My Last Duchess Flashcards
Starts the poem with a negative connetation
“My last dutchess painted on the walls”
Plosive sound
Telling us about her death
“Half-flushed that dies along her throat”
Harsh “d” sound
Trying to impress his guest by using his name
My gift of a nine-hundred-year-old name”
Telling us he had her assasonated
“I gave commands
Then all smiles stopped together”
Could be a metaphor for him controlling his new (future) wife.
“Notice Neptune…
Taming a sea-horse”
Important word “taming”
Who wrote the poem?
Robert Browning
What was the poem inspired by?
The Italian Renassance
When was the poem published?
1842
Who was “Ferrara”
Duke Alfonso II of Ferrara
Explain the Form and Structure of the poem?
Dramatic monologue
Iambic pentameter - this mimics his conversational tone and his power
Whole poem is in rhyming couplets - shows his desire to controll everything
Enjarmbment and caesura (especialy when talking about his wife) shows how he can’t controll everthing (his wife) and his anger about it
This creates an unstable chariter who is power hungary
The single stanza is ment to be threatening, it shows his obsession for power and how he can’t organise his thoughts.
Poem builds up to a kind of confession, before ending in a cyclical structure
Attitudes and feelings?
Pride/Arrogance
Jealoucy - of his wife (power of man)
Power - had a painting if his wofe made so he can controll her
Poems to compare?
Power - Ozymandias
Abuse of Power - Checking out me History, London
What happened to the Ferrara’s wife?
Died under suspisious circumstances in 1561
Name dropping to show his wealth?
“Frà Pandolf”
Start of the poem?
“That’s my Dutchess painted on the wall”
Plosive sound
“My”
Showing how he can now controll his wife fully
“none puts by
The curtains i have drawn for you, but I”
Showing how some people may fear him
“if they durst”
Forshadowing the Dutchess’ death
“Dies along her throat”
Creating a stuttering effect when he is talking about his wife
“She thanked men, - good! but thanked
Somehow - I know not how -“
Showing his proudness
”- E’en then would be some stooping and I choose
Never to stoop”
Showing her murder
“I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together”
Sibilance near the end of thr poem
Need 4 or 5 only
Some, stooping,choose,stoop,”Oh sir, she smilled”, passed,passed,same smile, commands, smiles stopped, she stands
Emphasises how much he wanted her murder
Showing how he is arranging another marriage?
“No just pretence
Of mine for dowry”
Showing hiw he wanted to tame his wife and will tame his next wife
“Notice Neptune, though,
Taming a sea-horse”
End of the poem showing how the murder is no big deal for him?
“Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!”
