Love Theme in "Porphyria's Lover” and “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning Essay Example

Almost everyone claims that they want to be loved, but love can be expressed in so many different ways. This idea is extremely evident in the two poems “Porphyria's Lover” and “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning. Each poem presents a situation in which a man loves a woman, but their love is shown in vastly unrelated ways. The plot of “Porphyria’s Lover” presents a twisted and excessive type of love, yet the storyline of “My Last Duchess” displays a possessive and jealous type of love. While some may argue that Robert Browning’s poems “Porphyria’s Lover” and “My Last Duchess” are similar in the way that they both appear to possess a corresponding theme of love, the themes diverge as they develop and are demonstrated in two different ways on account of the dissimilar types of love being presented in each poem. 

To begin with, in each of the two poems, Browning displays a unique type of love. For instance, in “Porphyria’s Lover,” the narrator proclaims “at last I [know] Porphyria [worships] me” after she simply made eye contact with him (“Porphyria’s Lover” 32-33). In this poem, the narrator’s love is so neurotic that the slightest bit of affection from Porphyria pushes him over the edge. The love being presented here is very distorted because the narrator is obsessed with Porphyria and the unrealistic idea that she loves him. Alternatively, in “My Last Duchess,” the Duke states that when his Duchess was alive “she smiled, no doubt, whene’er [he] passed her; but who passed without much the same smile?” (“My Last Duchess” 43-44). Through this poem, Browning expresses that the Duke’s love was an envious love. The Duke was jealous of the attention his Duchess gave other men, causing his love for her to be possessive. Additionally, it should be noted that some may try to prove that the poems are alike due to the idea of love shown in each, however, this theory cannot be backed up after analysis. After digging deeper into the poems, the love that is demonstrated in them proves to be two vastly different types of love. Ultimately, Browning creates contrasts in his works by crafting an individual type of love to portray in each of them. 

Secondly, the love in each of Browning’s poems is exhibited in different ways. For example, in “Porphyria’s Lover,” the narrator shows his love by wrapping Porphyria’s hair “three times her little throat around, and [strangling] her” (40-41).  The narrator displays his love through an insane and unusual act of violence towards his beloved. His mind is extremely twisted and he believes that strangling Porphyria is the only way to ensure that he can love her forever. On the contrary, in “My Last Duchess,” the Duke depicts his love for his Duchess by having a painting of her hung where “she stands as if alive” (“My Last Duchess” 46-47). By having a painting hung, the Duke has control over his wife and who can see her. The Duke showed his love through the domination and possessiveness of his last Duchess. Therefore the two poems establish love in utterly different ways and pale in comparison to one another. 

Finally, the themes of love in each poem are disparate from one another. In “Porphyria’s Lover,” the narrator sits with Porphyria’s head on his shoulder and claims “that all it scorned at once is fled, and I, its love, am gained instead!” because he had killed her (“Porphyria’s Lover” 54-55). The narrator's love for Porphyria is what drove him to perform an unimaginable act against her. This is thematic in the way that it reveals how love can lead someone to do deranged things. In contrast, in “My Last Duchess” the Duke admits that “ [He] gave commands” to his wife and the smiles that she gave him and others stopped altogether (“My Last Duchess” 45-46). The Duke had complete control over his Duchess and held her back from being her true self. The theme of this poem is that love can be controlling and confining. Indeed, some might say that the poems are connected because their themes are both related to love, however, this is not factual. Each poem possesses a unique theme that is distinctly set apart from the other and ultimately the poems do not share similarities with each other. Overall, Browning displays themes in each of his poems that are not comparable with each other. 

All in all, it may be argued that “Porphyria’s Lover” and “My Last Duchess” share a kindred theme of love, however, the theme of love is shown differently in both poems. In “Porphyria’s Lover,” Browning reveals the theme that love can make a person do unexpected things. In the poem, the narrator is overtaken by love and kills his beloved Porphyria. This drastic and unanticipated act portrays just how far a person will go for love. Conversely, in “My Last Duchess” Browning depicts the theme that love can be suppressing and restraining to a person. The Duke loved his wife, but was jealous and wanted all of her attention. The Duke demanded things of his Duchess and confined her to be exactly who he wanted her to be. All things considered, Browning’s two poems “Porphyria’s Lover” and “My Last Duchess” share no related ideas and are each unique in their own way because they portray unconnected themes and portrayals of love.