Why Porphyria?

Porphyria is a group of diseases where porphyrin build up (specifically, abnormalities in the production of the porphyrin "heme", the pigment in red blood cells) causes negative symptoms which  "include abdominal pain, chest pain, vomiting, confusion, constipation, fever, high blood pressure, and high heart rate". The American Porphyria Foundation says "porphyrin comes from the Greek word, porphyus, meaning reddish-purple" but I don't think the color associated with Porphyria is as relevant to the poem Porphyria's Lover as the historical associations of the disease and its symptoms. 

During an episode, a person may also experience muscle weakness, seizures, fever, and mental changes such as anxiety and hallucinations.

US National Library of Medicine

Considering that first description of this disease is credited to Hippocrates, surely Browning was aware of its mental state altering symptoms. I wouldn't be surprised if Porphyria's name was chosen on purpose with these manic symptoms in mind. The narrator is, although not outwardly shown to us, anxious. We discussed in class (Jan 30th) how he has an extreme desire for control, having killed Porphyria to immortalize a moment of worship in her eyes. Alongside the assumption that Porphyria was having an affair with the narrator, I would not be surprised if the narrator's anxiety is linked to this romantic plot. This might be a stretch, but disregarding the attributed anxiety, perhaps the narrator is "Porphyria's Lover" because he flirts and indulges in his madness. 

Also, I'm not sure why Browning chose for the narrator to strange Porphyria rather than off her in other ways. There may be some poetic, cultural, or historical context I am missing at this point and it may be worth further analysis. 

The narrator's justification in the last line off the poem seals the deal on how absolutely deranged he is. I think we can all agree, whether it's Porphyria or not, that there is something terribly, terribly wrong with this man. 

And yet God has not said a word!

Robert Browning, Porphyria's Lover 

Also some fun (perhaps not so fun?) tidbits I found while digging around. 

This is the same disease (although, technically group of diseases) that King George III was suspected of having. This is the origin of the addition of "he famously peed blue" in too many TRUEFACTS tm history compilations. Although I have to give a fair disclaimer, the validity of this diagnosis is sketchy at best. King George III was mentally ill (how did you even manage to lose your thirteen colonies?) but how much of that can be attributed to porphyria rather than generations of selective inbreeding, I do not know. 

Besides now being forever associated with mentally ill royalty, Porphyria has also been used in an attempted explanation for vampire and werewolf tendencies.