Porphyria's Lover

One of the poems we will be studying this year for AS English Literature is Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning, which shows an interesting take on the storytelling and narrative. 

The main way in which the story is told in this poem is through the perception of power.  Initially it is insinuated that Porphyria has the power in the relationship from both the title (Porphyria's lover, as if he belongs to her) and from the way she presents her shoulder to him:

'Made her smooth white shoulder bare
And all her yellow hair displayed
And, stooping, made my cheek lie there.'

We are also given the impression that her lover (our own narrator) is not happy about this dynamic, from the lines:

'From pride, and vainer ties dissever
And give herself to me forever.

This may be due to the expectations of society during that time; that the man had the power over the woman in any relationship. This explains his course of action:

'In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around
And strangled her. No pain felt she;'

Earlier in the poem, it is mentioned that the man loves Porphyria so much that he wants to be with her eternally.  This may be one of the reasons why he takes the option of killing her, so that he can have the power in their relationship, without losing his love altogether.