My Last Duchess (AQA GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Deb Orrock
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
My Last Duchess
Each poetry anthology in the GCSE contains 15 poems, and in the poetry question in the exam you will be given one poem on the paper - printed in full - and asked to compare this given poem to one other from the anthology. As this is a “closed book” exam, you will not have access to the other poems, so you will have to know them very well from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to learn. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-mark response:
The meaning of the poem
The ideas and messages the poet wanted to convey
How the poet conveys these ideas and messages through their methods
How do these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas and themes of other poems in the anthology
Below is a guide to My Last Duchess by Robert Browning, from the Power and Conflict anthology. It includes:
Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam
Overview
In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is essential that you understand what it is about. This section includes:
The poem in a nutshell
A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section
A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Browning’s intention and message
My Last Duchess in a Nutshell
My Last Duchess is a dramatic monologue written by Victorian poet Robert Browning in 1842. The Duke of Ferrara is the speaker of the poem, who tells us that he is entertaining an emissary who has come to negotiate the Duke’s marriage to the daughter of another powerful family. The Duke uses a painting of his former wife as a conversation piece, and suggests that she did something that he didn’t approve of. The rest of the poem is a subtle warning about what happens to those women who disappoint him, as his last wife (his last duchess) is now deceased.
The poem deals mainly with themes of power (and its abuse), ownership and male attitudes toward women. Conflict is also represented in terms of how the Duke presents himself to the outside world versus his true nature.
My Last Duchess breakdown
Lines 1-4
“That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That a piece of wonder, now; Fra Pandolf’s hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.”
Translation
The poem opens with the first person narrator, the Duke, showing the emissary painting of his former wife on the wall
“Looking as if she were alive” implies that she is no longer alive
The Duke is proud of the painting, and name-drops the artist, “Fra Pandolf”, who “worked busily” on it, implying the painting is of value
Browning’s intention
The speaker takes on the persona of the Duke of Ferrara
This means that Browning can use the character to convey his message about the abuse of power and control
The speaker establishes control from the start by using the possessive pronoun “my”
The reader’s interest is engaged by wondering why this is his “last” Duchess. What happened to her?
“I call that a piece of wonder” is ominous as it suggests that the Duke is viewing his dead wife as a piece of art and a possession to be owned
Lines 5-8
“Will’t please you 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,”
Translation
The Duke invites his visitor to sit down and look at the painting
He repeats, in case there is any doubt, that the painter was “Fra Pandolf” - a painter and a monk
He says this because people have commented on the passion and depiction of her facial expression (her “countenance"), and wonder which artist could capture it in such a fine way
The Duke is boasting about how famous the artist is, demonstrating his influence and wealth
Browning’s intention
The rhetorical question inviting the guest to sit and look does not require a reply, implying it is more of a command than an optional invitation
This adds to the sense of the Duke’s controlling nature
The fact that “Fra” stands for “Brother”, meaning the artist is a monk, is suggesting that there was no impropriety in the process of completing the painting itself
Lines 9-13
“But to myself 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. -”
Translation
The reader learns that the Duke is the only person allowed to pull back the curtain to reveal the painting
Others have asked, if they dared (“if they durst”), about how the expression on the Duchess’s face came to be
The Duke appears to be frustrated at all the attention his former wife is receiving
The curtain is designed to hide her and the Duke controls who can see her
Browning’s intention
This section of the poem reveals more about the Duke’s controlling nature
By covering the painting with the curtain, the Duke is able to control who sees her in death in a way he could not in life (more about this is revealed later)
This behaviour is sinister and the reader begins to wonder if he was involved in her death, perhaps covering the painting as a symptom of his guilt
His comment “if they durst” shows he has power over others and people are scared of him, as they wouldn’t dare ask him about the painting
Lines 13-15
“-Sir, ‘twas not”
Her husband’s presence only, called that spot
Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek; -
Translation
The Duke describes that he was not the only man who could lead the Duchess to have a “spot of joy”, meaning a blush, on her cheek
Browning’s intention
Blushing is associated with flirtation, and so the Duke is suggesting that many men may have flirted with the Duchess
This was unacceptable to the Duke at a time when, upon marriage, a woman lost many of her rights and essentially became the property of her husband
The Duke is suggesting that it should only be him that causes such a flush on her face
There is also the implication here that the Duke is a bit paranoid and overly possessive of his wife
Now she is his possession, a physical painting on a wall, he could be the only one to see that look of joy on her face - he would not allow anyone else to see it without his permission
Lines 15-21
“-perhaps
Fra Pandolf chanced to say, “Her mantle laps
Over my lady’s wrist too much,” or “Paint
Must never hope to reproduce the faint
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”
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
Browning’s intention
The Duke is criticising the Duchess as someone who was too easy to flirt with and too friendly with other men
The reader cannot be sure if this is true, as pride and jealousy may have caused the Duke to believe his wife would flirt with a monk
The reference to the “half-flush that dies along her throat” foreshadows her eventual fate
Lines 22-31
“A heart - how shall I say? - too soon made glad,
Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.
