'My last duchess' by Browning

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  • Created by: sp.15
  • Created on: 12-12-19 14:33
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  • 'My last duchess' by Browning
    • Ideas about power and conflict
      • The Duke is proud of his status and possessions.
      • He is power-mad: he wants to have control over people, including his wife.
      • He is jealous that his wife treats him like other people.
      • He uses his power to have her killed - now he has control over her painting.
    • Context
      • Browning is famous for his dramatic monologues.
      • Browning uses the time period of the 16th century (1500-1599)
      • At that time, Italy was divided into states governed by Dukes.
      • The Duke of Ferrara would have been extremely powerful
    • Language
      • Irony: there's a gap between what the Duke says and what we understand.
      • The Duke conceals his murderous jealousy with his sophisticated language.
      • Euphemism language: "I gave commands; / then all smiles stopped together"
      • Controlling language: "none puts by / the curtain I have drawn for you, but I"
      • The Duke mentions lots of possessions to show his status, power and wealth.
    • Form
      • The poem is from the perspective of the Duke.
      • The Duke is speaking to the servant of the father of his next wife.
      • Browning uses a dramatic mon-ologue, in which the Duke reveals his character.
      • The Duke does not let the servant speak - he is in total power.
      • Strict rhyming couplets show the Duke's need for power and control
      • But the Duke uses enjambment to conceal his rhymes.
    • Structure
      • The Duke repeats "I", "me , "my", and "myself" - shows how self centred he is.
      • There is a warning towards the end: the Duke implies that if his future wife does not let herself be controlled then he will have her killed.
      • The last lines symbolise relationship the Duke wants between him and his wife: "notice Neptune, though" / taming the sea horse" - he will "tame" her.
    • Quotations to learn
      • "her looks went everywhere"
      • "nine-hundred-years-old name"
      • "I choose / never to stoop"
      • "I gave commands"

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