My Last Duchess Questions and answer comprehension PDF

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My Last Duchess Questions and answer...

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What do the opening lines of the poem reveal about the state of mind of the persona? The opening lines reveal the subject of the poem, the Last Duchess and evokes classism and aristocracy. The opening line of “That’s my Last duchess painted on the wall” establishes that he is entertaining the emissary and is advocating for the family to negotiate the marriage of his daughter to another family. He establishes that the painting is an object of wonder and shows his possessive qualities stating that’s “my” last duchess. The enjambment reinforces his possessiveness and commodification of the last duchess What story does the persona tell? The persona is talking about how he killed his wife because she was too flirtatious. Gradually he becomes more uncomposed and angry as he immerses himself in his own story. How does the narrative reveal the character of the persona? eg. subject matter; tone; enjambment The way he refers to the woman – never references her as a whole, nor uses name, impersonal and shows he only values her as a ‘token wife/trophy wife’ than as a person. The enjambment used in later stanzas to show his anger at her openness/flirtatiousness What role does social hierarchy play in the relationship between the speaker and the listener? The Duke’s egotistic views of lineage and classism is presented through a didactic tone, therefore evoking a sense of inferiority in the audience. Additionally, his egocentric attitude reveals his possessive quality, where, through the objectification of the Duchess, he denounces women as something to be controlled and owned. What impact of the audience as being the silent listener to this story? What is he trying to provoke in the audience? His misogyny and over-controlling attitude creates tension and discomfort in the modern day audience where such discrimination is anachronistic. As his story develops and he reveals what happened to the woman, and his opinions regarding her flirtatiousness are exposed, and the audience experiences horror. The position of being a silence listener causes the Duke to hold control throughout the text as any other opinion is silenced/absent. This allows for him to reveal himself, highlighting his arrogance and ignorance. How might male and female audiences respond differently to this dramatic monologue? Male perspective might accept or understand his reasoning on some level, especially in the pre-modern context the poem is set in with a more severely patriarchal and sexist society. Female audiences would feel anger, injustice and disgust at his reaction to his duchess’s actions and controlling measures. How does the form of the dramatic monologue influence narrative? Dramatic monologues often reveal the narrator’s character through their tone and connotations. They also allow the audience to view the narrative through the narrator’s eyes, therefore creating a direct relationship between the speaker and the listener. This allows puts the audience in a less position, reinforces the dukes powerful relationship. He reveals his innermost self, his domineering misogynist and his susceptibility to flattery. He shows the painting and sculpture because he wants to be seen as powerful which undermines his character. In this instance it is used ironically as it reveals negative things about the character instead of positive things. Dramatic monologue places a limit on what the speaker wants the audience to hear, whereas soliloquy allows the author to spill the character’s thoughts. Essentially, in dramatic monologue, speaker has more control of what they’re saying. The silent person listening to the monologue reinforces his arrogance, not allowing him to voice his opinion, further condemns the duke. Why would it be considered one of Browning's most confronting and shocking poems? Why would he write such a shocking poem? "numb audience" provoke scandal? He wants to challenge and radicals the misogynistic social norms, which is highly controversial. He is painting a higher aristocratic life which has carried on for generations. He is not painting a beautiful picture of higher life, which is ultimately condemning himself.

What 19th century perspectives on men and women are being presented? Women are being presented as being less than men and are seen mostly as a objects. Lineage of dukes, social hiera The last duchess didn’t appreciate the lineage, which is offensive 10.

How does Browning use irony in the poem?

The irony of the poem stems from the notion that although The irony of his jealousy is that he focuses only on the flirtatious threats that originates from his own insecurities, when the Duchess’s joy and happiness is derived from life itself. 11.

How does Browning expose the angel/whore dichotomy often depicted in literature?

The dichotomy emphasizes how women are classified according to men's needs and experiences, a useful approach for examining the manifestation of patriarchal ideology. This is seen in the Last Duchess where the girl is depicted as a whore. 12. Summation-how does Browning represent his context throughout the poem? How does the poem represent and challenge values?       ...