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The Laboratory Robert Browning 1845

The Laboratory Robert Browning 1845. Taking pleasure in watching this take place. Apothecary – seen here as creator of evil. ANCIEN REGIME

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The Laboratory Robert Browning 1845

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  1. The LaboratoryRobert Browning 1845

  2. Taking pleasure in watching this take place. Apothecary – seen here as creator of evil ANCIEN REGIME Now that I, tying thy glass mask tightly,May gaze thro' these faint smokes curling whitely,As thou pliest thy trade in this devil's-smithy-Which is the poison to poison her, prithee? Question marks used throughout highlight her keen interest in the production of the poison. Alliteration draws attention to intended violence.

  3. They think she is wasting away in grief, not planning revenge. Her lover has left her for another woman – she uses a pronoun rather than naming him. Repetition of ‘they’ highlights her jealousy. He is with her; and they know that I knowWhere they are, what they do: they believe my tears flowWhile they laugh, laugh at me, at me fled to the drearEmpty church, to pray God in, for them! -- I am here. Exclamation marks highlight her malicious laughter, excitement and pleasure in the preparation of murder. No refuge or consolation in religion

  4. Grind away, moisten and mash up thy paste,Pound at thy powder, -- I am not in haste!Better sit thus, and observe thy strange things,Than go where men wait me and dance at the King's. She will wait for as long as it takes to exact her perfect revenge . Powerful verbs and alliteration foreshadow the violence that is to come . Implies a loss of femininity – she would rather watch poison prepared than dance at court.

  5. That in the mortar -- you call it a gum?Ah, the brave tree whence such gold oozings come!And yonder soft phial, the exquisite blue,Sure to taste sweetly, -- is that poison too? Punctuation continues to emphasise how keen she is to learn about the poison. Rich and vivid imagery signifies great pleasure.

  6. Had I but all of them, thee and thy treasures,What a wild crowd of invisible pleasures!To carry pure death in an earring, a casket,A signet, a fan-mount, a filligree-basket! Alliteration highlights her increasing desire and greed. signet = ring fan-mount = fan holder filligree = delicate lace

  7. Soon, at the King's, a mere lozenge to give And Pauline should have just thirty minutes to live! But to light a pastille, and Elise, with her head And her breast and her arms and her hands, should drop dead! Punctuation again highlighting her excitement at the thought of death. Though she never names her lover, here she names other women she could easily murder.

  8. Quick - is it finished? The colour's too grim!Why not soft like the phial's, enticing and dim?Let it brighten her drink, let her turn it and stir,And try it and taste, ere she fix and prefer! Getting very excited – said at the start of the poem that she could wait but desire for revenge taking over now. Adjectives emphasising beauty as in fourth stanza. She wants the poison to be beautiful, for the victim to enjoy it.

  9. What a drop! She's not little, no minion like me-That's why she ensnared him: this never will freeThe soul from those masculine eyes, - say, 'no!'To that pulse's magnificent come-and-go. Insulting – the victim is a far larger lady than she is and will need more than a ‘drop’ of poison to kill her. Verb implies a trap. Perhaps easier to believe that her lover was stolen away than that he chose to leave. Imagines the heartbeat stopping.

  10. For only last night, as they whispered, I broughtMy own eyes to bear on her so, that I thoughtCould I keep them one half minute fixed, she would fall,Shrivelled; she fell not; yet this does it all! Like the repetition of the pronoun ‘they’ in second stanza; shows she is obsessed with the idea of them together and here describes spying on them. Feels so much hatred she imagines killing her just by looking at her. Poison much more effective than an evil stare.

  11. Not that I bid you spare her the pain!Let death be felt and the proof remain;Brand, burn up, bite into its grace- He is sure to remember her dying face! As before, exclamation mark highlights her obvious pleasure in inflicting suffering as she takes revenge. Alliteration emphasises the pain her victim will face. Again use of pronoun rather than his name.

  12. Imperative verb (command) signifies her powerful character. She is prepared to pay anything for revenge. Is it done? Take my mask off! Nay, be not morose It kills her, and this prevents seeing it close: The delicate droplet, my whole fortune's fee- If it hurts her, beside, can it ever hurt me? Might the deed backfire?

  13. Only time she appears at all interested in passion; made grotesque by image of old man. Alliteration emphasises rich imagery and symbolises the greed of both of them. Now, take all my jewels, gorge gold to your fill, You may kiss me, old man, on my mouth if you will! But brush this dust off me, lest horror it brings Ere I know it - next moment I dance at the King's! Change in thought, signals a goodbye as she dashes off. Very determined ending, reader left imagining her poisoning the mistress. Assonance emphasises the horror of the poison.

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