Porphyria's Lover: Motifs

Female Garments and Body Parts

The speaker pays close attention both to the garments Porphyria wears when she comes in and to the body parts revealed upon their removal. After lighting a fire, Porphyria begins to take off the wet clothing she wore to protect her from the elements. The speaker describes these actions as if they were part of a striptease (lines 10–15):

   Which done, she rose, and from her form
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,
   And laid her soiled gloves by, untied
Her hat and let the damp hair fall,
   And, last, she sat down by my side
  And called me.

She begins, innocently enough, by taking off her coat and scarf. However, the speaker’s interest seems particularly piqued by the removal of her “soiled gloves.” His description of the gloves as soiled is suggestive, since that word carries connotations of sexual impurity and defilement. The removal of her “soiled” gloves therefore awakens thoughts about the naughtiness of their tryst. The damp yellow hair revealed when Porphyria removes her hat inspires similarly lusty thoughts. Yet despite his arousal, the speaker remains silent. Porphyria continues her striptease, revealing more sexually charged body parts (lines 15–20):

            When no voice replied,
She put my arm about her waist,
   And made her smooth white shoulder bare,
And all her yellow hair displaced,
   And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,
   And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair

The speaker draws attention to her waist, to her “white shoulder bare,” and (twice more!) to “her yellow hair.” All these body parts enflame the speaker’s lust, which in turn rouse his desire to possess her, both sexually and otherwise.

Shoulders of Support

Shoulders play a significant role at two points in the poem. Soon after her initial entrance, Porphyria bares her shoulder to the speaker in an overt expression of sexual desire (lines 16–19):

She put my arm about her waist,
And made her smooth white shoulder bare,
And all her yellow hair displaced,
And, stooping, made my cheek lie there

The speaker’s desire is made clear in his description of “her smooth white shoulder.” Knowing the power of her own sexuality, Porphyria maneuvers her body so that the speaker can rest his cheek on the bare shoulder he so desires. Later in the poem, this image of a head supported on a shoulder undergoes a grotesque reversal (lines 49–51):

   I propped her head up as before,
   Only, this time my shoulder bore
   Her head, which droops upon it still

After killing Porphyria, the speaker manipulates her body like a doll. Just as she previously propped his head on her shoulder, now he does the same to her. Yet these gestures have very different meanings. Porphyria’s gesture was charged with the living power of sexual desire. By contrast, the speaker’s gesture is a lifeless expression of his drive to possess and control his lover. His fantasy of Porphyria’s complete submission to him has come true, but it hasn’t come of her own free will. Instead, he has taken her will away entirely, and now her head droops lifelessly on his shoulder in a perverse imitation of loving support.

Previous section Themes Next section Symbols