My Last Duchess DQ
My Last Duchess – A Dramatic Monologue of the soul
Subtitle – Ferrara
Source – Bells and Pomegranates No. III : Dramatic Lyrics [1842]
Robert Browning [1812-1889]
DQ – 6 Marks
13 Important Questions
Unit – I
1. “Then all smiles stopped together” Why did the smiles stop together? Comment on the speaker’s traits in view of the above speech. [3+3]
👉In Browning’s dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ the Duke had a great sense of dignity. He was very much conscious of his aristocracy and sense of conduct. He did not like his wife’s habit of smiling and showing appreciation to all. The extremely gay and expansive nature of the Duchess irritated the Duke who nursed a grudge against her for not giving him any special favour. According to the Duke, his last Duchess became disloyal and regardless of his status and self-dignity. Her audacity grew day by day and simultaneously his anger grew in the same ratio. The Duke thought that his wife was overstepping the bounds of modesty and decorum. So, one day out of maddening anger, he gave such commands to kill his Duchess, and as a result of which all her smiles stopped forever.
In view of the above speech the Duke’s possessive and controlling nature is fully revealed. The Duke’s actions show that he was jealous of his wife’s attention and wanted to be the only one she smiled at. The above mentioned statement is also a sure proof of the Duke’s demonic character who is no better than a cool and calculative murderer.
Related Questions
[I] “I gave commands /Then all smiles stopped together.” What made the speaker to give such commands?
[II] “I gave commands /Then all smiles stopped together.” Analyze the character traits of the person as portrayed in the line.
[III] “I gave commands /Then all smiles stopped together.” What does the speaker mean to say here? What traits of the speaker’s character is revealed here? [3+3]
[IV] “This grew; I gave commands; /Then all smiles stopped together.” What ‘commands’ did the speaker give? What aspects of the speaker’s character is revealed? [3+3]
[V] “Then all smiles stopped together” When and why did the smile stop together? Bring out the attitude of the speaker through his command. [3+3]
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2. Why was the Duke dissatisfied with his last Duchess? What was the final outcome of his dislike? [3+3]
👉In Browning’s dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ the Duke had a great sense of dignity. He was very much conscious of his aristocracy and sense of conduct. He did not like his wife’s habit of smiling and showing appreciation to all. The extremely gay and expansive nature of the Duchess irritated the Duke most. Besides the Duchess did not give him any special favour. So, the Duke was dissatisfied with his last Duchess.
According to the Duke, his last Duchess became disloyal and regardless of his status and self-dignity. Her audacity grew day by day and simultaneously his anger grew in the same ratio. The Duke thought that his wife was overstepping the bounds of modesty and decorum. So, one day out of maddening anger, he gave such commands to kill his Duchess, and as a result of which all her smiles stopped forever.
Related Questions
[I] Why does the Duke appear to be unhappy with his last Duchess?
[II] What nature of the last Duchess incurred the anger of the Duke? How did the Duke take action against it? [3+3]
[III] What traits of the Duchess’s character irritated the Duke most? What do you know about the Duke from his conversation?
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️3. What are the character traits of the Duke as revealed in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’?
👉Browning in the limited scope of his dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ skillfully sketches the character of the Duke by using irony subtlety which helps the reader to discern the character of the Duke. Browning in his dramatic monologue presents the Duke in a very poor light indeed. He is egotistical and extremely selfish and possessive by temperament. Being narrow minded or snob himself, he strongly disapproves of his last Duchess’s gay, expansive and innocent nature. The entire monologue reveals his power which is ominous and fearful, especially when he orders his wife to be killed. Thus the Duke is portrayed as a dangerous and power-crazy man who appears cruel and fearful to his readers. He is a lover of art and artefacts also as well as a typical noble man of the Italian Renaissance.
Related Questions
[I] Analyze the character of the Duke in ‘My Last Duchess’.
[II] Show how the Duke of Ferrara unwittingly reveals himself in ‘My Last Duchess’.
[III] Discuss the character of the Duke in ‘My Last Duchess’.
[IV] How does Browning reveal the Duke’s character through his monologue?
[V] Draw a picture of the Duke’s character based on the poem ‘My Last Duchess’.
[VI] How does Robert Browning reveal the mind of Duke in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’?
[VII] Describe the character of the Duke of Ferrara as revealed in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’.
