Learning Path » 5A Interacting
Exercise 2, page 25
The listener
His presence can only be inferred from clues in the text. Underline them.
Will you sit and look at her
Strangers like you
I have drawn for you
Not the first are you
Will't please you rise
The Count your master
Notice...
Sir
The Present Situation
Is the situation or the event the speaker hints at of a crucial importance for his life? Yes, it is. As a matter of fact the Duke remember his wife as his last (and not latest) duchess, even if he is going to get married soon.
The subject-matter.
1.The monologue refers to a past and present situation. Is there any relationship between the two? Yes, there is. As a matter of fact in the present situation he his going to meet the Count whose daughter the Duke is going to marry. The past event is the killing of his past wife. They are of course related because he is going to get married again since his wife has died.
2. The monologue reveals the temperament and character of the speaker. How would you characterise the Duke?
●PROUD: he says that he chooses "never to stoop"
●JEALOUS and POSSESSIVE: he killed his wife because of her glances and the smiles to other men
●CLASS-CONSCIOUS: he says that he gives his wife his gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name.
3. Is there any discrepancy between how the Duke sees himself and how you see him? I think so, because he often justifies his behaviour: he seems quite sure to be right and not excessively jealous, possessive etc...
The language.
The monologue displays various characteristics of the spoken languages. Find one example in the poem for each characteristics:
●References to the place in which bot the speaker and the listener are: Ferrara
●Reference to the situation in which the speaker and the listener find themselves: we'll go together down, sir.
●Direct address: will't please you rise?
●Contracted forms: will't; e'en
●Pauses, signalled by dashes: from line 29 to 40
●Fillers when searching for the right expression: I know not how
The tone.
How would you describe the tone of the monologue?
I think he is reflective because it s as if the Duke were reflecting on what happened just to find a justification and not to let another person know his story. It is, of course, also reminiscent because he remembers his wife, her behaviours and his reaction. At the same time, it is also harsh and hard because he uses a lot of negative words describing his wife.