Robert Browning/(1812-1889)

A Mad Woman (Eugene Delacroix 1822)

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? He is with her; and they know that I know Where they are, what they do: they believe my tears flow While they laugh, laugh at me, at me fled to the drear Empty church, to pray God in, for them! -- I am here. 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. 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? 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! 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!

Quick -- is it finished. The colour's too grim 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! What a drop! She's not little, no minion like me-- That's why she ensnared him: this never will free The soul from those masculine eyes, -- say, 'no!' To that pulse's magnificent come-and-go. For only last night, as they whispered, I brought My own eyes to bear on her so, that I thought Could I keep them one half minute fixed, she would fall, Shrivelled; she fell not; yet this does not all! 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! 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? 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!

Robert Browning The son of Robert Browning, a Bank of England clerk, and Sarah Anna Wiedemann, of Scottish-German descent, Browning received little formal education. His learning was gleaned mainly from his Father's library at home in Camberwell, South London, where he learnt something, with his Father's help, of Latin and Greek and also read Shelly, Byron and Keats. Though he attended lectures at the University of London in 1828, Browning left after only one session. After the secretly held marriage to Elizabeth Barrett in 1846, Browning and wife travelled to Italy where they were, apart from brief holidays in France and England, to spend most of their married life together. In 1849 the couple had a son, Robert 'Pen' Browning, and it was Elizabeth who, during this time, was most productive. After her death in 1861, Browning returned to England with his son, where he achieved popular acclaim for his Dramatis Personae and The Ring and the Book. He spent the remainder of his life, excepting holidays in France, Scotland, Italy and Switzerland, in London where he wrote a number of dramatic poems, the two series of Dramatic Idylls (1879,1880) and poems on primarily classical subjects: Balaustion's Adventure (1871) and Aristophone's Apology (1875). He died in Venice whilst holidaying in 1889 and was buried at Westminster Abbey.

12, 4 line stanzas a,a,b,b rhyme Monologue Mainly thoughts, but some spoken to the apothecary Each stanza tells another part of the story Gothic qualities / Victorian values? Lack of details – ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘him’

The Laboratory ANCIEN REGIME Apothecary: chemist - make poisons, potions, medicines Set in the past - court society

I 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? Deadly arsenic fumes Alliteration – effect? Rival?

II He is with her, and they know that I know Where they are, what they do; they believe my tears flow While they laugh, laugh at me, at me fled to the drear Empty church, to pray God in, for them! – I am here. Pronouns – effect? Fevered imagination Making love and mocking her Articulating her jealousy

III 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. Alliteration – effect? Fierce, implacable personality fascinated

IV 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? Unhealthy interest Questions the ingredients Sound attractive, treasure?

V 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 filigree basket! Fantasy Possible items to hide the poison All valuable Very sinister – true murderer, serial killer potential

VI 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! Small tablet/pill Other women she despises Violence Excited, passionate, jealousy

VII 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! Disappointment thinks it should be attractive Insane, twisted, fanatical

What a drop! She’s not little, no minion like me! VIII What a drop! She’s not little, no minion like me! That’s why she ensnared him: this never will free The souls from those masculine eyes, - say, ‘no!’ To that pulse’s magnificent come-and-go. Quantity – enough? Contrast in figures Strong imagery Poison + revenge = erotic Lucien Freud, Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, 1995

IX For only last night, as they whispered, I brought My own eyes to bear on her so, that I thought Could I keep them one half minute fixed, she would fall Shrivelled; she fell not; yet this does it all! Paranoid Hoped that if she stared at her she would die Passionate hatred Desperately wants the poison to work

X 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! Slow, painful death. Alliteration – bitter, fierce determination Sadistic

XI 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? Impatient Views the poison – excited Extent of her rage Arrogance – is she untouchable?

XII 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! Alliteration – suggests jealous rage and sexual satisfaction Rewarding the apothecary Hurts her Lack of conscience, ruthless and violent

Summary In the apothecary’s laboratory the woman puts on a glass mask to protect herself from the deadly fumes of arsenic which the old apothecary is preparing. The woman’s jealousy is articulated. She cries out that she knows that her lover is with the other woman. She imagines that they know that she knows about them and that they are laughing at her. They think, she believes, that she is in church, praying. But she is not. She is buying poison. She is fascinated by the process. She watches the apothecary grinding the ingredients. She is enjoying the anticipation. She is not in a hurry. She says that it is better to watch the old man working than to be dancing at court. She asks questions about the ingredients. She enjoys the colours of the substances, the gold of the binding gum, the blue liquid in a phial. She is a true murderer at heart – a potential serial killer! She wishes she had all the poisons and could carry them around with her – hidden, perhaps, in a pretty object.

She becomes excited at the prospect of killing Pauline and Elise She becomes excited at the prospect of killing Pauline and Elise. Her passionate jealousy surfaces as she imagines the pleasure of knowing that Pauline had only 30 minutes to live and she pictures Elise dropping dead. The apothecary has finished his work. She seems to be disappointed that his preparation is too grim in colour. She would have preferred the poison to have been attractive in colour, like the blue mixture in the phial. She would like to see Pauline or Elise attracted to the mixture and stirring it into her drink. She is surprised by the small quantity. Her intended victim, she says, is not small and dainty like herself. She is well endowed, which is how she seduced her lover. This small quantity, she fears, will not be enough to kill her. She really does hate her rival. She remembers seeing her the previous evening with her lover, whispering. She had fixed them with a stare and had hoped that the power of her concentrated hatred would shrivel her rival. That didn’t kill her, but the poison she has just bought will do the trick.

But, she tells the apothecary, I don’t want her to die too quickly But, she tells the apothecary, I don’t want her to die too quickly. She wants her rival to experience pain before she dies. She wants the agony of her death to be reflected in her face. She wants the man she has lost to remember his lover’s dying face. The preparation is finished. She takes off her protective glass mask. She wants a clear view of the poison which will kill her rival. She tells the apothecary to take all her jewels and gold as reward. She even tells the old man he can kiss her on the mouth if he wishes. She is on her way – to dancing at court and to her murderous mission.

Questions Why is the speaker wearing a glass mask? Why does the speaker want to purchase some poison? What aspects of the old man’s art does the speaker like particularly? Who else does the speaker think of killing? Why? What is the main difference between the speaker and her rival? Do you think this difference might have an impact on the way she feels about herself? What sort of death does the speaker want for her rival? How much does the speaker pay for the poison? What does this show about the strength of her feelings? Why do you think the speaker, an aristocrat, allows the old man to kiss her on the lips?

Questions What is the effect of the alliteration in lines 9 and 10? How does the poem make use of colour? What does the alliteration in line 39 suggest about the intensity of the speaker’s feelings? Write a vivid and detailed description of the events in the laboratory. Use your imagination to fill out the details provided by Browning. Describe the old apothecary as you imagine him to be. Describe the jealous murderer. Describe the work and the atmosphere in the laboratory. Describe the murder of the woman’s rival – how does she carry it out? Describe how the rival dies.