Transcript My Last Duchess - GCSE English Literature

My Last
Duchess
Robert Browning (1845)
What is it about?
A Duke is talking to a visitor about a portrait of his
dead wife. He says she used to smile and have a
laugh with everyone, and this annoyed him .We
suspect her death may have been a bit suspicious.
It’s based on a true story. At the end of the poem
the Duke is trying to arrange to buy himself a new
wife.
Written in 1564, so the language is old.
http://www.shmoop.com/my-last-duchess/
Why Should I Care?
The themes in play here are way more interesting than the
basic setup. Jealousy, murder, manipulation, a sinister
atmosphere, and the inner thoughts of a psychopath – it’s
practically The Silence of the Lambs in poem form.
The Duke’s overreaction to the Duchess’s friendly nature
pretty much makes him a textbook example of a controlling,
abusive husband who demands absolute subservience
from his wife. The only difference is that he’s crazy enough
to think that even ordering her not to be nice to people is
beneath him. In his mind, killing her is the only way to deal
with the fact that she smiled at the sunset.
The Duke is very
possessive
Dramatic monologue
My Last Duchess
That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Fra Pandolf's hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
An imaginary
artist, name
dropping:
everything has
monetary value
Will 't please you to sit and look at her? I said
"Fra Pandolf" by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to my self they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there; so, not the first
Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, 't was not
Her husband's presence only, called that spot
Of joy into the Duchess' cheek: perhaps
He controls who looks
at the painting. He
couldn’t control who
looked at his wife when
she was alive.
Fra Pandolf chanced to say, "Her mantle laps
The dashes
show the Dukes
frustration,
suggests he’s
struggling to say
the words
Over my lady's wrist too much," or "Paint
Must never hope to reproduce the faint
She was a modest
person who got
embarrassed by
compliments
Half-flush that dies along her throat:" such stuff
Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough
For calling up that spot of joy. She had
A heart--how shall I say?--too soon made glad,
Her only crime
was enjoying
life and not
respecting his
rank/title
Too easily impressed: she liked whate'er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.
Sir, 't was all one! My favor at her breast,
The Duke’s
jealousy; he starts
to reveal more than
he planned
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule
She rode with round the terrace--all and each
Would draw from her alike the approving speech,
His only pride is
in his wealthy
family name
Or blush, at least. She thanked men,--good! but thanked
Somehow,--I know not how--as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
Contrast: genuine romance
or a posh title, he expects
her to value the latter more
‘the mark’
suggests he
has a
benchmark
against
which to
measure
her
With anybody's gift. Who'd stoop to blame
This sort of trifling? Even had you skill
In speech--(which I have not)--to make your will
Quite clear to such an one, and say, "Just this
Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,
Or there exceed the mark"--and if she let
Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set
He is getting
jealous over
her being
kind
He accidentally
reveals more of his
weaknesses
What kind of man
expects his wife
to be rude like
this?
Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse,
--E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose
Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without
HE KILLED HER?
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
Makes
monologue feel
like
conversation
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive. Will 't please you rise? We'll meet
The company below, then. I repeat,
Duchess was sweet to
But, he says, it’s not
like that was special.
She smiles at
everyone.
The Count your master's known munificence
Money for
marrying his
daughter
Is ample warrant that no just pretence
Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;
Though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed
At starting, is my object. Nay, we'll go
Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,
Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,
Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
The Duke doesn’t realise how much of
himself he has given away in his
criticism of his former wife
final word ‘me’ draws
attention once again to his
total self-obsession
young woman's "faults" were qualities like compassion, modesty, humility, delight in
simple pleasures, and courtesy to those who served her.
FORM: The poem is a dramatic
monologue. At first it seems as though
the Duke is speaking directly to you,
making what he says seem more
powerful.
POWER AND OBJECTIFICATION: The Duke
felt the need to have poet and control
over the Duchess. He see’s her as
something to be admired just like his
paintings.
There is enjambment and caesura to
make the poem sound more like natural
speech.
FEELINGS AND ATTITUDES:
Pride- The Duke is very proud of his
possessions and status.
Jealousy- He couldn’t stand the way the
Duchess treated everyone nicely, not just
him.
Power- The Duke enjoys the control he
has over the paintings (lines 9-10). He
didn’t have power over the Duchess when
she was alive.
STRUCTURE: The combination of things
the Duke mentions, his wife’s behaviour,
proud family history and his reactions
make it seem like he is jumping from
one subject to another and give the
impression that he is an unstable
character.
LINKS: Les Grand Seigneurs (husband controls wife), Medusa (husband has emotional
power over wife), River God (both characters have unpleasant qualities and kill),
Ozymandias (history), key theme across lots of poems = POWER
So what’s the Point
Read the statements below, decide which one you agree with most and find some evidence to support it!!!
The Duke was jealous and angry about his wife’s relationship with the artist, Fra
Pandolf, and therefore, he had her murdered.
The Duke was jealous and angry about his wife’s relationship with the artist, Fra
Pandolf, and therefore, he had them both murdered.
The Duke loved his wife dearly.
The Duke loathed his wife and resents even the memory of her.
The Duke misses his wife.
The Duke views his wife as an object, a piece of art, something he owns.
The Duchess died and the Duke is still in mourning.
The Duke is furious because the Duchess left him and ran away with the artist, Fra
Pandolf.
The Duke loves his wife but loathes the artist, Fra Pandolf.
Did you know?
The poem is written in iambic pentameter. This means that
there are five feet in each line. Each foot contains two syllables. Traditionally, iambic pentameter is written in the following
pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables.
da
du
m
da
du
m
da
du
m
da
du
m
da
du
m
Iambic pentameter often follows the natural rhythm of
speech, a little like a heartbeat. If we apply this to pattern to
Browning’s opening line, it would be as follows.
That’s my last duchess painted on the wall
 Try reading it aloud a few times, sticking closely to the pattern
of unstressed and stressed syllables as marked above.
 Does the above rhythm sound natural? Does it seem to
capture the meaning of the words in the line?