Compare the ways in which the poet explores strong emotion in My Last Duchess and The Laboratory.
Both of these deal with strong emotions. in My Last Duchess the Duke explains why he had his wife killed. In the laboratory the women explains that she is planning the murder of her husband’s mistress.
My Last Duchess is a dramatic monologue. We know at the start of the poem that the Duke has killed his wife. The reason why the Duke had his wife killed was because he thought his wife a pleasant women “she had a heart” which means she a kind loving person, she was also welcoming and energetic. Duke did not like his wife because he thought she treated everyone the same “she smiled, no doubt, whene’er I passed her but passed much without the same smile?”
The poet uses enjambment which reflects the Duke thoughts and feelings. The poem has formal and possessive language. The Duke emphasis his “nine- hundred year old name” he is proud of his heritage. This poem has conversational tone which gives it a natural feel to the poem.
The Laboratory is a poem a jealous women who wants to take revenge on her husbands mistress by poising her. The theme of this poem is about jealousy, and disappointment in love. The structure of this poem is important in the way that Robert Browning presents the laboratory. This poem is made up of twelve, four lined stanzas. The poem has a strong rhythm, which helps give it a lively and melodramatic feel. This effect is made stronger by the poet use of alliteration “moisten and mash, pound at thy powder”
This poem also has a conversational tone and uses a lot of question marks and exclamation marks. The poet uses the words “burn up bite” these words reflect her mood which shows she is angry.
The attitudes in these two poems are very similar they both involve killing someone. The woman in The Laboratory is excited by the thought of getting her revenge and causing pain “let death be felt”. In my Last Duchess...