My Last Duchess Quotes and Ideas Flashcards
The Duke begins the poem on a sinister tone and uses the simile to compare the (previous) Duchess to being alive suggesting that she’s deceased.
“Looking as if she were alive.”
The possessive pronoun of ‘my’ suggests the ownership due to social ethics back in 1500s when the scheme of gender wasn’t neutralised. Furthermore, the Duchess can only be seen on the wall as it has been painted there as a way of pride because back then paintings were expensive.
“That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,”
The Duke only sees the Duchess as a wonder now as she’s a painting now and not her real form showing the Duke’s greed.
“That piece of wonder, now”
The Duke name drops the artist to show off their skill and possibly the Duke’s expense for this artist.
“Fra Pandolf’s hands”
The Duke hates how the Duchess doesn’t consider his family name as important as he does. “Anybody’s” highlights his arrogant attitude towards his own self importance highlighting the Duke’s arrogance.
“as if she ranked My gift of a nine-hundred-year-old name With anybody’s gift”
The Duke gave orders to kill his wife, displaying his arrogance again as he thinks that her life isn’t worth living due to his jealousy. This also reminds us the power of man and the capability of people in power.
“I gave commands; then all smiles stopped altogether.”
A God of the Sea is told to be taming a sea animal which makes the account sound mythical. This is used to compare how the Duke will ‘tame’ the next Duchess.
“Notice Neptune, though, Taming a sea-horse”
