Comparison : My Last Duchess and Ozymandias Flashcards
Comparison points
S1. In both poems, BOTH CHARACTERS ARE PRESENTED AS BEING OBSESSED WITH POWER.
S2. In both poems, people in power often have arrogance and pride in their work
S3. POWER IS USED TO OPPRESS AND CONTROL
S4. Both poets demonstrate an underlying critique of the powerful and controlling sections of society ruling at the time
Evidence for comparison point 1
Obsessed with power
MLD
- “Thats my last dutchess” - Possessive pronoun
- “Who’d stoop to blame this sort of trifling?” - He would never ‘stoop’
- “Will’t please you sit and look at her”
Ozymandias
- “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings” - possessive pronoun
- “Look on my works” Commanding
Evidence for comparison point 2
Full of arrogance and pride
MLD
- “Her husbands presence only, caused that spot of joy on the Duchess’ cheek” - Arrogant, thinks he’s the cause of her happiness
- “My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name” - All about him
- “Who’d stoop to blame this sort of trifling?”
- Structure (one whole stanza, no reply, all about him)
Ozymandias
- “Look on my works, ye mighty and despair”
- “Sneer of cold command”
Evidence for comparison point 3
Both use and abuse power for their own advantage
MLD
- “My object”
- “My last Duchess”
- “Taming a sea-horse”
- “I gave commands, then all smiles stopped together”
- Structure (Dramatic monalogue, rhyming couplets, iambic pentameter - Imply Duke’s skill to be able to talk end on end without pause, he is powerful.)
- Enjambment - She broke his rules, so she had to die
Ozymandias
- “The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed” - Fed on their love, hearts, for his own mockery
- “Colossal wreck” was built for him
- “on the pedestal” - More important than everyone, made them built this because he is better
Context for MLD
- Women were seen legally as the property of their husband if married
- Women were suppressed
Context for Ozymandias
- About Egyptian King Ramses II
- He was arrogant, powerful tyrant
