What techniques are used in My Last Duchess?

What techniques are used in My Last Duchess?

Literary Devices in My Last Duchess

  • Allusion: Perhaps the most significant allusion—a reference to another work of art or text—is at the end of the play to the Roman god Neptune.
  • Dramatic Monologue: This poem is a dramatic monologue, a poetic form that mimics the speech of an individual character.

How Does My Last Duchess end?

The duke ends his speech by demanding that he and the Count’s emissary go downstairs together, and on their way, he directs the emissary’s attention to a statue of the God Neptune taming a seahorse, which is a rare work of art that Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze specifically for him.

How did the wife die in My Last Duchess?

As Porphyria seeks any kind of affection from the narrator, he simply sits, watching her do all the work. The only action that the narrator takes in the poem is the killing of Porphyria, wrapping her own hair around her neck and strangling her.

Where is the Duchess who is the subject of the poem?

My Last Duchess ROBERT BROWNING (1812-1889). Subject:  The subject of the poem is the Duke’s late wife, or the “Last Duchess”  The poem also covers.

What does the Duke imply when he uses the word only in line 14?

What does the Duke imply when he uses the word only in line 14? The Duke implies that it should be “her husband’s presence only” that causes her such pleasure.

What is the statue of Neptune allude to in the poem?

Clearly we could argue that the Duke identifies himself with this figure of Neptune, the Roman God of the sea, in the way that he seeks to bring others under his control and go through a process of “taming” them so that they realise his ulimate mastery and power over them.

What is the Duke trying to do in my last Duchess?

The Duke probably wants to do two things: show off his acquisitions (what he considers his late wife), considering he is especially proud of them. But more importantly, he wants to send a covert message to his new “acquisition”, the new Duchess.

What bothered the Duke about the Duchess smile?

What bothered the Duke about the Duchess’s smile? It was never reserved for him.

What tone of voice does the Duke speak in at the end?

In this poem the tone is darkly ironic. Browning uses the duke’s own words to show that he is a disturbed individual who has committed an unjustifiable act of murder—the opposite of the impression the duke intends to make. The poem is a dramatic monologue.

What flaw does the Duke identify in his last duchess?

Expert Answers Hover for more information. The Duke describes the last Duchess as if she were wanton with her attention, inadequately class conscious and overly friendly. As rowens says, his primary complaint is that she does not treat him with more reverance or favour than she does anyone else.

Who passed without Much the same smile?

Or there exceed the mark”—and if she let Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set 40 Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse, —E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands.

Who d stoop to blame?

“My Last Duchess” is a poem by British poet Robert Browning. In the poem, written as one half of a conversation, the speaker discusses his late first wife. The speaker appears to have been jealous of his wife’s attention, and the reader can infer that the speaker is responsible for his wife’s death.

How does the duke view himself?

Through the use of symbols, the Duke reveals himself to be a man who desires total and complete power and submission from those around him.

Why does the Duke mention FRA pandolf in line 3?

The Duke actually speaks the name Fra Pandolf three times in the monologue. This is a sign of his vulgarity and bad taste. It is almost as bad as telling the visitor how much money he paid to have the work done. (The visitor is there to negotiate the marriage of some Count’s daughter to the Duke.