Analysis of "My Last Duchess"
By Robert Browning
Answer the following questions. This blog is the equivalent of a classroom discussion, so you will need to respond to your peers' posts in order to learn from multiple perspectives and in order to represent a discussion. Please refer to the blog rubric on Blackboard in order to achieve the grade you desire.
1. In what ways do you see the poem as a dramatic monologue?
2. Provide an example of irony from the poem.
3. Fra Pandolf is mentioned in the beginning of the poem. Who is this? Why is Fra Pandolf included in the poem?
4. Some people describe the persona of the poem as a sociopath. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
5. What does the speaker mean when he says his last duchess had a heart "Too easily impressed?"
6. What theme do you take away from the poem? Provide evidence of this?
7. What type of diction is used in this poem? Provide an example of this?
Happy Posting!
Professor Stanley
Jessica Gallardo
ReplyDelete1.In what ways do you see the poem as a dramatic monologue?
This monologue is delivered by the Duke of Ferrara. During the scene, he shows the portrait of his late wife to a visitor. As he talks about the sweet, young Duchess, the audience learns that the Duke had her executed simply because she smiled at others. Talk about the jealous type!
2.Provide an example of irony from the poem.
The dominant irony in this famous poem is in the fact that the Duke is exceedingly proud of a portrait of his "last duchess" by a renowned (fictitious) artist named Fra Pandolf (a name he keeps repeating), and yet he had the beautiful young woman herself killed because he could not appreciate the real thing. I believe that all irony is connected with something that would be funny if it were not so painful and sad.
3. Fra Pandolf is mentioned in the beginning of the poem. Who is this?
Why is Fra Pandolf included in the poem?
In fact, this painter is not a historical figure, an imaginary Renaissance painter. The Duke purposefully mention the name Fra Prandolf because every one he shows the picture would ask him who painted the portrait. Actually Fra Pandolf was a monk. Duke can't tolerate an ordinary man drawing his wife, for a monk there is no chance for any flirtation.
3.Some people describe the persona of the poem as a sociopath. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
In "My Last Duchess," a husband murders his wife because she blushes and smiles at other people – even though theses blushes are out of her control and probably entirely innocent. This is pretty much the textbook definition of an abusive, controlling husband. The Duke doesn’t even want his wife to thank people for gifts, because it makes him jealous. But we think this goes beyond abuse into the realm of madness: after all, trying to control someone is abuse; thinking that because someone blushes she must be having an affair, and that the only remedy is murder is just insane.
4.What does the speaker mean when he says his last duchess had a heart "Too easily impressed?"
That only he is allowed to draw back, meaning that now she only smiles for him.
Too easily impressed she liked what ever, she was with him.
5.What theme do you take away from the poem? Provide evidence of this?
Where it says perhaps/ Fra Pandolf chanced to say” and ’twas not/ Her husband’s presence only, called that spot/ Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek”.
7. What type of diction is used in this poem? Provide an example of this?
The type of the lyric and the drama. For example Porphyria’s Lover” (1836) begins with the lover describing the arrival of Porphyria, then it quickly descends into a depiction of her murder at his hands.
Wow, I really liked your answer for the 3rd question. That actually makes a lot of sense. Did you look up who Fra Pandolf was? If not, How did you figure out he was a monk?
Delete- Elephantsicko
Make sure you cite your sources, I found some of your answers word by word online. Just for future reference, this is considered plagiarism.
Deletehttp://plays.about.com/od/monologues/a/mylastduchess.htm
http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/interpretation-fra-pandolf-by-design-45379
http://www.shmoop.com/my-last-duchess/madness-theme.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/browning/themes.html
1. In the way that it is not a happy tale. Events turn bad for the Duchess.
ReplyDelete2. The Duke loves the painting, rambles on about it, but he killed his Duchess, the woman the painting represents.
