The "Laboratory" is a poem written by Robert Browning that tells the story of a woman who is preparing a poison in her laboratory. The poem is told from the perspective of the woman, who is described as being "cruel and fair" and who takes pleasure in her work as a poisoner.
The poem begins with the woman mixing a potion in her laboratory, carefully measuring out the ingredients and stirring the mixture with a glass rod. She is described as being "calm and cool" as she works, and there is a sense of excitement and exhilaration in her actions.
As the poem progresses, the woman reveals the purpose of her work: she is preparing the poison for her lover, who has been unfaithful to her. She is filled with anger and resentment towards him, and sees the poison as a way to exact her revenge.
Despite her feelings of betrayal, the woman is still able to appreciate the beauty of the poison she is preparing. She describes it as having a "clear and golden hue," and speaks of its deadly power with a sense of awe.
As the poem comes to a close, the woman reflects on the power of her work, and the darkness within her own soul. She acknowledges that her actions are evil, but also believes that she has been driven to them by the wrongs that have been inflicted upon her.
Overall, "Laboratory" is a thought-provoking and disturbing poem that delves into themes of revenge, betrayal, and the darkness within the human soul. Through the character of the poisoner, Browning explores the idea that even those who appear calm and controlled on the outside can be filled with anger and hatred, and that the desire for revenge can drive people to do unspeakable things.
The Laboratory Analysis
This is illustrated by the dash and exclamation mark in the second line. Loving the beloved is the way that the speaker actually knows she exists. Each stanza is like a small journey itself. She thinks they might be having fun while teasing her. 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! Browning is an underrated rhymer in my opinion too. Let it brighten her drink, let her turn it and stir, And try it and taste, ere she fix and prefer! Why not soft like the phial's, Let it And try it and taste, ere she fix and prefer! You need not clap your torches to my face.
10 of the Best Robert Browning Poems Everyone Should Read
Ah, the And Sure to V. Here, she imagines the culmination of her plan. So begins this classic Browning poem. Not that I bid you spare her the pain! To carry pure death in an earring, a casket, A signet, a fan-mount, a filigree basket! This is another dramatic monologue, spoken by a Spanish monk who chooses to confide in us, the reader, about the monastery where he lives and works — and especially his dislike for a fellow monk, Brother Lawrence. Browning has used symbols like jealousy, mercilessness and devilish act to show the dark side of human nature. Additionally, the use of enjambment and the use of caesura show how it was a sudden and quick response that the commands were obeyed.
Romney now sadly admits that doctrinaire socialism is a failure, for the people will rebel against any restrictions and reforms imposed upon them. Far from being merely a writer of Victorian love poems, Elizabeth Barrett Browning used her poetry as a social critic and for political protest. Moreover, Browning places little faith here in the life of the mind, the ability of analysis: he finds himself unable to elaborate more on the relationship between the feather and the man who met Shelley. Again, the alliteration almost makes the poem dance along with a kind of jagged, nervous energy. His queer long coat from heel to head Was half of yellow and half of red; And he himself was tall and thin, With sharp blue eyes, each like a pin, And light loose hair, yet swarthy skin, No tuft on cheek nor beard on chin, But lips where smiles went out and in — There was no guessing his kith and kin! Robert Browning was a Victorian poet, famed for writing dramatic monologues, of which The Laboratoryis a fine example.
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She wrote poems in praise of Italian freedom fighters battling for re-unification of the country. The poem is not a narrative poem because it has a speaker rather than a narrator, but it nevertheless tells a story of a doomed marriage, a man capable only of irrational jealousy and possessive force, and male pride indeed, arrogance and privilege too that barely conceals the fragile masculinity just lurking beneath. She's not little, no minion like me- That's why she ensnared him: this The To that pulse's magnificent come-and-go. The alliteration and repetition in the last line creates a busy, frenetic rhythm. Also, she offers him a kiss and leaves the laboratory to fulfill her mission. It seems that the lady has endured a lot in the name of love.
Browning reacted with awe when the man described his meeting with the famed poet, and the man is said to have laughed at him for this reaction. Perceptions of insecurity within the speaker can be highlighted through her immense jealousy of women. Better sit thus, and observe thy strange things, Than go where men wait me and dance at the King's. Perhaps she means that they are calculating, in which case the lover has met her match! Instead, she is planning something terrific for them. Loving the beloved is the way that the speaker actually knows she exists. And did you speak to him again? She even instructs the alchemist to get the desired result.
Better sit thus and observe thy strange things, Than go where men wait me , and dance at the King's. She recalls how her ex-boyfriend played with her emotions. She is not unlike arch-villain Context Robert Browning 1812-1889 was born in London, though he lived the latter years of his life in Italy with his wife, Elizabeth Barrett-Browning. I also like the srange well of Freudian musings the poem offers: the brave tree whence such gold oozings come! Nay, be not morose; It kills her, and this prevents seeing it close; The delicate droplet, my whole fortune's fee! She bluntly describes how painful it was for her to survive during the trying times. Now, take all my jewels, You may kiss me, old man, on my But Ere I know it---next.
Robert Browning “The Laboratory” Analysis Essay Example
The poem begins with an eerie scene, where the lady and the chemist are present in a devil-smithy laboratory, making poison for somebody. But now, she has grown so strong. Grind away, moisten and mash up thy paste, Pound at thy powder,—I am not in haste! The poem is a commentary on the destructive power of love and the lengths that people will go to in order to protect their own interests. While observing, she scornfully accounts for the silly assumptions of her lover and his girlfriend. Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born in Coxhoe Hall, Durham, England in March of 1806. Selected by Dr Oliver Tearle oeuvre to just ten defining poems is going to prove a challenge. The orders continue and we sense her eagerness to get started with the plan.
She is both curious and inquisitive, and this style of questioning also adds a touch of drama to the poem. If you want to know more about other writers, please visit there reads as well. Stanza 6 is where the speaker goes off in to a daydream, listing the different ways in which poison can be used. Revenge exists as an obvious theme as the poem is all about the speaker plotting revenge and we also learn that revenge is often sought as an effect of romantic betrayal. Instead, it infused her with negative emotions and made her stand at a place where she dared to be a murderer. Again the internal rhyme here lends the poem a richness of sound.
Let death be felt and the proof remain; Brand, burn up, bite into its grace— He is sure to remember her dying face. This also highlights the desperation and drive to get what she wants. 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? 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! Ah, the And yonder soft phial, the exquisite Sure to taste sweetly,-is that poison too? I always loved him and think it was I whom he would have courted on Wimpole Street, but I couldn't have taken to the illness shelter. Imagining ways in which poison can be hidden behind the beauty of such objects presents a disturbed and estranged mindset within the speaker and the reader can begin to really get a sense of the type of character the speaker is. To placid her mission, she visits a laboratory. Victorians were quite introverted at that time, so if they suddenly realized people started to reveal their inner emotions, they were just so engrossed.
She was plagued by these symptoms for the rest of her life. Even when the narrator walks along the coast, there is no mention of any life whatsoever. The man is obsessed with Porphyria and believes that by killing her, he can keep her with him forever. Not sure about how the timing is jumped in some places as the emphasis on the assonance may have been different. Her keen interest in making the poison and bad intentions show the dark side of her character. It creates here a staccato rhythm which suggests the adrenaline-fuelled energy of the Speaker. The poem begins with Elizabeth Barrett Browning praising the writer for her brains and her heart.