Sir, ‘twas all one! My favour at her breast,
The dropping of the daylight in the West,
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the while mule
She rode with round the terrace - all and each
Would draw from her alike the approving speech,
Or blush, at least. -”
Translation
The Duke is again implying that the Duchess was too friendly with men
He describes the Duchess as liking whomever she saw
The fact that “her looks went everywhere” is the Duke attempting to convey that she was unfaithful
He also suggests that the Duchess was not fussy, and saw all affection as equal
The “favour at her breast” is a piece of jewellery given to her by the Duke
The fact that it is worn at her breast adds a sexual undertone
The Duke then lists the sunset, as well as the “bough of cherries”
This is a gift she received from “some officious fool” whom the Duke believed to be of lower status
The white mule is the offspring of a donkey and a horse. A mule is typically sterile
All of these things would give the Duchess equal pleasure
This angers the Duke, as he feels outraged that she should get the same pleasure from a bunch of cherries given to her by someone of lower rank, as from a gift of jewellery from her husband, the Duke
Browning’s intention
The fact that the Duchess seemed to have a mind of her own conflicts with the Duke’s perception of how she should act as a wife
His attempts to convey her unfaithfulness and her flaws may act as the justification for what happened to her
The imagery of the sunset can be seen as a pathetic fallacy and foreshadowing of her life coming to an end, like the end of the day
The connotation of infertility with the mule may imply that the marriage was childless - another justification for the Duke’s actions
The Duke believes that his wealth and status should be more important even than beauty and nature
The fact that the Duchess also likes other things is viewed as a criticism of himself, presenting him as insecure and jealous
His pride is hurt as all of her affections are not reserved just for him
He is reliant on the complete control and dominance of women to make himself feel powerful and desirable
Lines 31-43
“- She thanked men - good! but thanked
Somehow - I know not how - as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
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
Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse -
E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose
Never to stoop. -”
Translation
The Duke implies that the Duchess “thanked” men. The use of “good!” is ironic, as he doesn’t think her behaviour is “good” at all
The Duke believes he paid for the Duchess with the gift of his “nine-hundred-year-old name” and that she should be grateful
This implies she was of a lower social status than him
He then imagines a hypothetical situation in which he would confront his former Duchess, if he was better with words, in which he was able to clearly tell her that her behaviour disgusted him or is not what is expected of her (she is “missing the mark”)
He says he could lower himself to teach her how to behave, but then he would be “stooping” and he chooses “never to stoop”
Browning’s intention
Repetition of “stoop” implies the Duchess’ lower status and the Duke’s unwillingness to go down to her level. It is beneath him to teach her how to behave
She was not sophisticated enough to see the greater worth of the Duke’s ancient name - she liked everything the same
He is irritated that she does not seem to appreciate his importance and status
By marrying her, he had given her his “nine-hundred-years-old name”, revealing his family had been around for a long time
However, he seems comfortable enough discussing what he disliked about the Duchess with a stranger
Perhaps he thought he shouldn’t have to stoop to talk to a woman, even if she was his wife
Lines 43-47
“- Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt,
When’er I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive. -”
Translation
The Duke complains that, while she did smile at him whenever he passed, she gave him the same smile as everyone else
His frustration grew as her continued to break the “rules” of marriage
He therefore “gave commands”, which implies that he instructed someone else to murder her
The Duke points out that she looks “as if alive” in the painting, juxtaposing with the revelation of her death
Browning’s intention
Browning describes her death as her “smiles stopping” signifying not only the end of her happiness but also the end of her life
This conveys the Duke’s absolute power over his wife and the overall power that he has - that he can just kill someone without consequence
It also demonstrates a loss of control (he “snapped”)
Lines 47-56
“- Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet
The company below, then. I repeat,
The Count your master’s known munificence
Is ample warrant that no just pretense
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!”