3. He is the painter, without him the painting does not exist.
4. Controlling husband? Sure. But sociopath, not enough info to make that determination.
5. She went on flights of fancy. short attention span. Was too interested in too many things, and not enough in him.
6. Love, jealousy, tragedy. He loved her. He was jealous. He killed her.
7. First person. Examples: "My last Duchess". "I said". "My favor at her breast".
Doug Trimmer
Doug i agree with you on question 7 Duke uses first person point of view and you have provided good evidence
Delete-Cristian Rayas
Madison tollett
ReplyDelete1) the duke talks about this painting of his ex and the entire passage is him talking and basically saying this is what I can do if you step out of line.
2) the duke is proud of himself for this painting and no one is challenging him
3) he is the one who who did the painting. The duke is giving credit.
4) I agree because he acts as if nothing is wrong with his choice to kill his late wife.
5) she allowed others to flatter her and returned their kindness
6) you will follow me I stand in front and you step out of line you disappear.
7) olden time in the way the duke says I gave commands then all smiles stopped instead of saying I killed someone he fancied up his words.
I agree with #7.
Delete-Haakam Sherwani
Roman Leal
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jessica Gallardo in how the Duke is delivering the monologue. Two add to her response, I believe there are two specific lines where one can view the poem as a dramatic monologue. The first line that stands out to me is 5, when the duke asks, “will’t please you sit and look at her?” This feels as if he is talking to the reader by the word “you”. Another line in the poem is line 51. Again he asks a question referring to “you”.
The irony in this play is obvious. Both Doug and Jessica would agree that the irony is the fact that he himself had his wife murdered. A wife in today’s terms is a person a man marries because he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. The fact that this duke had his wife murdered is ironic.
Where does Jessica get this knowledge from? It is impressive! Reading her response makes me view Fra Pandolf a bit differently now, but my first thought was that Pandolf is an artist or a painter that I have not yet heard of. The reason he is included is because the duke wants to impress his guests with luxurious art that is provided by the very best, and the reason why Pandolf is not recognized is because only the very best would know of him.
Some people describe the persona of the poem as a sociopath and I, along with Madison, agree with them to a certain extent. In today’s era, this is definitely sociopath material because the president himself can’t just kill his wife because she smiles and expect everyone to be ok with that. In the time and day, however, it may have been normal for a duke to kill whoever he wanted whenever he wanted.
What the speaker means about the duchess having a heart that was “too easily impressed” is that she was easily pleased by anyone or anything.
The theme that that I take away from this poem is that a wife should have eyes for, and only for, their husband, or else. Like Jessica mentioned, the evidence is when the Duke says, “sir, ‘twas not/ her husband’s presence only, called that spot/ of joy into the Duchess’ cheek;” Also, there is evidence that he killed her when he says that he “gave the commands; then all smiles stopped together.”
The type of diction for this poem is a formal type. The speaker, like Madison said, “gave commands; then all smiles stops.” This is a fancy way to say that he ordered her executed. Another example is when the Duke refers to his duchess painted on the wall as a wonder piece. He could be talking more about the actual person as a wonder and not necessarily the picture or portrait.
1. My Last Duchess can be seen as a dramtic monologue because it is a poem in which the narrator is addresses a listener in a rhetorical manner. This offers the reader an understanding of the narrator's character.
ReplyDelete2. I thought it was fairly ironic how he had her killed for being kind and "smiling" at everyone, but in the poem he mentions, "’twas not / Her husband’s presence only, called that spot
/ Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek" - which would mean she'd be smiling in the portrait. This would mean that everyone he shows the portrait to would be "smiled" at by his last duchess now.
3. I figured Fra Pandolf was a prestigious artist who was well known in the Duke's time. The fact that he keeps mentioning her makes it seem like he's bragging that he possesses one of her great works and not of the beauty of his late wife.
4. I would agree with the statement that he's a sociopath. It's not usual for someone to have someone killed (first off) and then show off a painting of that person with little or no emotion towards the act.
