My Last Duchess Flashcards
That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Possessive pronoun the speaker is laying claim to her as a possession, she is used to better show off his control and power. Objectification.
That piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf’s hands
- He is making an allusion to a famous artist of the time. The suggestion is that he values the name of the artist more than the Duchess it is a painting of.
- The duke is presented as materialistic.
- The cesura makes the reader really pause and consider the significance of the word now.
- Now she’s dead he can have full control over her.
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
- He is showing his power in the bracketed aside by suggesting that he is giving the messenger a rare privilege to see the Duchess in this way, exercising his control. In fact the irony is that he needs to show off.
- He now controls who she looks at and who looks at her.
Her husband’s presence only, called that spot
Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek; perhaps
Fra Pandolf chanced to say, “Her mantle laps
- He implies that people believed it was not only him who could make her happy (though he couldn’t) the ‘spot’ is a pun between a mark, showing her face had some joy in it, but also spot as in a small amount, she was not happy.
- Hints he was jealous.
- the word perhaps manipulates the reader question everything he says as we are left to think if this is his perception rather than reality.
Must never hope to reproduce the faint
Half-flush that dies along her throat.” Such stuff
- Sinister tone, ‘dies along her throat’ the words are also semantically linked to murder ‘die’ and ‘throat’.
- Could also refer to being sexually happy.
- He imagines this as it is not painted.
A heart—how shall I say?— too soon made glad,
- He is trying to be polite, using a rhetorical question to indicate a lighter tone to the conversation, in fact he is trying to avoid showing his jealousy and rage, at conflict with himself.
- He’s not really struggling to find words, he’s just trying to hint at her actions without being rude, this is ironic because he doesn’t seem to be lost for words at any point.
- It’s not a bad thing to be pleased by the little things in life, but he is making it out to be so.
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule
He is angry that she would find the same level of joy in the expensive gifts he bought her and the cheap or simple gifts of the poor or nature. Angry at his lack of control. He juxtaposes the two things though the irony is that his are without sincerity.
Or blush, at least. She thanked men—good! but thanked
- Exclamation and change of structure, the verse is broken with caesuras to show his rising anger. He is losing control, his personality now angry when it was calm.
- “men” shows his disapproval for her actions, however we have already been set up not to take his words for face value.
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody’s gift. Who’d stoop to blame
- The poet is ironically mocking how vain the Duke is, he cares more about his heritage and cannot understand that she did not see that as important.
- He feels she should have shown her thanks for this gift in every way possible, he feels she is not subservient enough. The gift giver is more powerful than the gift receiver. He appears to be bitter and controlling.
E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose
Never to stoop. Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt,
- Here he clearly states how even if he was good with words and could ask her to stop giving everyone else so much attention, he would choose never to stoop so low. He is showing his believed power as above asking for things from women. Ironically she is in control. He is saying she should have changed for him.
- You wouldn’t say that sort of thing to your wife.
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
- The use of semicolons gives a sense of finality to the statements. It is suggesting she was killed on his request. This is the culmination of the conflict in the relationship. Euphemism to suggest the fact she was killed?
- short sentence as he won’t go into detail as that would portray him in a bad light.
As if alive. Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet
- Her in a painting satisfies him as much as she did in real life, as a possession. The question shows a change of tone to return to the civil and polite way in the start. This helps give the poem a circular structure.
- Carrys on as if nothing has happened.
Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;
Dowry, money paid by the brides parents. Suggests he is more interested in the money than his planned future bride. It is sinister as is again suggests a repeat in his actions. Munificence means generosity. He is counting on being given the money.
Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!
As with the start he uses an allusion to another famous artist in order to show off his wealth and power. It is used to show how he quickly forgets about his dead wife who he was previously claimed to be so devoted to. Ironic as he has just also been talking about how devoted he will be to his new wife. Gives the poem a circular structure.
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.
Links to the portrait being behind the curtain.
