The LaboratoryRobert Browning

1845

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?

Taking pleasure in watching this take place.

Alliteration draws attention to intended violence.

Apothecary – seen here as creator of evil

Question marks used throughout highlight her keen interest in the production of the poison.

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.

Her lover has left her for another woman – she uses a pronoun rather than naming him.

They think she is wasting away in grief, not planning revenge.

No refuge or consolation in religion

Exclamation marks highlight her malicious laughter, excitement and pleasure in the preparation of murder.

Repetition of ‘they’ highlights her jealousy.

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.

Powerful verbs and alliteration foreshadow the violence that is to come .

She will wait for as long as it takes to exact her perfect revenge .

Implies a loss of femininity – she would rather watch poison prepared than dance at court.

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?

Punctuation continues to emphasise how keen she is to learn about the poison.

Rich and vivid imagery signifies great pleasure.

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!

Alliteration highlights her increasing desire and greed.

signet = ringfan-mount = fan holderfilligree = delicate lace

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!

Though she never names her lover, here she names other women she could easily murder.

Punctuation again highlighting her excitement at the thought of death.

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!

Getting very excited – said at the start of the poem that she could wait but desire for revenge taking over now.

Adjectives emphasising beauty as in fourth stanza. She wants the poison to be beautiful, for the victim to enjoy it.

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.

Insulting – the victim is a far larger lady than she is and will need more than a ‘drop’ of poison to kill her.

Verb implies a trap. Perhaps easier to believe that her lover was stolen away than that he chose to leave.

Imagines the heartbeat stopping.

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!

Like the repetition of the pronoun ‘they’ in second stanza; shows she is obsessed with the idea of them together and here describes spying on them.

Feels so much hatred she imagines killing her just by looking at her.

Poison much more effective than an evil stare.

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!

As before, exclamation mark highlights her obvious pleasure in inflicting suffering as she takes revenge.

Alliteration emphasises the pain her victim will face.

Again use of pronoun rather than his name.

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?

Imperative verb (command) signifies her powerful character. She is prepared to pay

anything for revenge.

Might the deed backfire?

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 emphasises rich imagery and symbolises the greed of both of them.

Only time she appears at all interested in passion; made grotesque by image of old man.

Assonance emphasises the horror of the poison.

Change in thought, signals a goodbye as she dashes off. Very determined ending, reader left imagining her poisoning the mistress.