5. The narrator means that she found joy fairly easily and was smiling often. It could also mean that she was very kind.
6. The theme I found in this poem is that "Money can't buy you everything." I concluded this because the Duke is wealthy and has all these exquisite art pieces in his home and even had the honor of having the great Fra Pandolf paint his wife, but alas, he was unhappy with her and killed her. Now, he admires her painting (probably several times a day) because he misses her and couldn't have her the way he wanted.
7. In the poem, the narrator uses a sort of cocky, prudish diction. He emphasizes that he is wealthy and his tone just makes him seem generally snobby. He mentions "as if she ranked / My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name / With anybody’s gift" which shows that he really is a snob. He makes it seem as if she was insane to compare him to these lesser humans.
- Elephantsicko
I agree with the theme you described.The Duke did show some signs of emptiness when he talked about his dead wife. Thus, giving us an idea of the void in his life regardless of his social standing or well being.
DeleteViridiana S.
Cristian Rayas
ReplyDelete1) Dramatic Monologue is shown when the Duke talks about her duchess in a portrait. He mentions positive things about her until he suddenly gets agitated and says that she flirted with everyone.
2) The irony is that this poem is not about the duchess. It is about the Duke and his controlling and arrogant nature.
3)The portrait the duke is showing is Pandolf's painting. Pandolf is a fictional painter. Pandolf is mentioned in the poem in order for the audience to realize his status and what great work he has done.
4) I agree because there's a point where the Duke smiles after he explain his Duchess death.
5) Duke means that she was kind to everyone equally, even to her own husband. He gets upset because he tells his audience that she was a huge flirt.
6) Jealousy, the Duke would go on and on talking about how she thanked men for everything.
7) 1st person is used through this poem an example of diction in this situation is "The curtain i have drawn for you"
-Cristian Rayas
I like the example you used in question 7.
Delete-Austin Duenes
1) 1) While he was showing off his painting on the wall, he speaks to the crowd and on some occasion he does not speak to the crowd he is speaking solely to the audience.
ReplyDelete2) 2) Because his last ditches is not there and there has to be a painting representation of her, we as the question where is your dutches? He also says “Half-flush that dies along her throat.” Such stuff Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough For calling up that spot of joy “meaning he had fun killing her,so he brags about how beautiful she is in the painting and then kills her.
3) 3) Because Fra Pandolf is probably a very renowned painter, and because he is showboating his wife on the wall it’s a sign of symbol status.
4) 4) I very much agree with this, because who paints there last dutches on a wall, and the way he is describing her is very possessive, only he can show you the painting because it is behind a curtain.
5) 5) His last dutches most likely cheated on him and he then killed her, and preserved her beauty in this painting of her on the wall.
6) 6) that there are consequences to the things you do, and that even death can be beautiful.
7) 7) The language that he uses is somewhat old fashion and even the words are of higher class. Ex.” Half-flush that dies along her throat.” Such stuff Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough For calling up that spot of joy”the language is very different and distict.
-Benjamin Rosales
1. this poem is a dramatic monologue in the way that the dutch in the poem that kills his duchess.
ReplyDelete2. it is ironic that the dutch keeps a painting of the duchess on the wall behind a curtain that he can open and close as pleased.
3. Fra Pandolf is an artist. because he is a rich man sharing his knowledge on art
4. i disagree. at the time when kings or dutch were not happy with their wives they simply killed them. But now a days that's not right.
5. She was easily pleased by anyone or easy to make happy and smiled a lot at people.
6. Jealousy is one of the themes in this poem. He mentions she is easily happy and blushes to others and he does not like that,
7. is it old British or English because they use all the different words.
Gabriel, I can see where you're coming from on the 4th question, but I did see some sociopathic qualities from the Duke. He sounded very cold and unaffected by his wife's death. It even sounded like he was content with his decision to kill her without any remorse or guilt. It is as if his conscience was idle.
DeleteViridiana S.
1. In what ways do you see the poem as a dramatic monologue?
ReplyDeleteThe way the in which the narrator/character speaks about his wife directly makes this poem as part of a dramatic monologue.
2. Provide an example of irony from the poem.
One of the ironies presented in this poem is that the duke is admiring a painting of his dead wife. The bigger part of the irony is that he was who caused her death.