[VIII] Paint a picture of the Duke’s character based on the poem ‘My Last Duchess’.
[IX] Describe after the poet the character of the Duke of ‘My Last Duchess’.
[X] Draw a character sketch of the Duke as presented by Browning.
[XI] What impression do you get of the character of the Duke in Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’?
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4. What are the character traits of the Duchess and Duke in ‘My Last Duchess’ and their relationship?
👉Browning in his dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ presents the Duke in a very poor light indeed. He is egotistical and extremely selfish and possessive by temperament. Being narrow minded or snob himself, he strongly disapproves of his last Duchess’ gay, expansive and innocent nature. He is a lover of art and artefacts as well as a typical noble man of the Italian Renaissance.
On the other hand, according to Browning, the Duchess was, no doubt, a lady of beauty and grace. She was good natured, simple and frank. She had no aristocratic ego of her husband. Indeed, she was not what her husband is and so she became a helpless victim of her cruel husband.
Related Questions
[I] Discuss in brief the relationship between the Duchess and Duke in ‘My Last Duchess’.
[II] What are the contrasting character traits of the Duchess and the Duke in ‘My Last Duchess’?
[III] Compare and contrast the traits of the characters of the Duke and the Duchess.
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5. Which two artifacts are mentioned in the dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ and who are the creators of these artifacts? What purpose do these two artifacts serve in the dramatic monologue? [3+3]
👉In Browning’s dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ two artifacts mentioned by the Duke of Ferrara are the life-like portrait of the last Duchess and the bronze statue of the sea-god Neptune taming the sea-horse.
The first one–the life-like portrait of the last Duchess is created by the celebrated fictitious Italian painter Fra Pandolf who worked busily a day to get it done. And the second one–the bronze statue of the sea-god Neptune taming the sea-horse is created by the famous sculptor Claus of Innsbruck.
In his dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ Browning through these above mentioned artifacts actually wants to show the Duke’s vanity as a lover of art and artefacts that famous artists like Fra Pandolf and Claus of Innsbruck have made his favourite artifacts in his palace.
The Duke’s mentioning of these artists is significant because it highlights his obsession with status and wealth, as he aways brags about empowering famous artists like Fra Pandolf and Claus of Innsbruck to make his master pieces– the life-like portrait of the last Duchess and the bronze statue of the sea-god Neptune taming the sea-horse just to use the name of renowned painters to showcase his own influence and power.
Unit – II
️6. Analyze ‘My Last Duchess’ as a dramatic monologue.
👉The dramatic monologue is a poem in which a single character addresses to someone who keeps silent all the time. It is essentially a study of character of mental states, of mental crises made from the insight. It is predominantly psychological, analytical, meditative and argumentative.
The analysis of Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ reveals the fact that the Duke of Ferrara is the single character and his speech exposes his own character and own situation. The envoy of the count to whom it is addressed keeps silent all the time. At a specific situation and critical moment of his life the Duke speaks the entire story in such a manner that his possessive character has been fully unravelled or explored. The poem is a superb study in self-exploration or introspection. So, the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ is a successful dramatic monologue.
Related Questions
[I] Consider Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ as a dramatic monologue.
[II] Briefly discuss ‘My Last Duchess’ as a dramatic monologue.
[III] Evaluate ‘My Last Duchess’ as a dramatic monologue.
[IV] What is a dramatic monologue and in what sense ‘My Last Duchess’ be called a dramatic monologue?
[V] What is a ‘dramatic monologue’? Analyze ‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning as a dramatic monologue? [3+3]
[VI] Is ‘My Last Duchess’ a dramatic monologue? Give support of your answer?
[VII] Why do you think that the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ is a dramatic monologue?
[VIII] Evaluate the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ as a successful dramatic monologue.
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7. What does the bronze statue of ‘Neptune taming a sea-horse’ symbolize in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’?
👉At the end of his talk, the Duke draws the attention of the visitor to the bronze cast of Neptune, the sea-god taming a sea-horse. By referring it, the poet actually symbolizes the true character of the Duke who believes in taming wives. By showing the statue, the Duke indicates that the dowry from the count must be consummated to his high status that promoted a great sculptor to make a masterpiece of Neptune. This is supposed rather to be an indirect warning, communicate to the count’s daughter, through the envoy.
