The Laboratory Robert Browning

Subject Matter A woman goes to an apothecary, to brew up a poison to kill her lover and his two mistresses. The husband has been cheating on her and she is planning her revenge. She is telling the old man at the apothecary her plans for big REVENGE!!

Themes The themes that occupy this poem are: Violence Pain Jealousy Anger Revenge Hatred Loneliness Loneliness is shown by the repetition of ‘I’. These themes show that the woman is disturbed and psychotic.

Language The poem is written in archaic language which gives us a clue to when it is set. The alliteration ‘Brand, burn up, bite’ helps us understand her emotions as it makes the tone angry and bitter. The words also remind us how she feels branded as someone who has been cheated on, she is marked and scarred by her deceitful lover. She burns with shame and the word ‘bite’ gives us a clue to how much the cheating lover has hurt her. The poem is written in first person, giving the character’s view.

Structure There is lots of enjambment in the poem which makes it sound more like a story which helps it flow so it shows her emotions more. Also the poem follows A A B B rhyming structure and uses rhyming couplets. This also helps the poem flow and makes it a bit more catchy. It gives us a good idea of how excitied she is about her revenge. The first and last stanzas are similar, which shows that nothing has changed for her by telling the story at the apothecary, she will take her revenge. The poem is a monolgue, written in first person and showing her point of view.

Alternative Interpretation The Repetition of ‘I’ shows that she is egotistical and also shows that she only cares about herself and her feelings and doesn’t care who she has to hurt to be happy again. It could also show that she feels lonely and isolated. A*

Comparison This poem compares to: ‘Education For Leisure’, through a psychotic character and a belief that they have control over life and death. ‘Hitcher’, through strong feeling of death, violence, hatred and anger

Success? This poem is successful because it shows her emotions clearly and uses the themes in a blatant and obvious way, helping the reader to understand the character and her feelings of jealousy and hatred.

We would like to thank: Google Our Chairperson – Shereen Dopwell Our Judge – Anisa Wizard Our Scribe – Elliott Silk Our Pioneer – Charlie Dew Philip Alan Updates GCSE Student Text Guide Thanks for reading!