Cards (29)

  • Possessive pronoun
    • The speaker is laying claim to her as a possession
  • The portrait above is largely believed to be the last Duchess
  • The speaker is making an allusion to a famous artist of the time, suggesting that he values the name of the artist more than the Duchess it is a painting of
  • The speaker is showing his power by
    • Suggesting that he is giving the messenger a rare privilege to see the Duchess in this way, exercising his control
  • The speaker needs to show off, despite his attempt to appear in control
  • If they ‘durst’
    • It means if they dare, showing off the speaker's power and how others fear him
  • Implying that people believed it was not only him who could make her happy, hinting at his jealousy
  • The words 'dies along her throat' have a sinister tone and are semantically linked to
murder 'die' and 'throat'
  • The verse is broken with caesuras to show his rising anger
  • He is losing control, his personality now angry when it was calm
  • The poet is ironically mocking how vain the Duke is

    • He cares more about his heritage and cannot understand that she did not see that as important
  • Even if he was good with words and could ask her to stop giving everyone else so much attention, he would choose never to stoop so low
  • He is showing his believed power as above asking for things from women
    • Ironically she is in control
  • Semicolons
- Give a sense of finality to the statements
  • This is the culmination of the conflict in the relationship
  • Ways the Duke views his wife
    • As a possession
    • As satisfying him as much in a painting as in real life
  • He uses an allusion to another famous artist to show off his wealth and power
  • It is used to show how he quickly forgets about his dead wife who he was previously claimed to be so devoted to
  • The poem is better as a speech, imagine yourself as a self-centred rich man, how does it sound to read it aloud
  • Robert Browning was a poet in the 19th century
  • He (Browning) left the country and went to Italy to marry fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett
  • The poem is loosely based on the Duke of Ferrara and is written from his perspective, talking to a messenger about arranging his next marriage
  • The structure of the poem is a dramatic monologue
  • It uses a large number of pauses (caesuras) and enjambment to capture the tone of the speaker talking away to the messenger
  • The poem uses rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter
  • The Duke of Ferrara is the only character that speaks in the poem. He never lets the messenger speak
  • My Last Duchess: The speaker displays pride and arrogance, revealing insecurities and lack of true control
  • My Last Duchess uses asides and allusions to create an excellent character voice
  • The nature of the poem as a monologue and the boastful nature of his remarks create a clear image of an egotistical and cruel man