Learning Paths » 5C Interacting
MDonat . My Last Duchess.
by - (2012-05-01)
Up to 5C. Victorian Poetry and The Dramatic Monologue
Robert Browning is one of the famous poets of the 19th century (Victorian period). He's particularly well-known for his early monologue, My Last Duchess.
My Last Duchess is a great example of dramatic dialogue, a poetic form used to narrate and dramatize Victorian concerns. The poem was published in 1842. The poem has drown the idea of such dramatic personae from history: Alfonso II d'Este. The speaking voice provided an example of aristocracy.
The poem is based on incidents in the life of Alfonso II, duke of Ferrara in Italy. The duke's first wife, Lucrezia, died in 1561 - after they'd been married for 3 years. The background of the poem is interesting, but the text can be difficult to understand. The use of dramatic monologue works to separate the speaker from the poet, which forces the reader to work hard to understand the words of the speaker and thus, hopefully, get a grasp on what the poet is saying.
The title conveys an idea of possessiveness (my). The adjective last conveys the idea that there are no more duchess. Duchess is a female reference of the social class of the aristocracy.
After the title there is the setting: Ferrara.
The speaking voice is a male speaking voice, the duke voice. Maybe the duchess is/was his wife.
The speaking voice is speaking an oral way of speaking, he uses everyday speech sentences.
The duchess was his wife. She is died.
The space is an indoor space: the art gallery on the first floor.
The silent listener is the messenger.
Storyline: there is a messenger who goes to duke's castle. The duke invites hime to see his picture gallery which is on the first floor of the house. The duke stops the messenger in front a wall, in the picture gallery, that is hidden by a curtain. The duke shows him the fresco that nobody have seen ever. The picture hidden is the portrait is of his last duchess. Portraits were the renaissance form of psychological frame.
The reader become curious of reason why nobody is allow to drown the curtain.
The first lines have the function to relieve the duchess. Deitics create space and time and seem to reveal the presence of the duchess.
The duke like the fresco and like Art, indeed he has a picture gallery
Frà Pandolf is a friar who painted the fresco. The fresco is very well done: he seems to express the character.
The duke speaks with a confidential tone: this is improper.
The duchess dare smile to everybody in the same way as she smile to the duke. She was not supposed to do that.
The cherries evoke the colour red that evokes prohibition.
We learn more about Duke than Duchess. The duke shows a possessive attitude to worse the woman.
Some parts of the text are juxtaposed without a logical connection. The reader is free to make his proper idea thanks to high connotative level of the text.
My Last Duchess is a great example of dramatic dialogue, a poetic form used to narrate and dramatize Victorian concerns. The poem was published in 1842. The poem has drown the idea of such dramatic personae from history: Alfonso II d'Este. The speaking voice provided an example of aristocracy.
The poem is based on incidents in the life of Alfonso II, duke of Ferrara in Italy. The duke's first wife, Lucrezia, died in 1561 - after they'd been married for 3 years. The background of the poem is interesting, but the text can be difficult to understand. The use of dramatic monologue works to separate the speaker from the poet, which forces the reader to work hard to understand the words of the speaker and thus, hopefully, get a grasp on what the poet is saying.
The title conveys an idea of possessiveness (my). The adjective last conveys the idea that there are no more duchess. Duchess is a female reference of the social class of the aristocracy.
After the title there is the setting: Ferrara.
The speaking voice is a male speaking voice, the duke voice. Maybe the duchess is/was his wife.
The speaking voice is speaking an oral way of speaking, he uses everyday speech sentences.
The duchess was his wife. She is died.
The space is an indoor space: the art gallery on the first floor.
The silent listener is the messenger.
Storyline: there is a messenger who goes to duke's castle. The duke invites hime to see his picture gallery which is on the first floor of the house. The duke stops the messenger in front a wall, in the picture gallery, that is hidden by a curtain. The duke shows him the fresco that nobody have seen ever. The picture hidden is the portrait is of his last duchess. Portraits were the renaissance form of psychological frame.
The reader become curious of reason why nobody is allow to drown the curtain.
The first lines have the function to relieve the duchess. Deitics create space and time and seem to reveal the presence of the duchess.
The duke like the fresco and like Art, indeed he has a picture gallery
Frà Pandolf is a friar who painted the fresco. The fresco is very well done: he seems to express the character.
The duke speaks with a confidential tone: this is improper.
The duchess dare smile to everybody in the same way as she smile to the duke. She was not supposed to do that.
The cherries evoke the colour red that evokes prohibition.
We learn more about Duke than Duchess. The duke shows a possessive attitude to worse the woman.
Some parts of the text are juxtaposed without a logical connection. The reader is free to make his proper idea thanks to high connotative level of the text.