My Last Duchess (Browning) Flashcards
Context
Set during a conversation with an envoy arranging the dukes next marriage, the poem is a dramatic monologue whereby the duke points out a painting of his late Duchess. He complains that she was ‘too easily impressed’, giving other men attention and placing no value on his ‘900 year old name’. His language grows increasingly sinister, hinting that he gave commands to have her killed. His obsession with control is reflected through his enjoyment of having her frozen in painting
Comparison and contrast with little red cap
Gender dynamics and norms; both poems present gender dynamics whereby men try to impose dominance over, and silence women
Vs little red cap: dutchess is silenced through death, while little red cap reclaims power through experience and intellect and kills ‘the wolf’
Comparison and contrast with Pygmalions bride
Both explore power and control (possession vs objectification) Both male protagonists aim to impose their ideals and perfection upon the women, challenging the reader to see how the desire for control over beauty and legacy can strip away personal agency
Pygmalions bride escapes through sexuality, while the dutchess is punished for hers
Comparison and contrast with Mrs Sisyphus
Critique male obsession, the dukes obsession with control, and Sisyphus’ obsession with his task, to the point of absurdity
Brownings critique is through the twisted, corrupted duke, while Duffy’s is through the sarcastic and satyrical wife
Comparison and contrast with Mrs Midas
Both explore power and consequences of desire, deadly consequence of female autonomy and deadly consequence of masculine ambition
While both women suffer, the dutchess is silenced while Mrs midas is given a voice to critique her husband
Key Quotes
“Thats my last dutchess painted on the wall, looking as if she were alive”
“How shall I say? Too soon made glad”
“I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together”
“Notice Neptune though, taming a sea horse”
“Thats my last duchess painted on the wall, looking as if she were alive”
use of symbolism, the painting is symbolic of female objectification, and his ownership and silencing of the duchess
Comparison with Pygmalions bride (use of symbolism of the art to critique male control over the female body, and to express the stifling male objectification pervasive in society throughout time)
“how shall I say? Too soon made glad”
Use of caesura to mimic casual reflection (rhetoric), but reveals his disturbed psyche and obsession. He reveals how he believes that she is being unfaithful to him, exposing how his rational for having her killed was expression of sexual desire.
Similar use of caesura in Mrs Sisyphus, but there it reflects absurdity of his task
“I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together”
Chilling euphamism, suggesting that he had her killed (ultimate exercise of male control)
This is enhanced by the use of caesura to emphasise the finality of his actions
Comparison with little red cap and mrs Midas (loss of intimacy mirrors her loss of identity)
“Notice neptune though, taming a sea horse”
Use of classical allusion, a god (a male) taming a female object, mimetic of his absolute control, emphasising how he values purity and poession
Comparison with Pygmalions bride (use of art forms to portray male posession)
Comparison with Little red cap (gender dynamics, which stifle women)
