to be in a state of uncertainty or unease

to initiate or provoke an action or event

involving actions that go beyond accepted boundaries or norms

to be filled with wonder or astonishment; to admire greatly

hatred, prejudice or discrimination against women

Understanding the poem 'Porphyria's Lover' by Robert Browning

English

In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry' continued, pupils used a range of reading skills to aid the supported decoding of challenging poems. In 'Unseen Poetry', pupils use these reading skills to decode texts with independence. 

In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of love and relationships. In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons, focusing on the final three poems: *Singh Song*, *The Farmer's Bride* and *Porphyria's Lover*.

Poetry anthology: continued study

Depiction or discussion of sexual or domestic abuse or violence, including  threats of or the aftermath of.

Depiction or discussion of sexual violence

The poem 'Porphyria's Lover' opens as a violent {{}} is taking place.

The speaker describes a destructive storm.

She removes her damp clothing and unfurls her hair.

Porphyria tells the narrator of her love for him.

The narrator is unsure what to do but eventually decides to murder her.

The narrator kills Porphyria by strangling her with her own hair.

He spends all night with her body declaring that God will not condemn him.

Starting with the first, put these events from 'Porphyria's Lover' in chronological order.

Which of the below are major themes in the poem 'Porphyria's Lover'?

Complete this quotation from the poem 'Porphyria's Lover':  "And laid her {{}} gloves by".

Complete this quotation from 'Porphyria's Lover':  "A sudden thought of one so {{}} for love of her".

Robert Browning wrote the entirety of his work in the 1800s. As such he is ...

Robert Browning was particularly well known for writing narrative poems from a particular character's perspective. What would we call these poems?

sexual liberality and emotional openness.

sexual conformity and emotional intelligence.

Robert Browning was writing through most of the Victorian era, a time known for its ...

If you 'marvel' at someone or something then you are filled with ...

Which of the below are reasonable synonyms of the word 'instigate'?

Browning wrote 'Porphyrias's Lover' at a time when Victorian readers would have considered Porphyria's overtly sexual and suggestive manner as ...

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of serious crime

Depiction or discussion of sexual violence

Adult supervision required

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Understanding the poem 'Porphyria's Lover' by Robert Browning

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.