Critical Essay on "Porphyria's Lover" By Robert Browning
             In "Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning Irony is portrayed throughout the story in the speakers thoughts and actions. Browning uses irony in the title, when the lover kills Prophyria, and finally when the lover has to justify his actions to God and himself.
             The First example of irony that Browning uses to touch the readers emotions is in the title of the poem, "Porphyria's Lover." When the title is read the word "Lover" is spoken you affectionate connotations are automatically thought of. These thoughts are quickly reversed by Browning who begins the story with, "The rain set early in to-night, The sullen wind was soon awake, It tore the elm-tops down for spite, And did its worst to vex the lake: I listened with heart fit to break." The imagery that Browning is drawing does not reflect what we have been lead to think from the nature of the title.
             The speaker loves Porphyria but kills her showing Browning's second use of irony. This second use of irony is directly following the lover recognizing that Porphyria worships him. The poem reads, "That moment she was mine, mine, fair, Perfectly pure and good: I found a thing to do, and all her hair In one long yellow string I wound Three times her little throat around, And strangled her." Although Browning draws a dark image with his vivid description of the storm, the reason behind the lover's actions cannot be fathomed. If he loved her as the title implies, killing her does not make sense.
             The last example of irony that Browning uses is when the lover tries to justify the murder of Porphyria to God and Himself. The first part of justification that The Lover states is directly following the strangling of Porphytria. It reads, "No pain felt she: I am quite sure she felt no pain." This is a very bizarre saying right after killing ...