My Last Duchess, Robert Browning

Question 1

Meaning

Answer 1

• Spoken by Duke of Ferrara
  
  • Showing man (organising his marriage) portrait of dead wife
  • Duke describes his first wife, who he killed

Question 2

Context

Answer 2

• Written in Victorian Era England
• Poem set in Italian Renaissance

Question 3

Themes 2x

Answer 3

1. Gender
   
   1. Victorian men obsessed with power over women
   2. Poem criticises Victorian attitude towards women (same as it was before)
2. Power
   
   1. Feels have to control his wife/feels what she does is a refection of him
      
      1. = weakness
   2. Male dominance/power through oppressive control

Question 4

Imagery #1

Answer 4

“Notice Neptune, though, / Taming a sea-horse,”

• Points out valuable belonging
  
  • Demonstrates: Duke = collector of beautiful objects which he can control
    
    • His wives = another one of these collections
• Metaphor for Duke
  
  • Feels his role over women = domineer & control
    
    • (Sea = male-dominated society of Victorian England)
  • “Neptune” = god of the sea, powerful male figure = Duke
  • “sea-horse” = Delicate, beautiful creatures = Duchess
    
    • Symbolises relationship between Duke and women
    • Wants to overpower them & make them serve him

Question 5

Imagery #2

Answer 5

“none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)”

• Symbolic
  
  • Can controls smilies of his wife
    
    • Enjoys being in control + have power over other
    • Symbolise control over past wife and future wives he wants
  • Duke does not like sharing possessions
    
    • = controlling and selfish

Question 6

Tone

Answer 6

Spiteful, arrogant & insensitive

“I gave commands; / Then all smilies stopped”

• Cold, short, brutal line = ambiguous
  
  • Stopped smiling
  • Euphemisms for her death
• Shows despotic control that Duke has + uses power to kill wife for no good reason
  
  • Gender roles in Victorian England
    
    • Men = complete control over women
  • Desire to control his wife’s behaviour
    
    • Metaphor: For Victorian society’s obsession with behaviour and reputation of women
• “commands”
  
  • Treats her like servant or slave
• Silenced voice of wife
  
  • Absolute control of Duke
    
    • = Victorian women were voiceless

Question 7

Structure #1

Answer 7

Enjambment

• 1. Sounds like real dialogue
     * + enhance speaker’s pomposity (self-importance)
• 2. Reflects Duke doesn’t have complete control
     * = uncontrollable and wild in his anger
     * Tries to control other but can’t control himself = blurting out emotion
     
     • Talking about things he shouldn’t
       * Image = crazy man - can’t control his outbursts

Question 8

Structure #2

Answer 8

Dramatic monologue + One long verse

• Duke doesn’t stop to think about what he’s saying
  
  • Doesn’t care about listener
    
    • Self-obsessed
  • Reader is overwhelmed + breathless = immensity of poem
  • = how overwhelming Duke is

Question 9

Comparisons 2x

Answer 9

• ‘Sonnet 116’
• ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’

Question 10

‘Sonnet 116’ Comparison

Answer 10

About very different idea of love

Question 11

‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ Comparison

Answer 11

Reverses gender relationship with man falling victim to powerful woman