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Year 11
AQA

Analysing the poem 'Porphyria's Lover' by Robert Browning

I can include meaningful context when writing about modern poems in the ‘Love and Relationships’ anthology.

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Year 11
AQA

Analysing the poem 'Porphyria's Lover' by Robert Browning

I can include meaningful context when writing about modern poems in the ‘Love and Relationships’ anthology.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Browning uses pathetic fallacy to reflect the emotional turmoil the speaker initially feels.
  2. Browning uses symbolism to convey the taboo nature of Porphyria's sexuality and the illicit relationship.
  3. Browning reveals the speaker's desire to exert total control over Porphyria by killing her.
  4. In the resolution, Browning conveys the speaker's psychotic lack of remorse for his gruesome murder.
  5. Browning uses the form of a dramatic monologue to explore the motivations and psyche of a murderer.

Keywords

  • Taboo - something forbidden by social norms

  • Pivotal - crucially important

  • Symbolism - using symbols to represent deeper meanings

  • Fallen woman - a woman shunned for moral failings

  • Psyche - the human mind and spirit

Common misconception

Porphyria is entirely passive and without agency.

Porphyria displays agency by actively seeking out the speaker and initiating intimacy. Her actions challenge societal norms, reflecting her independence and desire, despite her eventual victimisation.


To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Analysing the poem 'Porphyria's Lover' by Robert Browning, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

If you have time, you may wish to draw parallels in the poem with 'My Last Duchess', another poem by Robert Browning that explores the cruel acts of an unreliable and insane narrator.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You will need a copy of the poem 'Porphyria's Lover' by Robert Browning which can be found in the AQA 'Love and Relationships' anthology and the additional materials.

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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
'Porphyria's Lover' was written by ...
Correct answer: Robert Browning.
Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Thomas Hardy.
Charles Dickens.
Q2.
'Porphyria's Lover' is written from the perspective of a troubled narrator who reveals much about his personal thoughts. As such we would say it is ...
Correct answer: a dramatic monologue.
an autobiography.
a soliloquy.
a diary entry.
Q3.
Starting with the first, put these events from 'Porphyria's Lover' in chronological order.
1 - The speaker describes a destructive storm.
2 - Porphyria enters the cottage.
3 - She removes her damp clothing and unfurls her hair.
4 - Porphyria tells the narrator of her love for him.
5 - The narrator is unsure what to do but eventually decides to murder her.
6 - The narrator kills Porphyria by strangling her with her own hair.
7 - He then spends all night with her body declaring that God will not condemn him.
Q4.
Complete the sentence: 'Arguably, in 'Porphyria's Lover', Porphyria is presented as a very provocative character, doing several things that would seem __________ to a Victorian audience.'
Correct answer: transgressive
commonplace
amusing
Q5.
Which language device is being described here: 'using symbols to explore deeper meanings'?
Correct Answer: Symbolism
Q6.
If something is 'taboo' then it is __________ by social norms.
Correct answer: forbidden
encouraged
ignored
defined

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the below are reasonable synonyms of the word 'pivotal'?
Correct answer: crucial
Correct answer: vital
Correct answer: important
perfect
dynamic
Q2.
In Victorian society, a woman shunned for moral failings would have been described as a woman.
Correct Answer: fallen
Q3.
Which of these are effective ways to develop our analysis in English?
Correct answer: link to relevant context
Correct answer: explain the effect on the reader
Correct answer: give an alternative interpretation
Correct answer: extend our analysis by adding a further quotation
make a link to the writer's childhood experiences
Q4.
Which of the below discourse markers would be effective for comparing and contrasting?
Correct answer: However
For example
Additionally
Correct answer: Whereas
Correct answer: In contrast
Q5.
Which of the below are reasonable points to make about the pathetic fallacy at the start of 'Porphyria's Lover'?
Correct answer: It reflects the emotional turmoil the speaker initially experiences.
The poem is about human relationships, the focus on nature is a contrast.
Pathetic fallacy was a common language device used in Victorian times.
Correct answer: It creates a foreboding atmosphere, hinting at the violence to come.
Q6.
Aisha makes a point about 'Porphyria's Lover': 'As a symbol of her sexuality, Porphyria's hair would have been shocking to a Victorian audience.' Why is this not the most effective use of context?
it is incorrect
Correct answer: it is too generic
it doesn't include evidence from the poem
it doesn't make a link to Browning's life

Additional material

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