my last duchess - robert browning

Question 1

Give a plot summary for My Last Duchess.

Answer 1

my last duchess - robert browning:

• the speaker, a duke, is talking to an emissary (representative) about marrying their daughter
• the duke points out a portrait of his former wife
• he implies she may have been flirting with Fra Pandolf, the painter
• he goes on to say she was flirtatious and too friendly with lots of people, which aggravated him; he believed his wealth should have been enough to keep her
• he did not discuss this with her and instead made orders to have her killed
• he then moves on to marrying their daughter and talking about his other artworks

Question 2

When is the poem set? When was the poem written? What is the relevance in these dates?

Answer 2

The poem is set in Ferrara in Italy in 1564. It is a retelling of the story of the Duke of Ferrara.
The poem was written in 1842.
This is relevant as Browning attempts to show that gender inequality of the day is similar to within the poem. He points out how things haven’t changed. However, he distances himself from the criticism by using a different time.

Question 3

How did Browning experience gender inequality in his time?

Answer 3

Browning experienced gender inequality as society was extremely sexist as a whole. Also, his wife’s father was opposed to her marrying anyone.

Question 4

Give seven key quotes from My Last Duchess.

Answer 4

my last duchess - robert browning:

• “(none puts by the curtain… but I)”
• “a heart - how shall I say? - too soon made glad”
• “as if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody’s”
• “here you miss, or there you exceed the mark”
• “I choose never to stoop”
• “I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together”
• “Neptune… taming a sea-horse”

Question 5

Give five relevant points about structure or form in My Last Duchess.

Answer 5

my last duchess - robert browning:

• iambic pentameter
• rhyming couplets
• lots of enjambment and caesura
• dramatic monologue
• first person

Question 6

Give three key themes present in My Last Duchess.

Answer 6

my last duchess - robert browning:

• power of humans
• gender inequality
• control