The narrator in Havisham is similar to the woman in The Laboratory in that they are both determined to gain revenge.

Havisham’ by Carol Ann Duffy portrays the narrator as a very violent as it seen in first four lines Havisham is very angry on the man who has jilted her on her wedding day. Havisham feelings shown that how Havisham hell bent on revenge she wants to take out her anger on the man this shown “Beloved sweetheart bastard” this shows that how hardened by her hatred for him, yet she desperately want him back as she imagine him everywhere she looks. Her feelings are very confusing as it is mix with the tender of love she would have had for him as a husband and her violent bitterness at being rejected. Havisham wants revenge by seeing “Love’s hate behind a white veil; a red balloon bursting at my face this shows how angry she is an uses her violent feeling to cover up the fact the fact that she actually very upset and vulnerable because she dumped on her big day. When Havisham describes herself as “trembling if I open the wardrobe” I feel sad for her as she is scared of what she has become and cannot bear to look at herself in the mirror.

In contrast the narrator feeling for the character of the rich woman is very nasty as she is prepared to murder for her rival just to get revenge. ‘the Laboratory’ is a poem which show an affect of evilness, danger in the character as it can be seen the rich woman wants revenge by giving her lover or husband new mistress to be poisoned. This woman is very nasty as she has prepared to murder the other woman just to get her own back on her husband. As this woman thinks “they laugh, laugh at me” which is why she is determined to get revenge by wanting kill the new mistress in a painful way. Through killing his mistress she hopes to hurt her lover/husband as well “he is sure to remember her dying face”. This shows the woman is very obsessed through getting revenge. I am horrified by the lines “he sure to remember her dying face” this shows she wants her lovers mistress when she dies through giving her poison she wishes her to die in slow and painful death. where as I suggest it an very awful way of getting revenge the poet describes feelings about death in ‘The Laboratory’ as the woman is single mildness about getting revenge where as she knows what she is doing is wrong as she doesn’t even care by her obsession as she wants to murder her rival for being unfaithful. The language used to describe death is used in violent language as she absolutely merciless about taking her revenge. As she the mistress’s death to be horrible and painful and violent thought are never far from her mind. The imagery shown in “The Laboratory” she uses formal language to her description as it shown when it says “poison to poison her prithee” this shows she knows what she doing is wrong and evil this similar to ‘Havisham’

Both of these poems give a clear impression of the characters in them. The narrator in ‘Havisham’ is similar to the woman in ‘The Laboratory’ in that they are both determined to gain revenge. The poet presents the main character obsessed with getting revenge on her husband/lover mistress by poisoning her. The narrator in this poem is more scheming that ‘Havisham’. She plans to murder her rival. Similarity with the narrator in ‘Havisham’ is her single mindedness. I find ‘Havisham’ more interesting than ‘The Laboratory’.