MLD

• 2 quotes on my last dutchess

  • ”My gift of nine hundred years old name”
  • “ i gave commands, then all smiles stopped”
• "notice neptune"/ "taming a sea-horse"

  • deliberate us of neptune= psychological projection of himself as a dominating figure= taking control over nature and beauty
  • duke sees himself as god-like with unlimited potency= failed to tame his duchess, killing was the only option
  • imagery of Neptune taming a sea horse= reminiscent of duke and duchess marriage
  • poem begins with "my" and ends with "me!" exposes how the entire poem is about the ownership of women objectifying them, valued only when they can be "tamed"
• structure:

  • Duke expresses his irritation towards the wife as a result of her disloyalty through enjambment which he uses throughout the poem
  • reflects on his inability to contain his thoughts= rant about the dynamic within marriage
• "as if she ranked my gift of a nin-hundred-years-old name"

  • verb -Ranked= duchess treated him like equal to the servants
  • noun-gift= she should be more grateful - he's jealous
  • hyphens= fast paced showing his anger and irritants by her indifferent attitude towards becoming a duchess not being appreciative
• summary:

  duchess was having an affair with servants and duke got jealous so he killed her. after her death he still controlled her showing his dominance. depicts the harsh reality of a controlling marriage and a dominating husband who enjoys tyrannical power.
• comparison:

  • tissue
  • ozy
  • checking out me history
• who wrote MLD?


  browning
• browning, who wanted to promote the awareness of female voicelessness, presents mankind's dominance as not only immoral but also blasphermous