3. Fra Pandolf is mentioned in the beginning of the poem. Who is this? Why is Fra Pandolf included in the poem?
Fra Pandolf is the person who painted the portrait of the duchess. Although he is fictional, I suppose he was including in the poem to add more context for the history of the painting itself. It also gives us some clues to the social standing of the people involved. These are clearly people of high class who have money and can afford luxuries such as having their own paintings.
4.Some people describe the persona of the poem as a sociopath. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
I agree with this statement to some extent because there are no expressions of any remorse throughout the poem. There is constant justification of why the duke killed his wife and he almost sets the record straight of why she deserved to be dead. In this poem we see the duke’s alienation and authoritative figure. He speaks as if he had a right over his wife. There is no sense of guilt, grief, or even traces of love.
5. What does the speaker mean when he says his last duchess had a heart "Too easily impressed?"
It sounds like the duke is describing the duchess to be very ordinary and as if everything made her feel happy. Everything was congruent to her and anything little thing would catch her attention. On that same plane, we see his annoyance in this assertion. It is as if he is questioning why she was so eager all the time. He didn’t want to be treated like everyone else in her life, he wanted her to place a extra special place for him in her life. He didn’t want her to look down on him like everyone else.
6. What theme do you take away from the poem? Provide evidence of this?
The theme of this poem is about the division of male vs. female. Between both genders there is a separation of duties that are set by norms in our society. In this poem we read about the duke’s thoughts about his wife as he admires her painting. It’s all subtle until he justifies why he killed her. His expectations of the duchess weren’t met and so in his eyes, she didn’t deserve to live. In this poem, we can also see the inferiority of the female gender at this time. I also feel that there is another theme in the poem about pride. The duke comes off as being very egotistical and relentless to those around him, even his wife. His title has a duke has gotten to his head. Thus, power isn’t always good. It can bring out the worst in people.
7. What type of diction is used in this poem? Provide an example of this?
The type of diction implemented in this poem is very conversational. It is as we are reading all the thoughts that are racing through the duke’s head. We see more of this conversation aspect when he asks some rhetorical questions like “A heart—how shall I say?” , “This sort of trifling?”, “Much the same smile?”, all which allow him to keep adding more details to his speech.
Viridiana S.
I agree with what you said about the speaker not showing remorse throughout the poem, that did show signs of him being a sociopath.
DeleteLiz Fusciardi - Everyone has some good points and ideas, Doug your answers were straight to the point. Loved it! I think we all agree that the Duke was a jealous asshole...I feel bad for his next Duchess.
ReplyDeleteI see this as a dramatic monologue in the way that the Duke is talking, it doesn't seem like he is talking to anyone specific, more like he is talking to the reader or audience. The irony I caught was about how he described the Duchess, obviously he killed her yet he makes it a point a talk about how life-like and alive she appears in the painting. Fra Pandolf was the painter of the portrait, he is mentioned to make note of the Duke's status in class. As far as the Duke, no I don't think he is a sociopath. I think that in the age that this was written he is just like any man. He wants his wife to act a certain way and if she doesn't then he gets rid of her and moves on to the next. That sort of behavior was "ok" back then because your wife was your property. The remark that was made about her heart meant that she cared for and was nice to everyone, not just him. The theme that I inferred from this poem was that power and love don't mix. The Duke was obviously a very powerful man and he didn't like that he did not have complete control over his wife and her feelings, because of this struggle she had to die. If she wouldn't stop being friendly to others and focus more on him and his needs then she could not do that for anyone. This seems to be his trend given the title of the poem “My Last Duchess”. This poem has informal diction, with the use of the word you instead of ye and “Will ‘t please you sit and look at her?" it gives the illusion that he knows the person he is speaking to.
1. I saw the poem as a dramatic monologue because the Dutch seemed to be explaining the Duchess’s personality without her actually being thee. The reader got to know the personality of the Duchess.
ReplyDelete2. It is ironic how the Duchess gets killed for being nice when it was just how she expressed herself.
