My Last Duchess Flashcards
Who wrote My Last Duchess
Robert Browning
Context points
Written in 1842 - could reflect the Victorian attitudes towards women, as in Victorian times women were the legal property of the husband. Therefore, it could be a criticism of the Victorian attitudes of women.
How does the structure reflect power or lack of power?
-Dramatic monologue- presents the Duke powerful as he is the only one who speaks in the poem
- The structure is in iambic pentameter throughout the entire poem, and the rhyme scheme is tightly controlled in rhyming couplets - therefore, the structure is tightly controlled like how the Duke views himself
- Structured as one long, stanza, reflecting on the cheek doesn’t stop, so he has uncontrolled speech
- enjambment
How does the title of the poem reflect control?
“My last duchess” - repetition of ’my’ throughout the poem is suggesting he is self obsessed and believes his wife belongs to him and ‘my’ is a personal pronoun
How does the Dukes dialogue reflect control?
He addresses the envoy as ‘sir’ and ’you’ - this is a formal and instructive tone of address, clarifying his superiority over the envoy
Quotation near the end of the poem that suggests power, but also lack of power
“Notice Neptune, though, taming a seahorse”
Neptune, what is the Roman God of the sea he was big strong and a masculine God and is taming a wild creature - this is how the Duke views himself, and what he feels his role is over women. Although the fact that the Duke is “taming” the seahorse suggest he didn’t have power in the first place. Not only this, but there is enjambment in this metaphor to reflect the Dukes uncontrolled and wild nature as he can’t even control himself
What poem does it compare well to?
Compares well to Ozymandias, as it shows how although they seem in control, they may not actually be in as much control as they actually are. Similar expressions are also used to reinforce this as in Ozymandias the statue has a “ sneer of cold command” when in my last duchess “ I gave commands, then all smiles stopped altogether” . Therefore, they are abusing their power which is being criticised.
Shows he is using his powers for tyranny
“Then all smile’s stopped all together” - power of the individual abusing the power
Arrogance
“My gift of a nine-hundred-year-old name with anybody’s gift.” shows how arrogant the Duke really is. He hates how the Duchess doesn’t consider his family name as important as he does. “Anybody’s” highlights his arrogant attitude towards his own self importance.
“I gave commands; and then all smiles stopped altogether.”
