My Last Duchess Flashcards
What is the context of the poem?
The poem is the criticism of Victorian attitudes towards women and the effort of men to suppress female sexuality. When women married they became the legal property of their husband.
Victorian society obsessed with the idea of a perfect woman.
Men in Victorian England saw their wives as a reflection of themselves.
What is the poem about?
The duke’s obsession with controlling the behavior of his wife.
Victorian attitudes towards women.
What wrote the poem?
Robert Browning
What is the theme of the poem?
Political power demonstrated through the ambiguous line “I gave the command” the reader is left wondering who the command was given to social inferior or serve of some kind.
Domestic power the duke asserting his power over his former wife.
What is the analysis of the quote “the dropping of the daylight”?
The duchess seems to have a childlike innocence which is a civil a term for weakness. The duchess is presented as being weak and undeserving of the duke as her husband.
Why is the pronoun “my” repeated many times?
The pronoun is “my” is repeated to show how possessive the duke is. It also objectifies women.
Explain “Fra Pandolf”?
Duke name drops famous artist showing that he is a vain person and quite wealthy.
Fra also means brother which suggests that the painter is a monk Browning deliberately uses the word Fra to show that the duchess was not flirting or having an affair with the artists. However the duke was still jealous of the duchess.
Why does Browning use language such as “sir” and “you”?
“Sir” and “you” is used show the duke’s superiority over the envoy. This behavior is condescending.
Explain the quote “my gift of a nine hundred years old name”?
The duke is proud feeling that his wife should be grateful to join his family heritage and take his surname.
What word tells us that the duke is self obsessed?
The repetition of the word “I” it’s all about the duke.
Why does the duke present questions to the envoy? Like “will’t please you sit?” And “will’t please you rise?”
These are not questions but demands shows how controlling the duke is and is also showing the envoy that he is inferior.
Why is the painting of the duchess hidden behind a curtain which only the duke pulls back?
This is a metaphor for the control the duke wishes to have over the duchess. The smiling duchess is kept behind a curtain so that the duke can have her smiles all to himself. This symbolizes the control the duke wants over his past and future wives.
What is the form of the poem?
Dramatic monologue this allows us to identify the character of the speaker by what they say. We do not hear from the duchess which shows the control the duke had which reflects Victorian society.
Why is the poem written in iambic pentameter?
Every line a 10 syllables and every other syllable being stressed.
The rhyme scheme is tightly controlled to show the tight control of the duke over his wife.
Why does the poem contain enjambment?
- the poem is in real speech so if the couplets stopped at each line the poem would sound mechanical and not like dialogue.
- secondly reflects the duke’s lack of self Control. Although the duke controls people around him he cannot control himself. The enjambment creates the image that the duke crazy and cannot control his outbursts.