3. He is the artist of the painting of the Duchess.
4. I do agree that the persona of the poem is sociopathic because the Dutch killed his wife because he was jealous of her smiling, and being kind to everyone when in fact that is just her personality. He overreacted, and took actions in his own hand.
5. The speaker meant that the duchess was amused very easily and showed her appreciation to everyone. He wanted that appreciation only shown to himself.
6. The theme is to not let jealousy ruin your relationship, because he ends up killing his wife because of jealousy. The Dutch states, “Much the same smile?” meaning that she smiled the same to everybody, and that drove him crazy.
7. The speaker used irritable diction such as “Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without / Much the same smile?” He is saying here that she smiles at everyone the same way, and he seems irritated that she does. Throughout the whole play he describes how he did not like the way his wife was with everyone else vs himself.
-Salam Zaidan
Tommy
ReplyDeleteI agree with Benjamin on the matter of dramatic monolog. It appears the narrator goes back and forth talking to the audience then to the visitor. It seems that the majority of his description of the duchess’s actions were directed toward the reader not the visitor. Other hints at this are when he says, “since none puts by The curtain I have drawn for you, but I,” in parenthesis.
I agree with Elephantsicko, that the irony in the poem is found in the duchess’ permanent smiling, to everyone, in the painting; which is the same reason why he had her killed.
I too agree with Roman’s answer about Fra Pandolf. He is the artist that captures the narrators’ late wife’s expression and is who the narrator proudly acknowledges for the piece. The narrator is proud of his art collection and has found an artist that he believes is unordinary.
Most of the class agreed that there were sociopath tendencies found in the narrator of this poem. I too agree that there are. According to dictionary.com a sociopath is, “a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.” I believe that the narrator has nearly all of these characteristics. You get the sense that he is locked up in a big house, obsessed with art and control. He has his wife killed and is satisfied with her current state of being. He looks on her in a painting and is happy to be in control of her “rebellious attitude”, completely detached from any moral consciousness.
The narrator believed that she should not be impressed with anything less than himself. He thinks that he is far more important than all the others she becomes flattered by.
Similarly to the others in the class, I think that the theme of the poem is, jealousy kills. However, it could also be, the pursuit of perfection. The narrator, as convicted by the class, is a sociopath. Because of his condition he wants to control everything, so that everything is perfect. This is most obvious in the line, “I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together.”
I agree with Doug, Cristian and Liz that the diction is 1st person. The poem is told from the Duke’s point of view. There are several “I”s and “My”s in the poem. There are no indications of other’s thoughts besides his own.
1. He is showing his visitor this painting of his old duchess and at the same time warning him of the type of person he is, he is very possessive and controlling.
ReplyDelete2. The irony in this poem is that the author is persuading the duchess, but at the same time he is also unfolding his possessive character.
3. Fra Pandolf is who he describes as the painter of the duchess.
4. Yes I agree first because he was very self-centered and controlling, wanted to have his duchess full attention. He also tries controlling the representative of the count, who he is speaking to.
5. He is jealous that she acts equally with him and everyone else, he feels as if she should have high expectations not just anybody should catch her attention only him.
6. When I first read the poem I thought the theme was a persuading of a painting of a duchess that is described as but as “easily Impressed”. I kept reading analyzing it, I realized this poem is not only about her but about him mostly. In the poem there is a lot of sort of, hidden points he makes about himself.
7. He uses Dramatic monologue throughout the whole poem, one example would be towards the end he is telling the count representative basically saying to be sure there is enough money for the dowry.
Julie Rosales
1. In what ways do you see the poem as a dramatic monologue? I see it has a dramatic monologue in the way that the Duke was not happy that his Duchess was nice to everyone and would blush easily, so he order for her to be killed.
ReplyDelete2. Provide an example of irony from the poem.
3. Fra Pandolf is mentioned in the beginning of the poem. Who is this? Why is Fra Pandolf included in the poem? Fra Pandolf was the painter that painted the Duchess. He is mentioned in the poem because the Duke is showing off the painting and the people wanted to know who the painter was.
