Transcript The Laboratory

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:
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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:
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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!