To His Coy Mistress is a poem written by Andrew Marvell which was published in 1681. This poem focuses on a speaker who seems to be confusing his list towards a woman as love and this poem is an eerie proclamation of the speaker’s ‘love’. Porphyria’s Lover is also a poem but it was written by Robert Browning and published in 1836. Unlike the speaker in To His Coy Mistress, this poem also centers on the speakers psychopathic version of what the speaker thinks to be love. Based on these two poems and the question at hand, the speaker in Porphyria’s Lover is more depraved.
One reason why I believe the speaker in Porphyria’s Lover to be moved depraved is that the he intentionally acts on what has been mistaken for love. The speaker in To His Coy Mistress allows the subject of the lust and “vigorous sexual pleasure (D’Avanzo 18)” to be taken naturally by death, “time’s winged chariot hurrying near (Marvell 22)" while the subject in Porphyria’s Lover is not given the same respect. The speaker in To His Coy Mistress also realizes “that time passes quickly
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However, the speaker in Porphyria’s Lover is more depraved than the speaker in To His Coy Mistress for three reasons. The speaker in Porphyria’s Lover actually acts upon his psychopathic thoughts and kills her while the speaker in To His Coy Mistress merely lets time do the killing. The speaker in Porphyria’s Lover also has no respect for death and the peacefulness that is meant to come with it because he keeps her dead body with him through the night as opposed to buying her like in To His Coy Mistress. Finally, the speaker in Porphyria’s Lover actually has good intentions and wants to make her happy but he is so focused on his psychopathy that he is willing to kill her and he doesn’t truly realize what he has done whereas the speaker in To His Coy Mistress knows fully well what he is doing and has no good
We must remember, though, that it is not all about death. Before her suicide, Lady Macbeth was plagued by guilt, sleepwalking and hallucinating, bemoaning what she perceives to be as blood on her hands. Macbeth, too, was driven from a heroic general to a quivering wreck, content to murder in order to retain his ill-gotten gains. This itself is a tragedy: a young, hopeful man turned ruthless killer, suffering from psychotic episodes and visions of ghosts, leading him to be distrusted and eventually turned against by his countrymen for his tyrannical behaviour.
In the widely acclaimed novel “Catching Fire”, the fictional character Peeta Mellark is quoted as saying, “I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever.” (Collins). Coincidentally, that is what the unnamed lover in Robert Browning’s dramatic monologue “Porphyria’s Lover” aspires to achieve when he murders his beloved Porphyria, in hopes of preserving their intimate moment for eternity. At the start of the poem, Browning seemingly shows his audience a loving, romantic scene of Porphyria affectionately tending her inert beau. As the dramatic monologue progresses, it is learned that the originally envisioned romantic love story has transformed into a disturbing tale of a cruel lover’s massacre of his significant other. The moment the nameless speaker finally glances into his love’s eyes, he fully abandons his passive nature and reveals his true personality. The persona of Browning’s “Porphyria’s Lover” reveals himself as a sadistic and covetous lover who views Porphyria as a mere possession, and further illustrates himself as a delusional and selfish person. Browning overtly reveals the speaker’s character through proficient word choice, explicit imagery, and the clever use of irony in the poem.
...s all about power and jealousy, the Duke becomes jealous of the attention his wife shows to other people. He takes command and decides that murder is his only solution. The Duke wants people to understand his authority, any sense of emotion that his wife expressed was considered a threat to his power. He has pride on where he stands in society and he is not willing to risk it. In “Porphyria’s Lover” Porphyria seems to be of a higher social class, the lover knows this and kills her in an attempt to bring balance to their relationship. The love they have between each other turns quickly into a power play; his desire to possess Porphyria reduces her to an object in which he can manipulate. The fact that both poems both involve some sort of killing questions the author’s behavior. Robert Browning’s works are dark and obscure; they fit perfectly with the Victorian era.
"Porphyria's Lover" is an exhilarating love story given from a lunatic's point of view. It is the story of a man who is so obsessed with Porphyria that he decides to keep her for himself. The only way he feels he can keep her, though, is by killing her. Robert Browning's poem depicts the separation of social classes and describes the "triumph" of one man over an unjust society. As is often the case in fiction, the speaker of "Porphyria's Lover" does not give accurate information in the story.
