Robert Browning/(1812-1889)

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• Robert Browning/(1812-1889)

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A Mad Woman (Eugene Delacroix 1822)
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• ANCIEN REGIMENOW 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?He is with her and they know that
  I knowWhere they are, what they do they believe
  my tears flowWhile they laugh, laugh at me, at
  me fled to the drearEmpty church, to pray God
  in, for them! -- I am here.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.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?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!Soon, at the King's, a mere
  lozenge to giveAnd Pauline should have just
  thirty minutes to live!But to light a pastille,
  and Elise, with her headAnd her breast and her
  arms and her hands, should drop dead!

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• 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!What a drop! She's not little, no minion
  like me--That's why she ensnared him this never
  will freeThe soul from those masculine eyes, --
  say, 'no!'To that pulse's magnificent
  come-and-go.For only last night, as they
  whispered, I broughtMy own eyes to bear on her
  so, that I thoughtCould I keep them one half
  minute fixed, she would fall,Shrivelled she
  fell not yet this does not all!Not that I bid
  you spare her the pain!Let death be felt and the
  proof remainBrand, burn up, bite into its
  grace--He is sure to remember her dying
  face!Is it done? Take my mask off! Nay, be not
  moroseIt kills her, and this prevents seeing it
  closeThe delicate droplet, my whole fortune's
  fee--If it hurts her, beside, can it ever hurt
  me?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 bringsEre I know it -- next moment I dance at
  the King's!

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Robert Browning

• The son of Robert
  Browning, a Bank of England clerk, and Sarah Anna
  Wiedemann, of Scottish-German descent, Browning
  received little formal education. His learning
  was gleaned mainly from his Father's library at
  home in Camberwell, South London, where he learnt
  something, with his Father's help, of Latin and
  Greek and also read Shelly, Byron and Keats.
  Though he attended lectures at the University of
  London in 1828, Browning left after only one
  session. After the secretly held marriage to
  Elizabeth Barrett in 1846, Browning and wife
  travelled to Italy where they were, apart from
  brief holidays in France and England, to spend
  most of their married life together. In 1849 the
  couple had a son, Robert 'Pen' Browning, and it
  was Elizabeth who, during this time, was most
  productive. After her death in 1861, Browning
  returned to England with his son, where he
  achieved popular acclaim for his Dramatis
  Personae and The Ring and the Book. He spent
  the remainder of his life, excepting holidays in
  France, Scotland, Italy and Switzerland, in
  London where he wrote a number of dramatic poems,
  the two series of Dramatic Idylls (1879,1880) and
  poems on primarily classical subjects
  Balaustion's Adventure (1871) and Aristophone's
  Apology (1875). He died in Venice whilst
  holidaying in 1889 and was buried at Westminster
  Abbey.

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• 12, 4 line stanzas
• a,a,b,b rhyme
• Monologue
• Mainly thoughts, but some spoken to the
  apothecary
• Each stanza tells another part of the story
• Gothic qualities / Victorian values?
• Lack of details he, she, him

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The LaboratoryANCIEN REGIME

• Apothecary chemist - make poisons, potions,
  medicines
• Set in the past - court society

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• I
• Now that I, tying thy glass mask tightly,
• May gaze thro these faint smokes curling
  whitely,
• As thou pliest thy trade in this devils
  smithy-
• Which is the poison to poison her, prithee?
• Deadly arsenic fumes
• Alliteration effect?
• Rival?

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• II
• 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.
• Pronouns effect?
• Fevered imagination
• Making love and mocking her
• Articulating her jealousy

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• III
• 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
  Kings.
• Alliteration effect?
• Fierce, implacable personality
• fascinated

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• IV
• 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?
• Unhealthy interest
• Questions the ingredients
• Sound attractive, treasure?

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• V
• 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 filigree basket!
• Fantasy
• Possible items to hide the poison
• All valuable
• Very sinister true murderer, serial
• killer potential

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• VI
• Soon, at the Kings, 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!
• Small tablet/pill
• Other women she despises
• Violence
• Excited, passionate, jealousy

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• VII
• Quick is it finished? The colours too grim!
• Why not soft like the phials, enticing and dim?
• Let it brighten her drink, let her turn it and
  stir,
• And try it and taste, ere she fix and prefer!
• Disappointment
• thinks it should be attractive
• Insane, twisted, fanatical

