We have changed our privacy policy. In addition, we use cookies on our website for various purposes. By continuing on our website, you consent to our use of cookies. You can learn about our practices by reading our privacy policy.

Porphyria's Lover Sin Quotes

How we cite our quotes: I cite by line number only in this module

Quote #7

[…] again
Laughed the blue eyes without a stain. (44-45)

"Stain" is usually a metaphor for sin (like the bloodstains that Lady Macbeth can't get off her hands), but it's not clear what the metaphor of the "stain" is doing here. Is the speaker suggesting that, now that Porphyria is dead, the "stain" of her sins is gone? Or is he relieved to find that there is no visible "stain" in her eyes to mark his sin of murdering her?