My Last Duchess Flashcards
1
Q
MLD: Context (5)
A
- The poem is loosely based around a real Italian Nobleman, with the Duchess in question being Lucrezia de Medici.
- Robert Browning spent most of his life in Italy.
- The poem was written around the time of the Industrial Revolution after which there was more class mobility and freedom, leading to more poets such as Browning voicing progressive attitudes within their poems.
- However, society was still highly unequal, as it was still patriarchal, leading Browning to shield his criticism via time and setting. Therefore the views offered by Browning are a more subtle criticism of society as opposed to an outright indictment.
- The poem is set during the Renaissance, a period in which art was more highly made and valued, as shown by Browning’s exploration of his characters through art.
2
Q
“Too easily pleased”
A
- The Duke sees himself as the be-all and end-all in the Duchess’ life, with any other avenues for her to be happy quickly stifled by the overbearing Duke. This is shown by his saying she was “Too easily pleased”, showing his utter disdain for all that made her happy.
- In this quote we also see that the Duke never made the effort to understand his wife’s playful and childish nature and the way little things brought her joy. Browning shows this by contrasting the way little gestures brought her joy with the Duke seeing these acts as insignificant.
3
Q
“My gift of a 900 years old name”
A
- We see the abuse of power with the Duke’s hubris and his arrogance about his family name. We see this when he says “My gift of a 900 years old name.”
- The usage of the noun “gift” implies how he sees it as a privilege for his wife to be married to him. Browning condemns this pride by presenting it as sickening for the reader. The fact that the Duke portrays himself as helpless throughout the poem further exposes his narcissism, as he tries to convince the reader he had no other option apart from murdering his wife.
4
Q
“I choose never to stoop”
A
We see his pride when he says, “I choose never to stoop”, demonstrating his narcissistic and patriarchal value system. The Duke feels arguing with a woman to be beneath him, both as he views himself as superior to her and as he feels she lacks the intellectual facilities to ever understand him.
5
Q
“I gave commands”
A
- The Duke’s insecure and paranoid nature eventually culminates in him committing uxoricide, as shown in the line “I gave commands”. This euphemistic language demonstrates not only the Duke’s abuse of power but his cowardice, as he lacks the courage to go and do the heinous deed himself.
- This may be Browning commenting on how the powers that control the masses by proxy, use devious means to oppress the common person.
6
Q
“much without the same smile” “made glad”
A
- The Duke’s abusive nature is highlighted by the innocence of the Duchess. We are told she was polite to everyone who passed “much without the same smile” as well as saying that she was easily “made glad”.
- This innocence and joy in the Duchess’ personality further serves to highlight the deviousness of the Duke. The Duchess’ virtues highlight the Duke’s flaws and therefore when she is finally killed, highlights his abuse of power.
7
Q
“your fair daughter”
A
We see the Duke’s abuse of power in the poem serving as a cautionary tale to his next wife, whose envoy he is meeting. We see the value he places on innocence and virginity when he says “your fair daughter”. This shows how he sees the woman as his property who only he has a right to use. The Duke’s entitled and self centred behaviour shows his abuse of power.
8
Q
“drawn” the curtain for the envoy
A
- There is a subtle symbolism to his wife now only being a painting. The Duke tells the envoy that he has “drawn” the curtain for him, showing how even in death the Duchess is the Duke’s possession, with the control over who sees her and doesn’t see her solely in the Duke’s control.
- This shows the Duke’s manipulative nature as well as showing that in his wife’s death the Duke has achieved what he desired: absolute control over his wife. The painting therefore symbolises the Duke’s control over his wife.
9
Q
“taming his wife”
A
- The statue of Neptune taming a sea horse also has similar connotations of power and control, serving as a metaphor for the Duke “taming his wife”. The comparison of himself to Neptune shows the Duke’s arrogance as he sees himself as a mighty God. The taming of the sea horse by extension refers to how arrogantly the Duke viewed his controlling of his wife.
- The use of artwork throughout the poem serves to show us a glimpse into the Duke’s true personality beyond his deceitful monologue.
10
Q
MLD: Dramatic Monologue
A
- The poem is structures as a Dramatic monologue with no stanzas. This goes to show how the Duke exercises absolute power over his wife with no room for deviation or freedom of expression.
- This set-up also shows the domineering personality of the Duke: he chooses to soliloquise on his own thoughts only, neglecting those around him an opportunity to speak. This means that the reader immediately recognises it as a biased account and is made aware of the need to infer to ascertain what really happened.
11
Q
MLD: Rhyme scheme
A
- There is a regular ABAB rhyme scheme present throughout the poem, with no deviation. This may serve to show how the Duke controlled the Duchess’ life with startling regularity, allowing her no freedom to break free.
- The fact that the ABAB rhyme scheme continues throughout the poem without ever stopping may also reflect how not only did the Duke stifle and control the Duchess whilst she was alive, he continues to do so after her death.
12
Q
MLD: Perspective
A
- The poem is a persona poem, in this case the speaker is taking on the personality of the Duke of Ferrara. This enables Browning to give us a greater understanding of the realities and contexts of the time.
- The first person narrative also gives the Duke greater control over how much information he divulges, perhaps mirroring the excessive control he had over his wife.
13
Q
MLD: Use of enjambment and caesura
A
- The combination of the two leads to a conversational tone, with the Enjambment providing a natural tone whereas the Caesura makes the monologue feel disjointed and painful to listen to. They combine to give the overall effect that he is spiralling, making the Duke seem unimpressive and perhaps therefore showing how the Duke covers up for his own insecurity by maniacally controlling those around him.
- The combination of the two also hide the ABAB rhyme scheme, perhaps to show the Duke’s deceit and untrustworthiness.
14
Q
MLD: Brief summary
A
The poem is centred around an Italian Duke who murdered his first wife and is now preparing for his second marriage. He tells the story of his first marriage to a visitor, whilst looking at a portrait of his first wife. It is a subtle poem that condemns the stranglehold that those in power have on those below him.