Translation
Here it is revealed that the Duke is discussing his last Duchess with an emissary for a Count who is looking to marry his daughter to the Duke
“The company below” are further guests of the Duke downstairs
The Duke knows of the Count’s "munificence”, meaning his generosity
Because of this, the Duke believes he can demand any dowry
But he insists that his “fair daughter’s self” is his primary focus, meaning the Count’s beautiful daughter
He states that, when married, his wife will become “my object”
The final two images of Neptune “taming a sea-horse” suggests the powerful ruler of the seas controlling a delicate, innocent creature like a sea-horse
The metaphor of Neptune implies the Duke sees himself as god-like
The Duke again boasts of a piece of art he has had created by a famous artist
By ending the poem with “for me”, the Duke leaves the impression that everything must be done only for him and he desires exclusive ownership
Browning’s intention
It is possible that the Duke is explaining, in a menacing tone, the actions he would take if his next wife does not live up to his expectations
By suggesting that the Count will give him a substantial amount of money for his daughter’s dowry, he is possibly giving a veiled threat about what may happen to the Count’s daughter if he is not paid what he believes his power and status are worth
Ultimately, the Duke objectifies women, and as the only voice in the poem is the Duke’s, he has robbed his Duchess of her voice and her power
Writer’s Methods
Although this section is organised into three separate sections - form, structure and language - it is important to take an integrated approach to AO2, focusing on the main themes and ideas of the poem and then evaluating how Browning’s choices of language, structure and form contribute to these ideas. In essence, how and why the poet has made the choices they have, in relation to their intentions and message. Remember, in this poem, Browning has deliberately crafted the character of the Duke via his choices of form, structure and language.
Focusing on the poet’s main ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. In the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Browning’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:
Form
The poem is written in the form of a dramatic monologue, not from Browning’s point of view, but from a fictional character’s (the Duke’s). This demonstrates the character’s dominance and control in the poem
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Power and Control | The poem is written in the first person and in the present tense | This enables the speaker to control what he tells the reader, including whether what he is saying is true, biased or exaggerated |
This could reflect the power the Duke holds, both politically and over his wives | ||
The perspective in the poem is entirely the Duke’s | Shows the controlling presence of the Duke. He doesn’t let anyone else speak | |
We are given a one-sided account, and it is up to the reader to read between the lines to find the truth | ||
| The Duchess’s side of the story is not told, which implies the lack of feminine narrative in Victorian society | |
Women had no right to vote or hold power outside of the home, so were politically silenced | ||
Browning is criticising the Duke’s abuse of power over his wife, so is therefore criticising the inequality between men and women in his society |
Structure
Browning structures the poem in one single stanza, reflecting the Duke’s mastery, but his use of punctuation fractures the poem as it progresses, mirroring the fracturing of the Duke’s calm exterior manner to reveal the emotions, frustration and violence within
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Power and mastery | Single verse/no stanzas | This shows the poem is set in one single place and moment in time |
Makes the Duke’s dominance overwhelming, as the single stanza structure also seems overwhelming at first | ||
Poet gives a sense of the poem being the Duke’s stream of consciousness - his unfiltered thoughts and feelings | ||
This suggests he lacks control over himself, even though he tries to exert control over others | ||
Poem uses traditional iambic pentameter | Reflects how the Duke holds traditional views about women | |
The regular rhyme scheme also gives a natural, conversational tone | ||
Browning uses rhyming couplets, such as: “That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive. I call…” | This suggests the Duke’s desire for control, by using carefully considered and refined speech | |
Browning adds to the sense of natural speech through the use of enjambment | The Duke again dominates the conversation, but the enjambment shows he is rambling (linking again to the sense of this being a stream of consciousness) | |
For example, “The bough of cherries some officious fool Broke in the orchard for her…” | When he loses control of the structure of his speech, he reveals glimpses of his inner nature | |
Browning continues to interrupt the Duke’s speech through the use of punctuation, such as parenthesis and dashes | The deliberate use of punctuation demonstrates the Duke getting side-tracked | |