Lover A Ballad was written as a reply to the poem To His Coy Mistress.
In Andrew Marvell's poem "To His Coy Mistress," he's arguing for affection. The object of the speaker's desire wants to wait and take the relationship slow, while the speaker pushes for instant gratification. This persuasive poem makes the point that time waits for no one and it's foolish for two lovers to postpone a physical relationship.
The Theme of Love in the Poems First Love, To His Coy Mistress, Porphyria's Lover, My Last Duchess and Shall I Compare Thee?
In the case of To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvall, a not-so-gentle gentleman is trying to woo a “coy” young lady with claims of love. This poem is strewn with hyperbole to the point that it becomes exactly the opposite of love. When there is such over exaggerated praise, it starts to lose the real meaning of the message. If you take a look at lines 13-18, you can see the obvious amplification:
It was a tale of two lovers uniting in the night to express their affection and devotion. So how exactly did this tale of love, end in cruel, cold-blooded murder? Good evening and welcome to Poetry Break Down, I’m your host Mary Doe. Tonight, we will delve into the fascinating world of classic Victorian literature. Under the microscope is canonized poet, the late Robert Browning. Browning’s poetry was a reflection of his life and times living in Victorian England. Later on this evening we will analyze just how his times came to play a major role in some of his greatest works, in particular his revered poem Porphyria’s Lover. Released in 1836 (Catherine Maxwell, 1993, p.27), this esteemed text follows the murder of beloved Porphyria, the lover of the enigmatic speaker who, after inviting her to his cottage for a romantic rendezvous, strangles her. Stay tuned, for tonight we explore just how this poem come to be a perfect representation of a society that was obsessed with the dominate preoccupation of male dominance.
In “My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover” both deal with the love of a woman. The theme for both is power and how the speaker in both want to be in control over the woman. The imagery in “My Last Duchess” is based off what the Duke’s feel and what he shares with the servant. The imagery in “Porphyria’s Lover” is based on Porphyria’s. The tone in “My Last Duchess” is arrogant and ignorant because the Duke think so much of himself and foolishly shares all his flaws. The tone in Porphyria’s Lover” is rational the speaker makes sense of the murder of a woman he loves so much. Both poems displayed dramatic
Courtly love was a popular theme in literary works and poetry in thirteenth century Europe. Andreas Capellanus, chaplain to Marie de France and author of the classic The Art of Courtly Love defines courtly love as "...a certain inborn suffering derived from the sight of and excessive meditation upon the beauty of the opposite sex, which causes each one to wish above all things the embraces of the other and by common desire to carry out all of love's precepts in the other's embrace." In reality, courtly love was no more than an explicit court of rules for committing adultery. However, in literary works, the basis of chivalry became the presentation of lover's passion for one another and their consideration for others. I will be examining Geoffrey Chaucer's literary masterpiece, Troilus and Criseyde in light of this courtly love tradition.
The title ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ may indicate to the reader the idea that the lover would be the only active article in the poem, especially if it was written by a male during those times. However, at the beginning of the poem Porphyria is immediately given the active role, she’s the one who “glided in” wanting to visit him “for love of her…/ through wind and rain”, she also “shut the out cold and storm”. This gives Porphyria a masculine ability as she has the power to “shut…out” something as sinewy as a storm, a metaphysical force in which only someone of divinity could and men were usually regarded as divine – omnipotent and which classes her
The young lady in "To His Coy Mistress" is definitely not to be taken for a mere fool because he would not have gone to great lengths to convince her to give her body to him. His word to describe the young lady as coy shows her response to his question. The speaker seems to be desperate while he attempts to win her over. His mood began to change in the poem from calm to impatient just by the use of his words. By the end he even contradicts himself. In the beginning he states:
In this poem “Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert browning you see a man who seems perfectly normal turn into an insane man in a poem about murder. Porphyria comes to her lover to have a good night with her loved one, but in a horrible way she loses her life. With setting, irony and symbolism you see clearly how the superego was taken over by the id. Porphyria’s biggest weakness turns out to be her locks of “love.”
A Comparison of the Dramatic Monologues of Porphyria's Lover and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning