Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning

Verse video based on the classic poem by Robert Browning. Shot on film in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. From the myStanza.com collection, now available as iPhone/iPod Touch app at iTunes.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• poems by Browning
• Porphyria's Lover
• video poems

[TRESBELA]

Browning's work was less recognized in comparison to his wife's. You're dealing with late 18th century poetry during the Victoria age-a time where the romantics like Wordsworth, Blake and Shelley were far different from someone like Browning whose style was more discordant. It was less in harmony, less "pretty" words and more juxtaposed and almost prosiness. Straight to the point, no sugar coats..he's one of my favorites!

[DV02459]

You mean 19th century, I think (1800s).

:)

[muncyd]

what was this shot on??

[DV02459]

Super 8mm reversal film. With a Nikon Super 8mm camera. December in the White Mountains.

[dgrandits]

This video did a great job at depicting the crazed speaker! I plan to use this poem as part of a lesson in dramatic monologue in my English class. I plan to use your great video as another method to help my students understand what the poem means. It makes it so much less frightening to try to analyze a great piece of poetry when students can "see" it.

[DV02459]

Thanks for watching--and I'm glad this can be of use to your class!

[SarBear4Ryan]

"no pain felt she. im quite sure she felt no pain"

this poem freaks me out

[darkarts59]

Do you think Browning could have been the ripper? I mean he's got some weird fantasies.

[zimmawoman]

@darkarts59 I don't think these are Browning's personal fantasies. He was an equalist and I think was just talking about the subject of men owning women, jealousy, and the darkness in passion, etc. A writer can talk about something without it meaning that it applies to his/her personal life.

[Nikki1835]

We watched this today in English, freaked the hell out of me :|

[johnnycalv]

No browning wasn't jack the it has been proven that it was Francis tumblety a canadian doctor who shortly after the killings had finished fled to canada

[SharnsiR]

Anyone analysing this poem for Lit. class, the clue is in the name. (I didn't work this out for years after school). Porphyria is an illness, a blood disorder making the sufferer pale and anaemic, often sensitive to sunlight, possibly related to vampire myth. (Browning says she's pale... sometimes '...passion would prevail' indicates she's usually too weak for sex. She wanted to be euthanased. The poem guy was indecisive if or how to do it, when he decided to strangle her, she 'adore'd him.

[XshaunixX]

@darkarts59 Possibly, but Jack killed prostitutes. Browning is weird!

[TheFatjoe248]

One of the only English Lit assignments I have actually enjoyed, beautiful poem and very well acted and directed

[TheFordham1]

I also have to analyse this for engligh lit and hello to any of the other people in my class.

[culticmusicfan]

I have to analyze this poem for English and I really needed to see this to understand it

I'm from the netherlands so it isn't familiar to me in any way

[missgizy]

isnt he supposed to wrap her hair around her throat and strangle her that way?

"and all her hair in one long yellow string i wound three times her little throat around, and strangled her."

and then he opens her eyes to check that she is dead, and when he is sure, he releases her hair.

[amorymorton]

Actually, Browning was less popular then his wife only during her life time. After she died, towards the last decads to the 19th cent. he was highly regarded. Late victorians were much more into sexual deviations and such.

And I can't really see the dramatic lyric form as "straight to the point"!