This idea is not so apparent in ‘The Laboratory’ because the narrator is female. We do, however, see her plotting the murder of her adulterous husband, so in a way is trying to ‘tame’ him too. Cruel, male domination is therefore replaced by a vindictive female, plotting murder. This is clearly portrayed through the following quotation;
“Which is the poison to poison her, prithee?”
I would also suggest, due to this quotation, that ‘The Laboratory’ is quite different from the other two poems for one main reason. Of course, we have a woman murderer instead of male, but the point I think is important is that the murder is, in this case, plotted. In the other two poems, I could suggest that the murders were more like a ‘crime of passion’, on the spot, caused by jealousy making the men irrational. However, in this poem, we see the woman bitterly plotting murder, and she is clearly enjoying the idea of the woman dying before her husbands’ eyes. In my opinion, this gives off some very strong ideas on how Browning felt towards women and men in that all of the women in each of these poems were wicked in one way or another, either being too flirtatious, adulterous, or indeed, murderous.
I believe, however, that each of the three narrators are extremely arrogant, trusting that their control and domination will actually change the behaviour of their lovers, and this idea is clearly portrayed in all three of the poems.
Arrogance, and the lack of real emotion which seems to accompany it, is a good way in which to portray jealousy, as we grow increasingly aware that the narrator’s point of view is the only one they personally will consider as being correct. This therefore leads to jealousy when high expectations are not met.
The following quotations show the arrogance and lack of emotion that the narrator’s put across to the reader within each of the poems.
“Even had you skill in speech (Which I have not.)”
This is undoubtedly egotistical simply due to the fact that, as a reader, we know the importance of the narrator. As a Duke it is obvious that he would be well educated, and have excellent skill in speech.
“That moment she was mine, mine fair.”
I believe this quotation is arrogant because the narrator clearly thinks that, because he has killed the woman, he has released her from her living duties, so she is now free to love only him. This seems a little pointless, as she is now dead, but perhaps to her, he was never going to be the one man she wished to spend her life with.
“Not that I bid you spare her the pain.”
This quotation shows the vindictive and merciless nature of the narrator. She appears to think the woman her husband is having an affair with is aware of her, and is having the affair simply to irritate her. She therefore feels this woman deserves the pain, even though the affair is not to intentionally hurt anyone.
The fact that the narrators remain anonymous throughout the poems is interesting. As they are so brutal and merciless, we automatically assume that they will be in control, and therefore, named.
Their continued anonymity, and feelings that murder is the only answer to their problems, is a clear statement, however that they do not retain any kind of control at all.
The narrators resent this, as well as the lack of fulfilment of their lovers expected behaviour, which causes friction in their relationships when their desires are not adhered to, as mentioned earlier. Their main desire, of course, is to completely control and posses their lovers, as the following quotations show;
“From pride and vainer ties dissever.”
Porphyria’s lover cannot understand she may not really love him, and all he focuses on is that she cannot be with him for social reasons. He truly believes her feelings are strong, when clearly they are not, and he feels if he can posses and control her, they can be together.
“A heart, how shall I say, too soon made glad.”
The Duke feels his lover is too flirtatious, so wants to control this behaviour, yet does not realise it is perhaps her simply having the happiness brought to her, which he is not delivering.
“He is with her…I am here.”
The woman feels her husband is away simply to prove his rebellion to her, which is obviously not the case. She wants to dominate him, control his behaviour, and the only way to do this, is by murdering her husbands lover.
From this idea, I can draw the fact that each narrator feels threatened by particular characters within the poems, and feel it is these characters, not themselves, who are in control of their lover’s behaviour. These characters are therefore regarded with bitterness and jealousy, and the fact that the lovers themselves control their own behaviour, is overlooked by the resentful narrators, who simply want someone but themselves to blame.
Even though the narrators do not want to portray these feelings and emotions of hatred so publicly, to us as a reader, they do, and it is clear to see the bitterness, as a true sign of jealousy. This, therefore, gives us real insight to how the narrator is actually feeling.
The narrators feel, in conclusion, that the only way to regain control of their lover’s behaviour, and their own jealousy, is to murder the guilty party, and the following quotations show how they each attempt to achieve this.
“I wound three times, her little throat around, and strangled her.”
Porphyria’s lover strangles her to death, and then feels what he has done is acceptable when he says ‘god has not said a word’, which is also Browning’s way of questioning religion in his poetry.
“I gave commands, then all smiles stopped together.”
The Duke has clearly not murdered his wife himself, but ordered someone else to do so, keeping murder off his own hands, but also showing some cowardice on his part through this.
“Which is the poison to poison her, prithee?”
The woman has bought a poison to kill her husband’s lover with, which is a typical murder weapon of women, and also the most vicious of the three murders, as it would be the most painful for the victim.
Murder, therefore, is the main presentation of jealousy in the three poems, and gives us considerable insight to the point of the narrator, because the poems are dramatic monologues. The narrators cannot see that their jealousy has overridden natural behaviour because they simply couldn’t control and dominate their lover’s behaviour.
In conclusion, therefore, jealousy is presented throughout the poems as an ultimate need for control and brutal domination, leading to the irrational behaviour of the narrators, and unprecedented murder through inability to control their own behaviour, let alone anyone else’s, and of course, their own jealousy.
