Blog 9- Robert Browning

Porphyria's Lover seems like its a one sided love story about a lady who practically worships this guy and little things just seem to extremely bother him. Browning writes about murder and of course the scene takes place on a dark, stormy night. "The rain set in early in to-night, the sullen wind was soon awake, it tore the elm-tops down for spite" this is the cliche plot of a murder. When Porphyria sits beside him he does not even acknowledge her "at last she sat down by my side, and called me. when no voice repiled" its like shes competing for his attention and trying to get him to fully notice her. He might be medicated or drunk so he does not really understand what hes doing. "And thus we sit together now, and all night long we have not stirred, and yet God has not said a word" I do not really understand these lines because if he did kill her or himself why did God stay silent? Maybe God did not say anything because Porphyria was a sinner and he made things right.

It makes me wonder if Love Among The Ruins is about Elizabeth Barrett Browning. "Held his courts in, gathered councils, wielding far, peace or war." The first stanza could easily be talking about heaven and the afterlife. The footnote, however, talks of the excavations of Babylon, Nineveh, and Egyptian Thebes or possibly the Roman Campagna. The title hints at timeless love and still being in love after turning into Ruins. The title could also be talking of palentologists finding things that lead to love. The love could be toward the country that is now a Ruin. Now that I read more of the poem, the last hypothesis is more likely. Even though the scientists have found the old city, maybe they could still feel the patriotism.