"My Last Duchess" is a poem by Robert Browning‚ frequently anthologized as an example of the dramatic monologue. It first appeared in 1842 in Browning’s Dramatic Lyrics. The poem is set during the late Italian Renaissance. The speaker (presumably the Duke of Ferrara) is giving the emissary of his prospective new wife (presumably a third or fourth since he Browning could have easily written ’second’ but did not do so) a tour of the artworks in his home. He draws a curtain to reveal a painting of
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known as Smitty and Duchess meet at a YMCA dance. Smitty and duchess become very close the day they meet‚ but they were not truthful with one another. Duchess and Smitty instantly “clicked” or at least that’s what Duchess thinks. They both are too distracted by money to think of being honest with each other. Smitty and Duchess hide their insecurities with collections of lies. Smitty and Duchess will not end up together because they are dishonest with each other. Smitty and Duchess were lying to each
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Setting and Background The setting of "My Last Duchess‚" a highly acclaimed 1842 poem by Robert Browning‚ is the palace of the Duke of Ferrara on a day in October 1564. Ferrara is in northern Italy‚ between Bologna and Padua‚ on a branch of the Po River. The city was the seat of an important principality ruled by the House of Este from 1208 to 1598. The Este family constructed an imposing castle in Ferrara beginning in 1385 and‚ over the years‚ made Ferrara an important center of arts and learning
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The Duke and His Duchess What would one expect a mans personality and traits to be like if he was to send his wife away for being to easily impressed and made happy too soon? It is just the man Robert Browning portrays in his poem “My Last Duchess” as the Duke who explains a painting of his late wife in a dramatic dialogue. A quick glance at “ My Last Duchess” readers can easily pick up on at least one element: arrogance. The speaker of the poem exhibits arrogance rooted in his audacious sense
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My Last Duchess Question: Write about a poem set well in the past‚ but which remains relevant today. Explain why‚ despite the difference in time‚ the main concerns of the poem remains relevant to you. A poem which is set well in the past but remains relevant in today’s society is ‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning. The poem remains relevant today as even nowadays there are people who possess similar characteristics as the Duke; the abusive use of power in some societies is still relevant
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My Last Duchess * How are feelings shown in my Last Duchess? * What is concealed and revealed by the Duke? In the poem My Last Duchess‚ a large variation of feelings and emotions are expressed. They are expressed using various techniques‚ such as alliteration‚ rhetorical questions and many more. I am going to explain how feelings are expressed in parts of the poem and also what is shown and revealed by the Duke in My Last Duchess. One of the main feelings which are portrayed in the poem
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How does Browning tell the story of “My Last Duchess” in the first thirteen lines? In the opening lines of “My Last Duchess”‚ Browning introduces his speaker‚ the Duke of Ferrara‚ who sets the stage to tell the story of his late wife to the Count’s emissary. As a dramatic monologue‚ Browning’s identity is dissolved into his character’s voice and persona; the first-person narration of the Duke dominates the perspective of the story; the emissary becomes a silent listener‚ whose presence is only
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In Robert Browning’s poem--“My Last Duchess”--the speaker (presumably the Duke) is giving a servant of his prospective wife’s family a tour of his home. He draws a back a curtain to reveal a concealed painting of a woman by Frà Pandolf‚ explaining that it is a portrait of his late wife. The Duke invites his guest to sit and look at the painting‚ and as they look at the portrait of the late Duchess the Duke describes her. Throughout the whole explanation of his late wife’s actions‚ one may get the
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The poem "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is often anthologized as an illustration of dramatic monologue. It initially appeared in the year 1842 in the Dramatic Lyrics of Browning. The verse is written in the 28 rhymed couplets of the iambic pentameter. This verse is loosely supported on historical incidents relating Alfonso‚ the Duke of Ferrara‚ who used to live in 16th century. Theme The central themes are influence‚ power‚ marriage‚ egotism and aristocracy. It is likely to utilize blanket
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For the duration of ‘My Last Duchess’ the Duke reveals his need to exert dominance over others. In the monologue he leaves no time after his questions for the envoy to answer‚ this quickly creates rhetorical questions which control the envoy’s speech revealing the Duke’s very egotistical persona. For example ‘Who’d stoop to blame this sort of trifling?’ . Furthermore the Duke calls ‘that piece a wonder‚ now’ the caesura before the lexical choice ‘now’ gives the line an ominous and sinister feel and
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