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• VIII
• What a drop! Shes not little, no minion like
  me!
• Thats why she ensnared him this never will free
• The souls from those masculine eyes, - say, no!
• To that pulses magnificent come-and-go.
• Quantity enough?
• Contrast in figures
• Strong imagery
• Poison revenge
• erotic

Lucien Freud, Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, 1995
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• IX
• 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!
• Paranoid
• Hoped that if she stared at her she would die
• Passionate hatred
• Desperately wants the poison to work

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• X
• 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!
• Slow, painful death.
• Alliteration bitter, fierce determination
• Sadistic

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• XI
• 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 fortunes fee!
• If it hurts her, beside, can it ever hurt me?
• Impatient
• Views the poison excited
• Extent of her rage
• Arrogance is she untouchable?

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• XII
• 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
  Kings!
• Alliteration suggests jealous rage and sexual
  satisfaction
• Rewarding the apothecary
• Hurts her
• Lack of conscience, ruthless and violent

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Summary

1. In the apothecarys laboratory the woman puts on
   a glass mask to protect herself from the deadly
   fumes of arsenic which the old apothecary is
   preparing.
2. The womans jealousy is articulated. She cries
   out that she knows that her lover is with the
   other woman. She imagines that they know that
   she knows about them and that they are laughing
   at her. They think, she believes, that she is in
   church, praying. But she is not. She is buying
   poison.
3. She is fascinated by the process. She watches
   the apothecary grinding the ingredients. She is
   enjoying the anticipation. She is not in a
   hurry. She says that it is better to watch the
   old man working than to be dancing at court.
4. She asks questions about the ingredients. She
   enjoys the colours of the substances, the gold of
   the binding gum, the blue liquid in a phial.
5. She is a true murderer at heart a potential
   serial killer! She wishes she had all the
   poisons and could carry them around with her
   hidden, perhaps, in a pretty object.

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• She becomes excited at the prospect of killing
  Pauline and Elise. Her passionate jealousy
  surfaces as she imagines the pleasure of knowing
  that Pauline had only 30 minutes to live and she
  pictures Elise dropping dead.
• The apothecary has finished his work. She seems
  to be disappointed that his preparation is too
  grim in colour. She would have preferred the
  poison to have been attractive in colour, like
  the blue mixture in the phial. She would like to
  see Pauline or Elise attracted to the mixture and
  stirring it into her drink.
• She is surprised by the small quantity. Her
  intended victim, she says, is not small and
  dainty like herself. She is well endowed, which
  is how she seduced her lover. This small
  quantity, she fears, will not be enough to kill
  her.
• She really does hate her rival. She remembers
  seeing her the previous evening with her lover,
  whispering. She had fixed them with a stare and
  had hoped that the power of her concentrated
  hatred would shrivel her rival. That didnt kill
  her, but the poison she has just bought will do
  the trick.

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• But, she tells the apothecary, I dont want her
  to die too quickly. She wants her rival to
  experience pain before she dies. She wants the
  agony of her death to be reflected in her face.
  She wants the man she has lost to remember his
  lovers dying face.
• The preparation is finished. She takes off her
  protective glass mask. She wants a clear view of
  the poison which will kill her rival.
• She tells the apothecary to take all her jewels
  and gold as reward. She even tells the old man
  he can kiss her on the mouth if he wishes. She
  is on her way to dancing at court and to her
  murderous misssion.

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Questions

1. Why is the speaker wearing a glass mask?
2. Why does the speaker want to purchase some
   poison?
3. What aspects of the old mans art does the
   speaker like particularly?
4. Who else does the speaker think of killing? Why?
5. What is the main difference between the speaker
   and her rival? Do you think this difference
   might have an impact on the way she feels about
   herself?
6. What sort of death does the speaker want for her
   rival?
7. How much does the speaker pay for the poison?
   What does this show about the strength of her
   feelings?
8. Why do you think the speaker, an aristocrat,
   allows the old man to kiss her on the lips?

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Questions

1. What is the effect of the alliteration in lines 9
   and 10?
2. How does the poem make use of colour?
3. What does the alliteration in line 39 suggest
   about the intensity of the speakers feelings?
4. Write a vivid and detailed description of the
   events in the laboratory. Use your imagination
   to fill out the details provided by Browning.
   Describe the old apothecary as you imagine him to
   be. Describe the jealous murderer. Describe the
   work and the atmosphere in the laboratory.
5. Describe the murder of the womans rival how
   does she carry it out? Describe how the rival
   dies.