What is the main theme of the poem "My Last Duchess"?

The central theme of "The Last Duchess" is the power dynamic between men and women in a patriarchal society. The Duke is a representative of a privileged and entitled class, and his control over the Duchess is a manifestation of the broader patriarchal structures that dominated Victorian society.

What is the big idea of the poem My Last Duchess?

'My Last Duchess' has a number of themes, but all of them revolve around one major theme: power. There are many types of power demonstrated in the poem: Political power – the Duke's political power is demonstrated through the ambiguous line 'I gave commands'.

What is the theme of the Duchess?

Love and Male Authority. The Duchess of Malfi explores love and male authority in a traditional society in which women are subjected to the wills of men. The Cardinal's illicit relationship with Julia provides an example of a woman successfully controlled by a man.

What is the poem "My Last Duchess" about GCSE?

My Last Duchess Poem Explanation

In the poem, the Duke is speaking to an emissary who is negotiating the Duke's next marriage to the daughter of another powerful family. He is showing his visitor around his palace and stops in front of a painting of his late wife, who he clearly had killed.

What is the deeper meaning of My Last Duchess?

Through the Duke's speech, the reader learns about the Duchess's personality and behaviour, as well as the Duke's own character flaws. The poem is an exploration of jealousy and possessiveness within a marriage, gendered expectations of women, and the treatment of women as chattel.

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning | Poetry Analysis | GCSE Power and Conflict

What is the moral of The last duchess?

Throughout the poem, the duke reveals his belief that women are objects to be controlled, possessed, and discarded. In many ways, this reflects the thinking of Browning's own era, when Victorian social norms denied women the right to be fully independent human beings.

What does the curtain symbolize in My Last Duchess?

The speaker insists that he's the only one who's allowed to draw the curtain open, which makes the curtain another symbol of his control. The central problem the Duke had with his late wife was his inability to control what he perceived to be her excessively flirtatious personality.

What are the key themes in My Last Duchess?

The poem deals mainly with themes of power (and its abuse), ownership and male attitudes towards women.

What is a metaphor for My Last Duchess?

Metaphor: The Duke's reference to the portrait as a "thing" and his wife as "my last Duchess" are examples of metaphorical language in the poem. These metaphors serve to dehumanize the Duchess and emphasize the Duke's ownership and control over her.

What is the abuse of power in My Last Duchess?

There is also a conflict between how the Duke presents himself to the outside world versus his Duke's true character. Conflict arose when the Duke realised he couldn't control his wife, and he retaliated by killing her, which is an abuse of his power and control.

What is the conclusion of the poem My Last Duchess?

The duke's jealousy and insecurities lead him to accuse his duchess of being too friendly, ultimately resulting in her death, reflecting the oppressive nature of Victorian society.

What is the tone in My Last Duchess?

'My Last Duchess' is written in the form of a first person narration, of an arrogant and callous Duke who tours an unknown guest around his gallery. The tone of the narration is aristocratic and detached.

What is the writer's message in My Last Duchess?

My Last Duchess examines the interplay of power, art, and gender dynamics. The Duke's control over the Duchess's portrait, which he keeps behind a curtain only he can draw, symbolises his desire to control her even after her death.

What is the symbolism in the poem My Last Duchess?

The curtain is the first big section of symbolism that we see. The way that it covers the portrait by Fra Pandolf symbolises the Duke's control over who can see the Duchess and how she is perceived. This physical barrier represents his need to possess and limit access to her, maintaining authority over her image.

What are the key quotes in My Last Duchess?

Is My Last Duchess based on a true story?

“My Last Duchess” is based on the true story of Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, a city-state in northern Italy in the 16th century.

What does the seahorse symbolize in My Last Duchess?

Notice how Browning uses the statue, which the Duke has had specially commissioned, to ironically reveal the Duke's inflated self-image: The Duke sees himself as Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, exercising his power over a fragile, defenseless seahorse that symbolizes both his Last Duchess and his future bride.

Is My Last Duchess ironic?

The poem begins with the Duke of Ferrara, a historical figure from the Italian Renaissance, pulling back a curtain to reveal the painting of his wife to the emissary of a Count: That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive. Such a casual beginning is full of wicked dramatic irony.

What is the spot of joy in My Last Duchess?

Twice in this passage the Duke refers to this flush as a “spot of joy,” as if to indicate that his late wife had a habit of blushing with joy. Yet, the fact that he specifically calls it “that spot of joy” makes it sound as if the Duchess was notorious for her blushing.

What is My Last Duchess in a nutshell?

The poem is narrated by a Renaissance Duke who is showing a visitor around his art-filled mansion in the Italian city of Ferrara. As they admire a portrait of the duke's late wife, the duchess, the duke begins to reminisce about her and reveals disturbing aspects of their relationship.

What do the first two lines of the poem "Still I Rise" signify?

The first two lines of "Still I Rise" establish the antagonistic relationship between the speaker, implied to be a black woman, and her oppressor, addressed throughout simply as "you." The speaker accepts that her oppressor has the power to write "lies" about the speaker and present them as historical facts.

What is the seahorse in My Last Duchess?

Answer and Explanation: In "My Last Duchess," the seahorse, mentioned in the final lines of the poem as being tamed by Neptune, is a symbol for the Duke's late wife as well as his future wife. The duke sees himself as god-like, thinking that his mere presence should be the only source of his wife's happiness.

What is the significance of the duck word "my" in My Last Duchess?

The immediacy of the possessive pronoun, my , for instance, suggests to the reader that the poem will be spoken by a first-person narrator, while also demonstrating the speaker s possessiveness, that the Duchess is something to be owned or acquired.

Why was the duchess killed in the poem?

In Browning's ''My Last Duchess,'' the duchess is hinted to have been either killed or sent away to a convent by her husband. The duke perceived her as immodest and ungrateful towards him and resented her for it. Lucrezia de' Medici, the real-life basis for the duchess, died at 17 years old from tuberculosis.

What does the mantle mean in The last duchess?

Translation. The Duke saw Fra Pandolf asking the Duchess to move her shawl (her “mantle”) so that it would uncover more of her wrist: At this moment, the Duchess was blushing at Fra Pandolf's suggestion. She thought Fra Pandolf was complimenting her. The Duke believes that she is too easily impressed or aroused.