For example: “But to myself they turned (since none puts by The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)” And: “A heart - how shall I say? - too soon made glad,” | This suggests his smooth exterior is starting to crack, and his inner emotions and violence are starting to show, as he cannot keep up the controlled conversational meter | |
Browning also employs caesura to show that the Duke keeps interrupting himself
| This further breaks up the rhythm of the poem and makes it tiring to listen to | |
This does not concern the Duke, however, which can be seen as a sign of too much pride and self-obsession | ||
Even when he does imply his last Duchess’s fate, he then returns to his smooth rhythm and polite facade |
Language
Browning further brings the character of the Duke to life through his choice of language but does not employ many literary devices, so that when he does, they stand out. The language is quite simple in order for the character of the Duke to give a clear message about not challenging his power. Here, language is explored via the key themes of social structure and class, and sexism and oppression
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Social Structure and Class | When speaking to the envoy, the Duke uses the terms “Sir” and “you” | These formal terms of address establish the Duke’s social superiority over the envoy |
The Duke “invites” the envoy to “sit” and “rise” through rhetorical questions | These rhetorical questions are actually commands. The Duke expects the envoy to obey | |
The Duke is proud of his “nine-hundred-years-old-name” | He believes that the superior social status and “gift” of his family name should have been respected above everything else by his wife | |
Here, Browning is commenting on the arrogance, pride and abuse of power by those who have inherited it | ||
The Duke chooses “never to stoop” | He refuses to lower himself to what he believes is his wife’s inferior level | |
The Duke uses an obvious euphemism for his last Duchess’s murder: “-I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together.-” | The Duke is clear that people obey him. He gave the command to have his wife murdered | |
He believes that he is superior and his family name gives him power enough to be able to do this without consequence | ||
The repetition of “I” also shows how self-obsessed the Duke is | ||
Sexism and oppression | Browning uses possessive pronouns when the Duke refers to his wife as “my” last Duchess | The Duke views his wife as a possession, rather than as an individual |
He also refers to her as “it” in the line, “The depth and passion of its earnest glance,” | It suggests that he can buy a wife like a piece of art | |
In addition, he calls her his “Duchess” rather than his wife | This implies a lack of affection and his wife as an accessory, rather than a partner | |
Again, the use of the pronoun “his” demonstrates his feelings of ownership and absolute power over his spouse | ||
Browning is commenting on the loss of name, rights and power of women upon marriage, and the objectification of women as something to be owned by men | ||
Browning uses symbolism in the form of the Duchess as a painting, the viewing of which no one but the Duke can control | This suggests he is threatened by other men enjoying looking upon her beauty | |
It highlights the absolute control he had over her, not just in life, but also in death | ||
The Duke moves fluidly from discussing his last wife to his new wife | This indicates that the women are not special to him and are disposable. | |
The statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse is symbolic | This parallels the Duke who has attempted to use his domestic power to “tame” a wife that was “too easily impressed” by other things | |
He transformed her into a painting which he could control | ||
By showing the statue to the envoy, he is also issuing a warning that his new wife needs to be more easily tamed | ||
Browning uses the metaphor of the Duchess having a heart “too soon made glad” | By reading between the lines, the Duchess is presented as innocent and delighted by all of nature’s things | |
She is embarrassed by compliments, easily pleased and pleasant to everyone | ||
The Duke misinterprets this as unfaithfulness | ||
He is driven possibly mad by jealousy and pride | ||
He values wealth, status and possessions over natural beauty and the beauty of the earth | ||
Browning employs dramatic irony to imply the Duke’s sinister real character | The reader is able to read between the lines and detect the sinister undertone of the Duke’s comments | |
For example, when he says: “Twas, not her husband’s presence only, called that spot Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek:” And: “Her looks went everywhere” | The Duke was paranoid and suspicious of the Duchess and believed (or claimed) that she was unfaithful |
Context
Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be written about separately. Therefore, you should not include random biographical information about Robert Browning, or unrelated historical facts about the Italian Renaissance. The best way to understand context is through the ideas and perspectives explored by Browning in My Last Duchess which relate to power or conflict. This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Browning explores:
Social criticism
My Last Duchess is set in Italy during the Italian Renaissance
At this time in Italy, art was heavily valued
The artists and the artwork mentioned in the poem, as well as the Duke himself, are fictional
