How do you feel about the speaker in the Laboratory?

The speaker in the Laboratory seems unsure of her role in this ‘story’. She feels belittled in a sense due to the ongoing affair shown within the poem. ‘

Stanza II (Line 1 -3)

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

She’s paranoid that after all they have been through, she’s nothing to him since they know that she knows about their relationship and still carry on to ‘love’. This constant reminder of them knowing that she’s in pain is burning her heart. And she seeks refuge in a Church – either to feel safe or to ‘curse’ them – I pity her.

Stanza XII shows a completely different view of her character – in STANZA II, pity may have been shown towards her but the last stanza reveals a sense of disgust and anger.

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 King’s!

This whole stanza may indicate that all her ‘love’ towards the ‘cuckhold’ was false and that all she wanted was his money. She proceeds to talk about her ‘dancing with the kings’ which may be referencing her desire to be rich and successful. Feelings of blind ‘love’ had cameo’d in the previous stanzas and that blind love was nothing more than seeing jewelery and money.