How Does Browning Tell The Story In Porphyria Essay

How does Browning tell the story in Porphyria’s Lover?

Browning uses a dramatic monologue in order to tell the story in Porphyria’s lover. Browning’s dramatic monologues have to fit a certain criteria, these include; sub text, the narrator doesn’t say specifically what he/she’s done so the audience has to think to find out what’s happened; the audience is silent, the audience is there to listen and not to comment; the third is that the narrator is defensive or a case maker.
The structure of Porphyria’s lover is one long stanza; this is shown through the time and sequence, setting, characterisation, point of view and ideology.   The structure shows time and sequence as it’s quite a medium length poem, because of this it shows just how long the story takes place in. The medium length of the poem shows the medium length of time it took to commit the crime that Porphyria’s lover commits. Also because it appears in one long stanza it shows the audience that he did not stop to think about what he was doing. Cadence is also used so that the narrator speaks conversationally, because of this it means that the narrator seems even more casual and relaxed about what he’s doing. This causes the audience to feel uneasy about the narrator and his reasons behind doing what he does to Porphyria.
The language that her lover uses is used in a way that almost dehumanises her. “In one yellow string” this example shows just how much he dehumanises her and just how little he thinks of her towards the end of the poem. Not only this but Browning uses mono-syllabic words which slows the pace, this gives the reader chance to understand just what’s happened. The use of monosyllabic words also shows just how calm the narrator is about the situation he has placed himself in after killing Porphyria, much like how the structure does. Some of the language used right at the end of the poem also hints towards the act of necrophilia. “Blushed bright beneath my burning lips” even though she’s...