…at last I knew
Porphyria worshipp’d me; surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do.
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.
(lines 32-40)
These lines create the moment of violence in this poem. As the poem goes through the encounter between the two lovers, Robert mixes erotic language with violent imagery, as seen in this excerpt. “Love” occurs a total of five times including the title (lines 21, 29, 55, 56) and yet there is a murder scene. Could this be a sadistic relationship? Freud, defines sadism as a sexual perversion characterized by “the desire to inflict pain upon the sexual object”1. If Robert Browning is portraying a sadistic relationship, what could be the purpose of doing so and why?
In accordance with Freud’s definition of sadism, I would place the relationship Robert creates in this category and by choosing to portray a sexual “perversion,” I think he is giving another characteristic of love. The love between Porphyria and her lover is one that is multi-faceted, demonstrating that love and eroticism has two sides, which corresponds to Freud’s thinking. Freud calls the relationship between love and violence in erotic life a “polarity,” and an “ambivalence”2. Both Robert and Freud are providing an image of the two faces of love.
After constructing an answer to what kind of relationship the lovers have, the question of the reason for the violence arises. I want to propose that the man’s reasons for his violence is pride and narcissism. In an article, “Sadism,” in the International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis, the author cites other authors on the topic, who say that “sadism exists as a fundamental narcissistic violence.”3 The speaker frequently alludes to his pride in the poem. For example, in these lines, he gloats on Porphyria’s love for him, saying that she “worshipp’d” him (line 33). His response is not that of humility, but of pride and joy, saying that it “made [his] heart swell and still it grew” (line 34). The imagery of gloating repeats and even increases to bloating, as it continued to swell: “still it grew” (line 34). He also demonstrates his narcissism in claiming his lover as his own, mentioning “mine” twice in one line, right after the other (line 35).
The love between the individuals is undeniable, but the love of the Porphyria’s lover is dualistic. It presents the other side of love that few will acknowledge, but as Freud argues, is present in all.
Endnotes:
1Peter Gay, ed., The Freud Reader. (Norton & Company: New York, 1985) 251.
2Gay 261
3Alain de Mijolla, ed., “Sadism,” International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. 2005. eNotes.com. 2006. 30 Oct, 2009 http://www.enotes.com/psychoanalysis-encyclopedia/
sadism.
For more on Robert Browning’s work and other literature go to: http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/562712/genna_rhoswen.html
