Porphyria's Lover

Robert Browning
(1812-1889)

In his twenties and early thirties, Browning wrote a number of versified plays for the stage, but these were unsuccessful, and he did not achieve fame in his native England until he was in his fifties. Because of his experience with drama, he found his poetic voice within the medium of the dramatic monologue, which he perfected to a high degree. “My Last Duchess,” “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister,” and “Porphyria’s Lover” appeared in his Dramatic Lyrics of 1842, exactly during the time when he was also writing his plays.

Robert Browning: The Academy of American Poets
Visit this website to read a biography, see a bibliography, and access other links of interest.

Psychedelic Porphyria
This is too strange not to share. This website presents its creator’s psychedelic version of Browning’s poem.

What is Porphyria?
Visit this website to learn about the health disorder with the same name as the woman in the poem.

Porphyria and the American Revolution
Visit this website to learn of the role Porphyria may have played in the American Revolution. King George III is widely thought to have had the genetic disorder.

Robert Browning: An Overview
This site features not only information on Browning and his work, but also information on his contemporaries and the historical period.

"Porphyria's Lover"