Porphyria's Lover /Journal Notes/How the story is told.

Porphyria's lover is written in the 1st tense in the form of a dramatic monologue.

• The useof a dramatic monologue is an effective way of reflecting on issus and the character does not neccesarily replicate the poet's author. For example, the charaters could be microcosms of different aspects of society: Lover-Violence, Porphyria- Sex.
• The monologue is a (in the characters opinion) justified accountof a series of events, therefore, alongside the 1st tense, making the poem more personal.
• The poem could be a Browning's liberal thoughts on society, where violeence is deemed more appropriate than overt sexual manerisms out of welock.

Poetic devices:

• The rhyming pattern is ABABB, which is a carefully constructed useof rhyme, which enhances the thought that the Lover has thought carefully about his decisions and actions, along with the use of the iambic pentameter.
• The similie - As a shut bud that holds a bee - provides the reader with imagery and even more justification from the lover.

The poem is very descriptive. Lots of colour, lots of imagery and lots of descriptive language. Perhaps this could suggest that the Lover has been carefully constructing this plan, and been waiting for the visit and been imagining the event in his head, and the monologue is written as is it was spoken just after the event has occured, after he has propped her head and and not heard anything from God. Therefore the Lover knew exactly what he was going to say, and along with the rhyming pattern and rhythm, it adds to the idea that Porphyria has planned this event, and has carefully been prepared.