Comparing and contrasting “Porphyria’s Lover” and “The Laboratory” Essay Example

church. This tells us that she knows she is doing wrong whereas in "Porphyria's Lover" the narrator is insane and thinks what he has done is good. She has gone to an alchemist to buy poison to kill her rival and she is watching the poison being made, which is why she is wearing the mask. She then says:

"Which is the poison to poison her, prithee?"

This is an example of a bi-labial plosive, which shows her building excitement, whereas in "Porphyria's Lover" the sound "m" is used to show pleasure. In "Porphyria's Lover" she is too weak to give herself to him but she does love him whereas in "The Laboratory" it is a direct contrast owing to the narrator's lover is too weak to be with her so he finds himself with another because his love has faded.

There is violence in both poems although it is much more subtle in "The Laboratory" because her emotion is more of excitement and the setting is much more relaxed and calm. The way she uses poison to kill her rival is subtle as well owing to it not being able to be detected back in the time when this poem is set and that she could seal it away in a secret manner.

"To carry pure death in an earring, a casket."

This whole concept is completely reversed in "Porphyria's Lover" because the setting is in the middle of a violent storm and not calm at all. The method in which Porphyria is dies is quite gruesome as well because strangulation is a horrific thing to do. This was also a spontaneous murder while in "The laboratory" it is

premeditated.

The state of mind is very different in both because the narrator in "The Laboratory" is very much sane but she is full of hate and she talks about her lover as if she despises her. A point where it shows this is when she talks about her lover and rival laughing at her and she builds up anger. She then pauses and regains her emotion and calms down and delivers the eerie line "I am here" which could also suggest that she wants revenge.

These lines all use enjambment to show the anger because it is fast paced and builds up gradually. Yet in "Porphyria's lover" the narrator is insane and worships Porphyria and talks to her lovingly. Also quite different is the build up to the actual death because in "The laboratory" the death dose not actually happen but the narrator describes it as if it was happening whereas in "Porphyria's Lover" it builds up to the climax of her death and keeps us in suspense up to the actual moment. In the "The Laboratory" the large number of personal pronouns and out bursts show that she is extremely bitter and angry to her lover.

"He is sure to remember her dying face"

The conflict in "The laboratory" is that the narrator is jealous so she decides to kill her rival and make her lover see the pain in her face as she dies, whereas in "Porphyria's Lover" the conflict is that she cannot be with the narrator so he becomes angered and due to his insanity he kills her because he thinks it's the only way they can be together forever. Also in "The Laboratory"

the main feeling in the poem is hatred for her lover and they are physically separated but in "Porphyria's Lover" the main feeling is the narrator's worship for her which is above love and they both stay as a couple.