Question

In this excerpt from “Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning, which lines suggest that the speaker doubts the depth of Porphyria's love?

Answer 1

For Plato:

Too weak, for all her heart's endeavour,

To Set its struggling passion free

From pride, and vainer ties dissever,

Answer 2

Answer:

"Too weak, for all her heart's endeavour,

To set its struggling passion free

      From pride, and vainer ties dissever,

      And give herself to me for ever."

Explanation:

The poem "Porphyria’s Lover" is a poem by Robert Browning. It was first published in 1836 with the title "Porphyria." The poem is first of Browning's abnormal psychological analysis. The speaker in the poem, murdered his lover, whose name was Porphyria. The speaker lives in a cottage, and one night his lover Porphyria comes to his cottage, all damp and wet. She lighten up the cottage by putting up the fire in the fireplace. She expresses her love to him, and tells him how she had come to him overcoming all the societal strictures. The speaker realizes that though she love him and worship him, she would give in to the pressures of society.

"Murmuring how she loved me — she

      Too weak, for all her heart's endeavour,"

He realizes that this moment of the night would not remain, "Nor could to-night's gay feast restrain," so to preserve this moment, the speaker strangles his lover with her yellow strands and kill her.

"That moment she was mine, mine, fair,

      Perfectly pure and good: I found

A thing to do, and all her hair

      In one long yellow string I wound

      Three times her little throat around,

And strangled her."