My Last Duchess Language and Structure Analysis
- Created by: madihusssain
- Created on: 08-01-19 21:19
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- My Last Duchess Analysis
- Language
- "Fra Pandolf by design"
- "Fra Pandolf" may allude to the fact that he knows someone famous, adding to his pride.
- "Fra" is a title given to an Italian monk which may indicate his connection with Italy
- Prefixed title "Fra" may also allude to how he is paranoid as this is given to a monk, someone religious
- "The dropping of the daylight in the West"
- May illustrate how the Duchess was innocent and liked the small things in life such as the sunset.
- This may portray how she was one with nature and didn't rank gifts.
- “As if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred years old name with anybody’s gift.”
- Indicates how the duke is proud of his family heritage and whit represents in society.
- He describes the gift as "nine-hundred years old", therefore adding to it's value and further representing how valuable even his blood lineage is.
- “(since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I)”
- Further represents himself as powerful
- Now he literally has the power the control who lays eyes on her after the complaining about her somewhat cheating
- "Notice Neptune, though, taming a sea horse thought a rarity"
- Neptune was the roman god of the seas perhaps presenting the Duke as not only having political and domestic power, but also power over the divine and natural world.
- He possesses domestic power over the Duchess as he is seen to be somewhat "taming" her.
- The "sea horse" may have been figurative of the duchesses qualities as a human such as liveliness and was literally one with nature.
- "Fra Pandolf by design"
- Structure
- “Fra Pandolf chanced to say ‘her mantle laps over my lady’s wrist too much….”
- The Duke uses direct speech (direct quotes from the Fra) and this may reflect his jealousy as he can quote things from Fra Pandolf exactly
- The enjambment here may also reflect how the duke lacks control over his own speech, ironically mocking the elements of the poem which present him as powerful
- “That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall”
- Instantly from the start of the play, we see Browning employ a strict iambic pentameter perhaps presenting the Dukes power
- “Fra Pandolf’s hands...and there she stands”
- The rhyming couples may possibly indicate his desire for power
- May show his skill in speech, which he later belittles in the poem, presenting him as an accomplished liar.
- “Fra Pandolf chanced to say ‘her mantle laps over my lady’s wrist too much….”
- Language
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