My Last Duchess Flashcards
When was My Last Duchess written?
1845
When was My Last Duchess set?
The 16th century
Who is the protagonist of My Last Duchess?
It is based off a real person, Alfonso II, Duke of Modena and Ferrara in Italy
What are the main ideas of My Last Duchess?
Power, dominance, arrogance and pride
What happens in My Last Duchess?
The Duke speaks to an emissary and boasts about his art and former wife
Who is the emissary in My Last Duchess?
A messenger sent by a ruler from a foreign land to secure marriage for his daughter
What do we learn about The Duke in My Last Duchess?
That he was controlling and possessive and possibly arranged for his ‘last duchess’ to be killed. The way he treats her portrait reflects how he treat her alive
What ways are the key ideas of arrogance, pride and power presented in My Last Duchess?
The Duke wants to dominate all aspects of his wife’s life, obsessed with pursuing control and his speech is written in iambic pentameter
How is irony presented in My Last Duchess?
The Duke wants to be seen as honourable and powerful but actually comes across jealous and insecure
In My Last Duchess, reputation and honour were of huge importance to The Duke. How is this ironic?
Because the poem mocks him and his pompousness
What does My Last Duchess point out about wealth and status?
That is doesn’t equate to good morals
What does My Last Duchess highlight about women in the 16th century?
That they were objectified and oppressed
In My Last Duchess, even though she is dead, how does The Duke still have control over The Duchess?
He can decide who looks at her with control over the curtain to reveal her and hide her
In My Last Duchess, what is the “curtain” symbolic and a reminder of?
Masculine dominance and how The Duke was unable to control his wife fully when she was alive
In My Last Duchess,
“This grew; I gave commands;/ Then all smiles stopped together.”
What does this imply?
That The Duke had his wife killed
In My Last Duchess,
“This grew; I gave commands;/ Then all smiles stopped together.”
What technique is this and what does it do?
Caesura (a break in the line) which highlights the swift, cold, ruthlessness of which The Duke (may have) disposed of The Duchess’s life
In My Last Duchess, The Duke refers to his wife as “my”. What is this and what does this reveal?
This is a possessive pronoun that reveals The Duke’s view that his wife belonged to him
In My Last Duchess,
“Will’s please you sit and look at her?”
This is a rhetorical question but it is really a command. What does this emphasise?
The Duke’s power and command
My Last Duchess ends with referencing money and using boastful language. Why?
To leave a lasting impression about The Duke’s arrogance
In My Last Duchess, who does The Duke name-drop? Why is this significant?
He name-drops Fra Pandolf, an expensive painter. This reminds the emissary that he is a wealthy man who can afford him
In My Last Duchess,
“She thanked men, - good! But thanked/ somehow - I know not how - as if she ranked/ My gift of a nine-hundred-years old name/ With anybody’s gift”
How is The Duke presented as jealous here?
The broken syntax used exposes his frustration at her lack of gratitude towards his name and status
In My Last Duchess, in what way does The Duke list the things that made The Duchess smile?
In a way that emphasised how easily pleased she was to put her down
What is the effect of My Last Duchess being written in first person?
It makes it seem more conversational, making his actions seem more normalised and acceptable, contradicting the reader’s shock
In My Last Duchess, The Duke is the only voice in the poem. What does this suggest?
That he is controlling and doesn’t allow anyone else to interrupt his narrative, emphasising his power
In My Last Duchess, what does the fact the poem is written in a dramatic monologue do?
Heighten the reader’s shock of The Duke’s actions because it feels as though he is speaking to us directly
What poems can you compare the theme of human power and the misuse of power in My Last Duchess to?
Ozymandias and London
What poems can you compare the theme of the power of memory in My Last Duchess to?
War Photographer, Kamikaze, The Emigree and Remains
