My Last Duchess Flashcards
Key ideas
Power of art
The Duke is alarmingly powerful – exploring the ways in which some humans can have almost absolute power over others – exploring the imbalances in power in human hierarchies
Browning is criticising those with immense wealth and power
Key themes
Power of humans
Pride
Control
Jealousy
Status
Key quotes
“Thats my last duchess painted on the wall”-possessive pronoun ‘my’ throughout the poem suggests Duke still views Duchess as his property. Objectfification of wome-common in 16th century
“Will’t please you sit and look at her?”- posed as a question but is really a command which shows he is trying to exert his power. Forcing people to notice his wealth and admire him
“As if she ranked my gift of a 900- years- old name with anybodys gift”- Use of punctuation reveals how Duke is getting angry and constantly has to calm himself. Reveals his true jealousy despite his arrogance
Power of art
-“Fra Pandolfs hands worked busily a day”- boasting how a famous artist made painting
-Starts and ends with a reference to a work of art (‘my last Duchess’, and the statue cast by ‘Claus of Innsbruck’) which shows that Art and wealth (as Art is a sign of wealth) are his priorities
His wife is his property as a painting and also legally in society
The Duke is alarmingly powerful – exploring the ways in which some humans can have almost absolute power over others – exploring the imbalances in power in human hierarchies
“Then all smiles stopped together”-the speed with which he has her killed is shocking – just from one line to the next,He openly admits to having his wife killed to the servant of his future wife’s father – without any sense of him fearing any consequences
“Will’t you please sit and look at her”-servant sitting and looking at painting whilst Duke standing which reflects the hierachy due to height between them.
if they durst’ implies that others don’t usually challenge him
• L. 9-10 – he is the only one to draw the curtain, symbolising his control over his ‘last
Duchess’
Form and structure
Dramatic monologue- only he speaks which shows how he silences others
Single stanza- he is not interrupted by anyone else- interrupts himself which slows down the pace of poem which shows his control over conversation
Rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter- symbolises the duke’s control