However, it is likely that the character of the Duke was based on Alfonso II, the fifth Duke of Ferrara
His wife died in suspicious circumstances
Browning was born in London but spent most of his life in Italy
Changing the setting of the poem allowed him to better disguise his criticism of society
Sexism and oppression
The poem was written at the start of the Victorian era, during the Industrial Revolution
This was a period when society was starting to change
Women were starting to demand equality and it saw the beginning of the suffrage movement
In the 1800s, when a woman married, she became the legal property of her husband
The only way for a woman to gain status or influence was via her husband
This is shown in the poem through the Duke’s “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old-name”
It was also believed that women were incapable of rational thought
This is reflected in the line “I choose never to stoop”
This suggests there is no point in arguing with a woman as she cannot understand
The poem can therefore be considered a criticism of Victorian attitudes towards women and their effort to suppress female sexuality
Browning was a liberal, who married for love
His wife was also a well-respected poet in her own right
Victorian Britain was also very modest and traditional
It could be argued that the Duke’s obsession with controlling and ultimately “fixing” his wife’s behaviour reflects Victorian society’s obsession with the reputation of women remaining perfect
Furthermore, the conflict in the poem displays itself not only in the power the Duke has over the Duchess’s life, but also between how the Duke presents himself to the outside world versus his true character
Conflict arose when the Duke realised that he ultimately couldn’t control the Duchess’s behaviour in line with his expectations of a wife
He retaliated by killing her, which is an abuse of his power and control
This also demonstrates how easily those in power can lose control
What to Compare it to
The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about power, or conflict, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that My Last Duchess explores the ideas of power, control and oppression, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:
For each pair of poems, you will find:
The comparison in a nutshell
Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences
My Last Duchess and Ozymandias
Comparison in a nutshell:
Both My Last Duchess and Ozymandias comment on the corruption of power by excessively proud individuals, and power and control are depicted as unstable and easily lost. The subjects of both poems are inanimate objects (a statue and a painting), and both the Duke and the King speak of themselves in a narcissistic way.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems show the effects of power and how it can be abused, as well as how power can be undermined | |
Evidence and analysis | My Last Duchess | Ozymandias |
Browning shows the Duke’s power being undermined and his loss of control via enjambment, caesura and use of punctuation | In Ozymandias, the poet shows a loss of power over time and competing with nature, as the statue is surrounded by desert which is a symbol of nature and time | |
The Duke in My Last Duchess is only concerned with his own power and social status. Although the dramatic monologue and iambic pentameter are meant to replicate a conversation, there is no opportunity for anyone else to speak | Shelley describes Ozymandias’s “sneer of cold command” as if to suggest that he is a cruel and heartless leader, only concerned with his own power and the lasting legacy it will bring | |
The Duke is an unreliable narrator, speaking about his Duchess who is not able to speak for herself. We know the story is unreliable as we learn the Duke was jealous and paranoid | The legacy of Ozymandias is told through the voice of another person, mocking the power of the subject | |
Browning wrote the poem as a monologue to show the Duke’s self-obsession and that he is not interested in anyone’s views other than his own | Ozymandias might have had “cold command” of his “lands”, just like the Duke “gave commands” | |
The temporary nature of power is contrasted in both poems with the permanence of sculpture and art. The Duke exerted complete control and dominance over his Duchess, and yet she lives on as if alive in her painting. The statue of Ozymandias is broken, demonstrating that all power is temporary | ||
Topic sentence | Both poets are concerned with how pride and vanity can corrupt | |
Evidence and analysis | My Last Duchess | Ozymandias |
In My Last Duchess, the Duke loves his “nine-hundred-years-old-name” and feels entitled to authority, control and respect because of it | Ozymandias is written in the form of a sonnet, as though the king has written a love poem to himself | |
It could be argued that both figures of power are ultimately left with nothing | ||
The Duke is left with a statue of “Neptune” which is made of cold bronze. He prizes possessions and wealth over everything else | In Ozymandias, the “lone and level sands stretch far away” and outlive any reminder of the king’s power | |
