My last duchess: Robert browning

context behind my last duchess:

narrator is a historical figure, duke of ferrara, browning was a fan of shelley, set in 1560's written in 1561, the duke's wife died suspiciously

themes?

-power of humans (he has control over the painting and his duchess)

-pride

-memory

-identity (duchess identity taken away)

compare to: power of humans

-ozymandias

-London

-storm on the island

-tissue

-checking out me history

compare to: memory

-prelude

-remains

-poppies

-war photographer

-emigreé

-kamikaze

compare to: pride

-ozymandias

-the prelude

compare to: identity

-charge of the light brigade

-poppies

-tissue

-emigreé

-kamikaze

-checking out me history

language, structure and form

dramatic monologue,

rhyming couplets - symbolise his control,

iambic pentameter - mimics real speech, enjambment - duke carried away with anger + passion, unstable + obsessive,

dramatic irony + pride

quotes: ... will be ...

dowry, disallowed

arranging next marriage, objectifying woman (dowry is a payment paid by the brides family) buying woman

quotes: ' my gift of a ........ years old ....'

nine hundred, name

possessive and pride for his family name

quotes: ' how shall ...'

I say,

struggles to express his irritation to the situation