4. Some people describe the persona of the poem as a sociopath. Do you agree or disagree? Why? I don’t think he was a sociopath. This kind of behavior was normal during that time.
5. What does the speaker mean when he says his last duchess had a heart "Too easily impressed?" He means that she was nice to everyone, including the servants. She would blush making him think that she was flirting with everyone, something he did not like.
6. What theme do you take away from the poem? Provide evidence of this? Man seeing woman has objects, and they are tired of them moving on to the next thing. He talks about how pretty she was, but he did not like how she would thank and smile to man. Since he did have control over her emotions, he simply order for the Duchess to be killed.
7. What type of diction is used in this poem? Provide an example of this? It’s in first-person and second-person, he uses “I” and “you”.
1) The Duke of Ferrara is giving a dramatic monologue throughout the poem. He is speaking and rambling on about his deceased wife, who he had supposedly murdered. In my opinion, I think he is delivering the speech entirely to himself, he's saying it in his head.
ReplyDelete2. An example of Irony in this poem would be when the narrator states that the girl in the picture is, "looking as if she were alive"(Browning, 3). He states that she looks alive, when in actually, she is dead.
3. Fra Pandolf is supposedly the artist that made the painting of the girl. He is mentioned to provide emphasis on the painting and to help the narrator describe the painting.
4. I agree with that statement. I thought that he was speaking to himself in the poem, and revisiting the thoughts before he committed the murder. He also has A PICTURE OF THE GIRL HE JUST KILLED IN HIS HOUSE. He also has this picture behind curtains. If that isn't sociopathic, I don't know what is.
5. By that he meant that, in his mind, she was too flirty. She would entertain any conversation from any guy that would walk up to her, which was against the morals of the time. This is probably why he killed her.
6. These girls aren't loyal. Her disloyalty got her killed. She was,"Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er."
7. The narrator uses 1800s english diction. He used phrases such as,"Sir, ‘t was not
Her husband’s presence only, called that spot
Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek". This was obviously not of today's diction.
- Haakam Sherwani
1. Dramatic monologue is shown when the Duke talks about how much he admires the painting of his Duchess but then he gets so mad because she flirted with everyone.
ReplyDelete2. An example of irony is how Duke is extremely proud of his "Last Duchess" painting (not to mention he had a young beautiful wife) yet she managed to kill herself and all because the Duke didn't know how to appreciate her.
3. Fra Pandolf is the artist of the painting. Fra Pandolf is included in the story because the painting is "by design" so when he's showing off his painting he say's "Fra Pandolf".
4. I personally don't believe he was a sociopath. It's just that when someone is deeply in love all they have is time to think is about that one special person, and when someone comes and bursts your "love bubble" then it becomes jealousy.
5. The way she was with others was way different than towards her husband. She loved all the fancy, expensive clothes, traveling etc.. But just didn't have it all for the Duke.
6. Jealousy is one of the themes, She easily flirts with others and he doesn't like it.
7. It's first person, he keeps saying "I", & "My".
-Karla Menchaca
Austin Duenes
ReplyDelete1. The dramatic monologue in this poem is when the duke is talking about his and how he doesn't like the fact that she is impressed by just anyone and how she acts the same towards everyone. This shows the thoughts and feelings of him making it a dramatic monologue.
2. The irony in this poem is that the duke took his duchess life because he couldn't keep her attention or that she wouldn't treat him in any different way then anyone else. But he talks about he like she is some kind of trophy even though he took her life. He couldn't handle her in real life so he must appreciate the portrait only.
3. This name is mention throughout the story because he is the painter of the portrait that the duke cares about so much. The portrait seems to be the best thing to the duke because he has a curtain in front of it. So if he cares about this painting so much and how it looks so good, it is only because the painter was able to capture the beauty of the duchess.
4. the duke is for sure crazy and it is shown throughout the poem. He killed someone that didn't show him anymore attention then anyone else. This drove him mad and he killed her. