Tone/Reactions - Porphyria's Lover

"Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning, is a unique poem that uses an interesting tone as well as dramatic monologue, that adds to its' twisted story. This poem starts out just like any 1800's love poem, using phrases like, "The rain set early in to-night, The sullen wind was soon awake" (1,2) and "I listened with heart fit to break. When glided in Porphyria; straight" (5,6). Using these descriptions, Browning sets this relaxing, yet exciting tone. Like that of two lovers meeting at a given place where they always meet to make love. This tone is sustained until "She put her arm about my waist, And made her smooth white shoulder bare" (16,17.) Now at this point, the way a reader reacts switches from being relaxed and exciting, to just exciting! It looks like it's setting up to be a steamy romantic scene, this tone is maintained with lines like, "Murmuring how she loved me -- she Too week, for all her heart's endeavour" (21,22). Then, all of the sudden, the tone in the midst of the love and affection, deep passionate descriptions of these two apparent lovers comes to an utter halt, when the speaker says, "Three times her little throat around, And strangled her. No pain felt she" (40,41). The feelings as a reader drops like a book off a shelf, as a reader, your heart can't help but find a desolate break. The tone finishes off the poem in the mind of a crazed psychopathic killer, twisted in his obsession with the desire to contain her whole heart, which is why he killed her in that "Perfectly pure and good" (37) state. The odd thing about this poem, is that the tone of the speaker although varies at certain times, remains a steady dull tone, which adds to the creepiness of the story.