Related Question
Give the significance of the statute on which the Duke is directing the attention of the emissary? What character traits of the Duke does that artwork reveal? [3+3]
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️8. How does the Duke describe his last Duchess in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’?
👉According to the speaker of ‘My Last Duchess’, the Duke, his last Duchess was overly friendly and joyful in nature. She smiled too much while talking to people, and she was easily impressed. She ranked his prestigious valuable gift with anybody’s gift. According to the Duke, this kind of nature of the Duchess was disgraceful to him. So, the Duke was displeased and unhappy with his first wife and ordered her to be killed.
Though the Duke tried to disgrace his last Duchess through his monologue, his speech actually exposed how the Duchess was truly. The Duchess, no doubt, was a lady of beauty and grace. She was good natured, simple and frank. She had no aristocratic ego of her husband. Indeed, she was not what her husband is and so she became a helpless victim of her cruel husband.
Related Questions
[I] How was the Duke describe his last Duchess?
[II] How is the Duchess portrayed by the Duke in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’? What can be inferred about her personality and behavior based on the Duke’s description? [3+3]
[III] What impression does the Duke try to convey about the Duchess and what impression actually comes across?
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️9. What type of a lady was the Duchess? Why was she killed? [3+3]
👉In Browning’s dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ though the Duke tried to disgrace his last Duchess through his monologue, his speech actually exposed how the Duchess was truly. The Duchess, no doubt, was a lady of beauty and grace. She was good natured, simple and frank. She had no aristocratic ego of her husband. Indeed, she was not what her husband is.
The extremely gay and expansive nature of the Duchess irritated the Duke most who nursed a grudge against her for not giving him any special favour. According to the Duke, his last Duchess became disloyal and regardless of his status and self-dignity. Her audacity grew day by day and simultaneously his anger grew in the same ratio. He thought that his wife was overstepping the bounds of modesty and decorum, so, one day out of maddening anger, he ordered her to be killed.
Related Questions
[I] Why was the Duchess killed in ‘My Last Duchess’?
[II] Describe the picture of the Duchess in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’.
[III] What does the excerpt from ‘My Last Duchess’ suggest about the Duchess’s character?
[IV] Discuss the character of Duchess.
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️10. How does Browning use irony in ‘My Last Duchess’ to convey the Duke’s character?
👉Browning in his dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ uses irony to reveal the true character of the Duke who believes in taming wives. The Duke’s controlling or possessive, jealous, and arrogant nature is revealed subtly. When the Duke praises his last Duchess, he actually criticizes her for her natural warmth and openness, essentially exposes his own possessive character and jealousy towards his wife in which he is unable to tolerate his last Duchess’s extremely gay and expansive nature. The irony lies in the fact that though the Duke simply admires the portrait of his last Duchess, he actually presents his complaints against his Duchess. And thus Browning ironically presents the true character of the Duke who believes in taming wives as the Roman sea-god Neptune taming the sea-horse.
Related Questions
[I] How does Browning use irony in the poem?
[II] How is dramatic irony presented in ‘My Last Duchess’?
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Unit – III
️11. How does the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ explore the theme of power and control in relationships?
👉Browning in his dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ nicely presents the theme of power and control through the Duke’s toxic and possessive relationship with his last Duchess. The poem explores the Duke’s authoritarian nature and his desire to control and dominate those around him, particularly his late wife, the Duchess. Browning, through the Duke’s monologue, reveals the Duke’s toxic dynamic power to whom only a form of ownership and control. Further the Duke’s dominant nature is symbolized through the Duke’s treating the life-like portrait of the last Duchess as a possession which highlights his need to dominate and manipulate. The Duke is very much conscious of his high status in the societal hierarchy which grants him authority over others, including his wife. The Duke’s pride in his “nine-hundred-years-old name” further illustrates his obsession with power and status. The final lines of the poem, referencing the statue of Neptune taming a sea horse, serve as a metaphor for the Duke’s controlling nature. And thus Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ becomes a power syndrome, reflecting broader themes of power, possession, and control in human relationships.
Related Question
How is power syndrome conveyed in ‘My Last Duchess’?
