Compare & Contrast: “My Ex-Husband” & “My Last Duchess” Amy Baysinger 9/16/2012 Both poems are similar in that they revolve around the theme of lost or unrequited love. The speakers‚ a man and a woman‚ are different in sexes but similar in their plights. Both are bitter‚ jealous‚ and seemingly unbothered by their losses (but their aloofness is also what gives away their feelings). Each speaker is having a conversation with an assumed good friend and explains the demise of their respecting
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written 150 years apart. Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” is set in 16th Century Italy. The Duke of Ferrara is discussing the portrait of his last duchess to an envoy of a nobleman‚ whose daughter he is planning to marry. Similarly‚ the contemporary woman in Gabriel Spera’s “My Ex-Husband‚” relates the details of her first marriage to the man in her new relationship. Throughout both dramatic monologues‚ jealousy‚ pride‚ and control blur the lines between illusion and reality. “Jealousy” The current
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In the poem “My Ex-Husband” by Gabriel Spera the main character displays hate for her husband‚ which in time reveals her love for him. The hateful tone in the poem contributes to the fact that she dislikes her husband‚ but at the same time she is stuck in the past‚ which keeps her from moving on. The first two lines of the poem introduce us to the a picture of her ex husband: “Thats my ex-husband pictured on the self‚ smiling as if in love”. We begin to suspect that main character is no longer with
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"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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Discuss Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ as a Dramatic Monologue A Dramatic monologue is a form of poetry where the speaker in the poem gives the readers a deep insight into his thoughts. It is different from a soliloquy since a dramatic monologue always has an implied audience. Dramatic monologue although originated well before the 19th century‚ it was popularized by Victorian poets like Browning‚ Tennyson and Dante Rossetti. Browning has experimented with this form of poetry to such depths that dramatic
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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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In a dramatic monologue‚ the poet‚ like an actor in a play‚ speaks through the voice and personality of another person. Robert Browning wrote many different dramatic monologues such as those three particular poems which are known as‚ “My Last Duchess‚ Porphyria’s Lover and The Laboratory.” The reason why Browning wrote his poems in that particularly dialogue is because of the certain century it was produced. It was brought out during the Victorian. In that century woman where treated differently
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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 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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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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