Comparative Literary Analysis and Interpretation of the Blessed Damozel and Porphyria's Lover

Victorian writers used literature to express explicit emotions by means of their writings that would have otherwise been suppressed in public. The two distinct elements of emotional restrain and emotional release are explored in each and every writers respective poems, The Blessed Damozel by Dante Rosetti and Porphyria’s Lover by Robert Browning. Every single writer explores an emotional attachment that is expressed each implicitly and explicitly as their female interests are praised, and ultimately pursued. This pursuit is sought for the fulfillment of emotional attachment which is attained via their writings.

In Robert Browning’s poem Porphyria’s Lover, Porphyria’s lover articulates an emotion of obsession with Porphyria. Browning begins with a contrast of emotional states as the poem starts by stating Porphyria’s presence warms the lover as “She shut the cold out and the storm”(Browning, Line 7) in contrast to a stormy reality her lover seems to live without her. However, this warmth becomes far more intimate as Porphyria calls her lover and he does not answer, but lets her actions speak for her as, “She place my arm about her waist, And made her smooth white shoulder bare, And all her yellow hair displaced, And, stooping, produced my cheek like there, And spread, o’er all, her yellow hair”(Browning, Lines 16-20). The sheer actions of making her shoulder bare and letting her full yellow hair spread more than him expressed other feelings of lust that have been seen as taboo in the 19th Century Victorian society, but unconfined by means of Browning’s writing. As Porphyria and her lover’s intimacy take on new levels the lovers really feel for the moment as he quotes, “That moment she was mine, mine, fair, Perfectly pure and excellent: I found A point to do,”(Lines 36-38). This emotional release that was bred in an obsessive passion manifests itself via a enjoy that strangles each lovers. As Porphyria’s lover strangles her with her personal hair, which he obsessed about earlier in the poem, he becomes strangled by his emotional obsession and notes “No discomfort felt she I am very sure she felt no pain” (Browning, Lines 41-42). His complete realization shows that though he released feelings frowned upon in 19th century Victorian society, these very same feelings overtake his potential to ration his own emotions.

The feelings that are explored are not only obsessive but reflect a self satisfying emotional release since the lover starts to address how his love’s want had been heard as he quotes, “Her darling one wish would be heard. And all evening extended we have not stirred, and yet God has not stated a word!” (Browning, Lines 57-60). Right here the lover has turn into so immune to the reality of his actions that his feelings once again overtake his capability to ration. He justifies that God has not stated a word, thus prospectively approving this actions in his eyes. This denial of a rational conscious manifests itself in the release of his emotional state which final results in the death of this lover, as nicely as his fall from societal and moral justification.

In Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s The Blessed Damozel, the speaker respects and realizes his emotional restraint due to a circumstance that is out of his manage. He can not manage the truth that his lover has passed and is not hunting down on him from hear. However, he remains obsessed with her enjoy just the exact same. The speaker embraces his adore lost as he quotes “…Yet now, and in this spot, certainly she leaned o’er me-her hair Fell all about my face…” (Browning, Lines 20-22). At this point the speaker accepts his reality with out her, but sooner or later she longs for him in her reality. She quotes “I wish that he have been come to me, for he will come,” (Rossetti, Lines 67-68). Each lovers extended to live the adore that they had been destined to be a part of, but are separated by the heavenly plane. Their emotional repression right here is credited to the each of them occupying a diverse space and time. Despite the fact that these two have to restrain their feelings they nevertheless seek to be reunited as she states, “He shall fear haply, and be dumb Then will I lay my cheek to his, and tell about our love”(Rossetti, Lines 115-117). Lastly he realizes that she will not be returning to him and finds herself “And laid her face among her hands, and wept. (I heard her tears.)” (Rossetti, Lines 143-144) Here her lover restrains himself and even squashes his feelings in order to count on his lover sooner or later in heaven exactly where he believes she resides.

These poems both articulate emotional views that have been not directly in line with the Victorian society’s views of emotions. They every single related to a really like which is beyond the speakers grasp and even the reader’s grasp of morals. The emotional release that each speakers seek to embrace is a release of passion, obsession, and at occasions a life. Both Browning and Rossetti sought to address an emotional aspect of relationships that did not finish with the physical death of their mates. They seemed to figure out a way to address love on an everlasting emotional front which might have been suppressed in public, but was eternal in their writing.