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12. According to the Duke, what were the former Duchess’s faults? What does this tell us about the Duke and his personality? [3+3]
👉In Browning’s dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ according to the Duke, the former Duchess’s faults were– she was extremely gay and expansive in nature which irritated the Duke most. She was over friendly and joyful in nature. She smiled too much while talking to people, and she was easily impressed. She ranked his prestigious valuable gift with anybody’s gift. According to the Duke, this kind of nature of the Duchess was disgraceful to him. So, the Duke was displeased and unhappy with his first wife and ordered her to be killed.
In view of the above analysis the Duke’s possessive and controlling nature is fully revealed. It also shows that he was jealous of his wife’s attention and wanted to be the only one she smiled at. The above mentioned analysis of the Duke’s mentality towards his last Duchess is also a sure proof of the Duke’s demonic character who is no better than a cool and calculative murderer.
Related Question
What were the faults of the former Duchess, according to the Duke? What did the Duke want from his wife? [3+3]
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️13. How does Browning present jealousy in ‘My Last Duchess’? Elucidate with examples from the poem.
👉In Robert Browning’s poem ‘My Last Duchess’ the extreme jealousy of the Duke of Ferrara is presented through his actions and words towards his last Duchess whom he considered a mere possession. The jealousy of the Duke is so intense that it leads him to kill his wife. The Duke’s jealousy is mainly aroused by his wife’s over-friendly and joyful nature. He did not like his wife’s habit of smiling and showing appreciation to all. The extremely gay and expansive nature of the Duchess irritated the Duke who nursed a grudge against her for not giving him any special favour. According to the Duke, his last Duchess became disloyal and regardless of his status and self-dignity. Her audacity grew day by day and simultaneously his anger grew in the same ratio. The Duke thought that his wife was overstepping the bounds of modesty and decorum. So, one day out of maddening anger, he gave such commands to kill his Duchess, and as a result of which all her smiles stopped forever. Thus Robert Browning portrays the theme of jealousy in his dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ through the character of the Duke who had an uncontrollable emotion that drove him to commit murder his wife.
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WBCHSE Sample Questions
1. Analyse My Last Duchess as a dramatic monologue?… (6)
👉The dramatic monologue is a poem in which a single character addresses to someone who keeps silent all the time. It is essentially a study of character of mental states, of mental crises made from the insight. It is predominantly psychological, analytical, meditative and argumentative.
The analysis of Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ reveals the fact that the Duke of Ferrara is the single character and his speech exposes his own character and own situation. The envoy of the count to whom it is addressed keeps silent all the time. At a specific situation and critical moment of his life the Duke speaks the entire story in such a manner that his possessive character has been fully unravelled or explored. The poem is a superb study in self-exploration or introspection. So, the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ is a successful dramatic monologue.
2. How is power syndrome conveyed in My Last Duchess?… (6)
👉Browning in his dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ nicely presents the theme of power and control through the Duke’s toxic and possessive relationship with his last Duchess. The poem explores the Duke’s authoritarian nature and his desire to control and dominate those around him, particularly his late wife, the Duchess. Browning, through the Duke’s monologue, reveals the Duke’s toxic dynamic power to whom only a form of ownership and control. Further the Duke’s dominant nature is symbolized through the Duke’s treating the life-like portrait of the last Duchess as a possession which highlights his need to dominate and manipulate. The Duke is very much conscious of his high status in the societal hierarchy which grants him authority over others, including his wife. The Duke’s pride in his “nine-hundred-years-old name” further illustrates his obsession with power and status. The final lines of the poem, referencing the statue of Neptune taming a sea horse, serve as a metaphor for the Duke’s controlling nature. And thus Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ becomes a power syndrome, reflecting broader themes of power, possession, and control in human relationships.
——————
All-time Suggestive Questions
️1. Analyze ‘My Last Duchess’ as a dramatic monologue.
️2. What are the character traits of the Duke as revealed in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’?
️3. What type of a lady was the Duchess? Why was she killed? [3+3]
4. “Then all smiles stopped together” Why did the smiles stop together? Comment on the speaker’s traits in view of the above speech. [3+3]
️5. How does the Duke describe his last Duchess in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’?
️6. Why was the Duke dissatisfied with his last Duchess? What was the final outcome of his dislike? [3+3]
️7. What are the character traits of the Duchess and Duke in ‘My Last Duchess’ and their relationship?
️8. How does Browning use irony in ‘My Last Duchess’ to convey the Duke’s character?
️9. How does the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ explore the theme of power and control in relationships?
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