My Last Duchess Flashcards
Meaning
Gives incite to the mind of a duke who recently killed his wife, showing how his emotions are not stable, not reasonable and how he is possibly conceited.
Structure
-dramatic monologue
-enjambment and rhetoric
-rhetorical questions
-AABB rhyme scheme
-1st person narrative
-one stanza of iambic pentameter
Dramatic monologue
-allows the reader to see into the eyes of the duke
Enjambment and rhetoric
mimic a sense of a (one-sided) conversation between the Duke and the envoy, showing his tight control over his perspective and account to the envoy.
Rhetorical questions
-remind reader of the envoys presence
-are polite commands showing his sly controle
AABB rhyme scheme
-possibly mimic the dukes need for controle
Imagery
-Euphemism
-mule
-the curtain
-too soon made glad
- fra pandolf said…
Euphemism
-‘All smiles stopped’
-creates a sinister image in our minds, possibly one more sinister than if he had said he killed them as this portrays the duke like an assassin(silent killer)
-possibly shows a lack of controle as he had to murder her to be in controle
One stanza of Iambic pentameter
-Mimics dukes obsession of power and controle
-no breaks shows he is always talking his guest never does
-mirrors natural speech patterns
-adds an air of elegance and formality to the poem
1st person narrative
-highlights the unreliability of the narrator, meaning the readers must read between the lines
Mule
- mules are seen as impure, in our mind this creates a happy image, in his mind it is clearly one of disgust highlight his thoughts are contrary to ours
The curtain and painting
-creates a creepy image of him being possessive and obsessive over this image of her
-suggests ‘if I can’t have you no one can’
Too soon made glad
- he is shaming her
- creates the image of him being excessively controlling
-euphemism
Fra pandolf chanced to say…
-his excessive worry shows his obsession
-fra is the prefix of a monk, suggesting his wife would flirt with a monk is clearly ‘out there’
Language
-Possessive pronouns
-rhetorical questions
-assonance
-Neptune metaphor?
-ends with for me
Possessive pronouns
-shows his views about his wife as possibly and object
Rhetorical questions
-Wilt please…, seems charming but is also sinister as he previously talked about ‘as if she were alive’
-who’d stoop to blame? Suggesting that blaming a women is beneath him.
- How shall I say? interjected question, dramatic effect
Assonance
In the oo,oo at bottom of page, seems assertive, emphasises his rhythm of speech
Neptune metaphor
The Neptune statue is probably how he views himself, as a god, who tames women (the horse)