However, it doesn’t matter how many pieces of art or wealth the Duke possesses, ultimately his “nine-hundred-years-old-name” will be forgotten, and he with it, unless a poet or painter brings him to life | In Ozymandias, the statue in ruins shows that power and tyranny are useless beyond the grave | |
Differences:
Topic sentence | While both poets suggest that pride and power lead to oppression, the subjects of the oppression are different in each poem. | |
Evidence and analysis | My Last Duchess | Ozymandias |
In My Last Duchess, the Duchess is shown as the symbol of oppression – the Duke is a jealous and paranoid individual who eventually gives the command to murder her: “then all smiles stopped” | In Ozymandias, the statue is used as a symbol for all institutions or figures of power | |
My Last Duchess and London
Comparison in a nutshell:
This comparison provides the opportunity to insightfully compare power, control and the corruption of power at a political and individual level. In London, Blake is concerned with how human power can be used to dominate and oppress others, whereas, in My Last Duchess, Browning presents power through the individual character of the Duke.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both Browning and Blake use the structure of their poems to comment on the idea that human power can be used to dominate, oppress and cause suffering | |
Evidence and analysis | My Last Duchess | London |
Browning wrote My Last Duchess as a dramatic monologue from the Duke’s perspective, only showing his point of view. This demonstrates his power and dominance | Blake uses regular four-line stanzas to highlight the relentlessness of the dominance the institutions of power have over London and its people | |
The poem is written in a single stanza, emphasising the Duke’s power as he is the only person who speaks | The alternative ABAB rhyme scheme and use of iambic tetrameter demonstrate the control exerted over the city | |
Browning uses rhyming couplets to also reflect control. However, cracks in the Duke’s control of himself are revealed via the use of enjambment, caesura and punctuation, suggesting the undermining of that power | The occasional break in the structure, as well as the reference to “mind-forg’d manacles” suggest Blake’s possible frustration at the people’s reluctance to rise up and break free from the tyranny | |
Topic sentence | Both Browning and Blake are also concerned with the inequalities between women and men, and how men can exert power over women | |
Evidence and analysis | My Last Duchess | London |
In My Last Duchess, the Duke betrays his view of his Duchess as a possession through the use of possessive pronouns and the objectification of his wife | Blake is concerned with the oppression and victimisation of women, referencing the “youthful harlot’s curse” to imply that some women have their futures and choices taken away from them as a circumstance of their birth | |
The Duke repeatedly uses the pronoun “my” to imply ownership, and “it” to imply he views her as an object. The adjective “last” suggests she is but one of a number of wives | The oxymoronic “marriage hearse” suggests that women lose any power they may possess ultimately to men in that society | |
Both the harlot and the Duchess are victims of the inequality between men and women in terms of circumstance and society | ||
The fact that both are nameless further dehumanises them | ||
Topic sentence | Both poems show how power that is inherited, but not necessarily deserved, can be abused and used to oppress | |
Evidence and analysis | My Last Duchess | London |
Browning comments on the Duke mounting his “last Duchess” on the wall as a trophy - a symbol of the power he holds over his wife. He also controls who can see her | Blake criticises the monarchy behind their “palace walls” as responsible for abuses of power | |
The Duke’s “nine-hundred-years-old-name” reflects the fact that the Duke’s power and status are inherited, rather than earned | Blake holds the monarchy responsible for the soldier’s blood that runs “down palace walls”, suggesting that they are responsible for inflicting suffering | |
However, a name alone does not equal responsible use of power, resulting in oppression and victimisation | ||
The walls of the buildings in both poems are symbols of their power. Therefore, anything represented on them becomes a symbol of the abuses of their power | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | While the focus of Browning’s criticism of power centres on one individual, the Duke, and the effect on his “last Duchess”, Blake comments on how the abuse of power by institutions hits the poorest members of society the hardest | |
Evidence and analysis | My Last Duchess | London |
Through the fact that the Duke oppresses his Duchess, who has inherited his status via marriage, Browning is suggesting that even wealthy women of high social standing are not exempt from being victimised and oppressed | Blake is critical of the monarchy, the government and the church, as they represent to him the abuse of their authority in order to cause misery and suffering to all of the people in London | |
Browning focuses his attention on the abuse of power by an individual in order to own, control and dominate | The focus for Blake is on the institutions of the city of London, and the effects of the corruption of power by those institutions on the lowest sections of that society | |
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