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Flashcards in My Last Duchess Deck (15)
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1
Q

Who wrote my last duchess

A

Robert browning

2
Q

When was it written

A

1842

3
Q

What’s the form of the poem

A

A first person dramatic monologue which allows us to explore the dukes motivations and actions

4
Q

What highlights dukes narcissism and pride

A

Possessive pronouns

Eg “that’s my last duchess” and “is my object”

5
Q

What type of rhyme and beat is there

A

Rhyming couplets, frequent enjambment pushes the poem on like how the duke is relentlessly pursuing his next bride

6
Q

What duke is this poem loosely based on

A

Duke Ferrara of

7
Q

Give 1 context on life of browning

A

Had to move to Italy to marry because of his wife’s over protective father- parallelism from his real life experience to duke

8
Q

Who is the duke speaking too

A

The count- envoy

9
Q

What 3 names does her refer to and why

A

“Fra pandolf” - artist
“My gift of a nine hundred year old name with anybody’s gift”- demands respect, his antique name should be the biggest gift of all for her
“Claus of innsbruck”
Names represent status and importance

10
Q

Give quotation that shows the duke still has power over her even now she’s dead

A

“Since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I”

Quotation is in brackets in the poem to draw our attention and take notice of it- he’s attention seeking- threatening tone

11
Q

Finish the quotation “too

A

“Too soon made glad”- easily pleased but he wants all the attention- paranoid and self conscious?- that’s why he has to own everything and name drop

12
Q

“The bough

A

“The bough of cherri w some official fool broke in the orchard for her”

13
Q

What makes the duchess happy,?

A

“Cherries, sunset (dropping of the daylight in the west) riding her horse”

Everything brings her the same amount of joy, he wants more!

14
Q

Finish the quotation “I gave

A

“I gave commands then all smiles stopped together”

15
Q

Where’s the irony in the poem

A

He says he chooses “never to stoop” to her level- never lower his status to bring up his true feelings about what she does however he’s just spent 56 lines speaking about her and what she did - insight into his character