned with physical intimacy. First she performed a nineteenth century striptease for her lover:
“She rose, and from her form
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,
And laid her soil’d gloves by, untied
Her hat and let the damp hair fall.”
Porphyria is taunting her lover. First taking off wet clothes, then removing her gloves (a very unladylike thing to do); Porphyria is seducing the narrator. The unwed woman then lets her hair fall in front of a man. This would be the modern day equivalent to a woman taking her shirt off in public.
Porphyria then tries to physically entice him to come to her. After no reply, she goes to him and touches his waist and bears her shoulder to the narrator. He is overcome with emotion, and wants the moment to last forever. In the time this poem was written, this overt sexuality was shocking and immoral. Good girls were not supposed to be sexual beings or have sexual feelings, but here we see a female pursuing a male.
As opposed to the image of Porphyria as an innocent seductress, the narrator portrays himself as very masculine and sexist. He speaks of possessing Porphyria, how she worshiped him and how she would “give herself to [him] forever.” The narrator says that he is very proud of all these things. These statements show that the narrator possesses some very sexist ideas.
The narrator obviously has an odd, possibly forbidden relationship with her. Porphyria comes from a rich family, and cannot formally wed...
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