The Laboratory by Robert Browning Commentary on the poem

The time is the Ancien Regime.. France in the 18th century A time of privilege for the aristocrats A time for love affairs at court But in a laboratory… Away from the court.. A lady is plotting to murder her rival with POISON CRIME of PASSION Where the people associated with the King meet

In the laboratory the lady talks to the alchemist - the “old man.” It’s a dramatic monologue We only hear the voice of the lady never the alchemist We build up a picture of what’s happening She has asked him to make a poison that can be given to her rival in love She is with him in the laboratory as he prepares it We learn about the “story”

The lady is curious about the alchemist’s methods Now that I, tying thy glass mask tightly, May gaze thro' these faint smokes curling whitely, She wears a mask to protect her from the fumes She goes to the laboratory- to observe Makes the process seem mysterious and beautiful She is looking intently Through description Browning has established that the lady is taking more than a casual interest

It’s made clear that the lady is speaking to someone As thou pliest thy trade in this devil's-smithy-- Which is the poison to poison her, prithee? Informal 2nd person Establishes relationship- she is the social superior The laboratory - where evil work is carried out As a creator of poisons Pray thee -please A polite request about a sinister action Repetition of poison makes it more sinister Establishes victim’s gender The question is direct - nothing to hide

The lady speaks quickly and eagerly 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. = strong stress =weak stress The rhythm of the poem, written in dactyls, helps here A dactyl= one strong stress followed by 2 weak stresses The repetition also makes her seem excited She finishes on a triumphant note

The lady likes to watch the poison being made 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 can wait for her revenge She’d rather be here She doesn’t want the attention of men Nor the pleasures of court life She’s enjoying this stage in her revenge

She’s fascinated by the process and asks questions 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? Questions - show curiosity Notice how beauty and good things are linked to death and poison She points at things Browning describes the scene through the eyes of the lady and what attracts her attention. This is how he creates her character

It’s not just revenge, the lady is taking pleasure from the idea of carrying it out Had I but all of them, thee and thy treasures, What a wild crowd of invisible pleasures! The poisons To carry pure death in an earring, a casket, A signet, a fan-mount, a filigree-basket! A ring Part that holds fan together Made from twisted gold wire She enjoys the idea of secret power over people

The lady looks forward to giving the poison 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! She’s looking forward to the moment The court tablet Her rival in love Roll of paste - it kills through the fumes She is gleeful at the idea of death Another rival in love She lingers on different parts of the victim's body: notice how she repeats the pronoun “her”each time.

The lady grows impatient Quick -- is it finished? “the colour’s too grim” And critical She wants Pauline to take the poison Let it brighten her drink let her turn it and stir try it and taste ere she fix and prefer Before Pauline can decide whether she likes it By giving these details Browning is showing the lady’s psychological state

We learn more of the back story She's not little, no minion like me-- That's why she ensnared him: Little insignificant Suggests Pauline is more powerful What a drop! She’s concerned that the poison is not strong enough to kill This also suggests Pauline is a physically bigger woman

The lady tried to kill Pauline by staring at her She spied on the two of them together As they whispered I brought My own eyes to bear on her She hoped that she would fall, shrivelled To wrinkle, to make smaller -picks up on the “size” of Pauline, mentioned in previous stanza It didn’t work She fell not But the poison will. Yet this does it all! The note of triumph shows she is desperate for revenge

She wants the death to be long and painful Let death be felt and the proof remain: Wants the method of death to be clear She lingers on the details Brand, burn up, bite into its grace- Alliteration emphasises these words Words linked to pain and suffering attractiveness She wants to see good things destroyed She imagines the scene of death He is sure to remember her dying face! This shows she is deranged

The poison is ready Take my mask off! Nay, be not morose It kills her, She’s talking to the alchemist sad He may look sad because he is helping commit a murder He’s had to listen to the details She’s only concerned whether it’s effective my whole fortune's fee This revenge is costing her everything: it shows how much she desires it. For a moment she considers whether the poison could be turned against her. beside, can it ever hurt me?

She's ready to leave the alchemist The price of the poison is her jewellery take all my jewels gorge gold to your fill You may kiss me, old man, on my mouth if you will! She likes to be in control Power,poison, death and sex are all linked together But she is concerned about being poisoned accidentally brush this dust off me, lest horror it brings

Her visit to the alchemist is over and she looks forward to returning to the court next moment I dance at the King's It sounds like she’s excited about an innocent pleasure But we know she’s excited about the prospect of murdering her rival

Some gothic qualities in the poem A deranged narrator A sinister setting secrets madness A story of a murder Which other poems in the anthology have some of these qualities? An evil plot

TSLAP Write down for me: The theme of the poem The Structure The sort of language which is used (think about specific words, rhymes, tone) The attitudes of the speaker, poem, author perhaps The Purpose

Crimes of passion - discuss A crime of passion refers to a crime in which the perpetrator commits a crime, especially assault or murder, against a loved one because of sudden strong impulse such as a jealous rage or heartbreak rather than as a premeditated crime. These crimes are often reported in detail in the media. It’s sometimes argued that because the person was in love that the courts should treat these cases differently. Do you believe that this should happen? Does “provocation” provide any kind of defence?

Ruth Ellis “It's obvious when I shot him I intended to kill him.” The trial and punishment of Ruth Ellis became notorious as she was the last woman in England to be executed. The death penalty in the UK was suspended in 1965 and permanently removed in Ruth Ellis' family campaigned for her murder conviction to be reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of provocation. Through the Criminal Cases Review Commission they brought the case to the Court of Appeal in September They argued Ellis was suffering "battered woman syndrome". She had suffered a miscarriage just 10 days before the killing after David Blakely had punched her in the stomach. But the appeal judges ruled she had been properly convicted of murder according to the law as it stood at the time. The defence of diminished responsibility did not then exist.

Murder most horrid… Does the method of killing used in the “The Laboratory” make the crime of murder any worse? Does the fact that the lady cold-bloodedly planned the murder and used poison make it a worse crime than if she had killed her lover in anger with a weapon?

tasks 1.Write a newspaper story based on the details in the poem concerning the planned murder. The headline should be “ Society Lady Poisoned at Court.” The article could focus on how the body was found, the tests being carried out, the list of suspects, the police investigations. 2.The diary of the alchemist – the old man who makes the poison in the poem. It could focus on the events in the poem told from his point of view, in the first person. As well as the details of his encounter with the lady it could deal with his feelings about creating poisons and his motivation for carrying out this kind of work.