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 poem My Last Duchess utilizes strong imagery of the speaker’s last wife in order to warn his new future wife the expectations and need that he needs‚ for his last marriage did not meet his expectations. From the description of his last wife and her flaws‚ the speaker evokes to his future wife what he expects in his new marriage‚ which further reveals the speaker’s attitude. The speaker enjoys and compliments the last duchess’ “depth and passion” of her earnest glance. However‚ it is revealed
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gunshots that interrupted that summer day. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. Not only was Franz murdered‚ but so was his wife Sophie‚ Duchess of Hohenberg. They were assassinated by a young man named Bosnian Serb which set off a chain of events that leaded to the start of World War One. To many people it was known as the Great War and seemed to have come out of the blue. Franz’s assassination was the start to it all. Franz Ferdinand was the eldest son of Carl Ludwig and the brother of Emperor
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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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Ferdinand de Saussure Ferdinand de Saussure (/sɔːˈsʊr/ or /soʊˈsʊr/; French: [fɛʁdinɑ̃ də sosyʁ]; 26 November 1857 – 22 February 1913) was a Swiss linguist whose ideas laid a foundation for many significant developments in linguistics in the 20th century.[1][2] He is widely considered one of the fathers of 20th-century linguistics.[3][4][5][6] One of his translators‚ Emeritus Professor of Linguistics (Oxford University)‚ Roy Harris‚ summarized Saussure’s contribution to linguistics and the study
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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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