My Last Duchess Flashcards
Imagery
“Looking as if she were alive”- the poet wants us to imagine that the duke has done something horrible to his “last duchess”. It seems to me that he says as if he is not upset about the passing of his wife and that he wants to make people feel sorry for him
“I gave commands”- this shows the duke is untouchable and thinks he can tell everyone what to do
“My gift of a nine-hundred year old name- the duke thinks he is the most important person and everyone should treasure his name
Structure point
A lot of caesura used in this poem
“Looking as if she were alive. I call”
“A heart-how shall i say?”-too soon may glad”
A lot of caesura shows how jealous he was
Context link
Females in those times had no rights and were always controlled which shows the abuse of power men had and how we have changed since then
