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Women in 19th Century British Poetry Response: "Porphyria's Lover," "My Last Duchess," and "The Leper"

The feelings about women in the Victorian period were very disheartening. Women were seen as objects and viewed as less than human. These views were upheld by men who perpetuated a women's place in society as a pretty thing to look at and nothing more. When a man was tired of her or felt like he could not possess her completely he could kill her as the only way to ensure that she is his forever. The following poems (all written by men), are an insight into the minds of men during the 19th century. "Porphyria's Lover, "My Last Duchess," and "The Leper" are all poems where men kill their object of affection for not being able to fully have them or (as in the case of "The Leper") gloat about her on her death bed.
"Porphyria's Lover" starts out quite innocently with two lovers meeting in a little cottage. Porphyria is described as beautiful, sexual, and at the same time,......

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Approximate Word Count: 1028
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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