The Laboratory by Robert Browning

1. The Laboratoryby Robert Browning Commentary on the poem

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

3. 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 She has asked him to make a poison that can be given to her rival in love We build up a picture of what’s happening She is with him in the laboratory as he prepares it We learn about the “story”

4. The lady is curious about the alchemist’s methods She goes to the laboratory- to observe She wears a mask to protect her from the fumes Now that I, tying thy glass mask tightly, May gaze thro' these faint smokes curling whitely, 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

15. The poison is ready sad Take my mask off! She’s talking to the alchemist Nay, be not morose It kills her, He may look sad because he is helping commit a murder She’s only concerned whether it’s effective He’s had to listen to the details beside, can it ever hurt me? 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.

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

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

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

19. 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

20. Crimes of passion - discuss A crime of passionrefers 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?

21. Ruth Ellis 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 1970. 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 2003. 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. “It's obvious when I shot him I intended to kill him.”

22. 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?

23. tasks • 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. • 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.