However, the speaker is aware of her passionate attempt to conceal her pride and vanity. Her beauty, pride, and conceit prevent Porphyria from completely loving the speaker. The unnamed speaker realizes that Porphyria cannot make a true commitment to a serious relationship of love. He is overcome by his passion and desire to be her only lover. As the couple embraces one another, the speaker is unable to restrain overwhelming desire to make Porphyria his only lover.
He has terrible thoughts about how he could make her devoted only to him. He suddenly realizes what he must do to gain her total devotion and love. Debating what action he should take, the speaker gazes into her eyes and believes that Porphyria loves only him. In an instant, she belonged only to him.
She was totaling devoted to the speaker. At that particular moment, her love was perfect, pure, and good. Suddenly, the speaker understands what he must do in order to gain Porphyria’s faithful love. He takes her long yellow hair and repeatedly wraps it around her little throat.
He strangles Porphyria until she dies. The speaker states that she felt no pain. He is certain that her death was painless. He opens her eyelids and again sees the laughter reflected in her blue eyes. As he loosened her hair from around her neck, Porphyria’s cheek brightly blushes as he kisses her passionately.
They couple continue to hug each other with Porphyria’s head resting on her lover’s shoulder. The speaker notices a smile upon her little rosy face and believes she is blissfully consumed by his grotesque love. The speaker and the lifeless Porphyria sit together all night. The speaker makes an unexpected declaration in the finale verse of the poem. The speaker concludes the poem believes there are no witnesses who observe his bizarre behavior. The mysterious speaker feels no shame or guilt regarding his wicked and selfish conduct.
He boasts that even God did not speak a wor against him. Robert Browning reveals rare insights and an unusual interpretation concerning the concept of love. The two romantic relationships described in “My Last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover” is comparable in certain areas, however each poem reveals contrasting ideas about the concept of love. Both poems are dramatic monologues spoken by a particular individual. Both poems reveal the complex nature of the love shared between a man and a woman.
The aspects of jealousy, vanity, pride, obsessive desire, beauty, and flirtatious behavior are contained in both poems. The desire to completely possess another person’s love and affection are related through a dramatic monologue. Robert Browning compares the love Duke Ferrara has for his Duchess with the obsession of Porphyria’s lover. The Duke’s has a jealous, stubborn, and irrational love for his Duchess. Likewise, Porphyria’s is the recipient of a sinister, uncontrolled, and destructive love. Her mysterious admirer is overwhelmed by Porphyria’s supreme beauty and her sensual mannerisms.
His jealousy and obsession for Porphyria, compels him to act upon his depraved thoughts that will secure her total love and devotion. Porphyria and the Duchess experience similar outcomes that result in the death of both women.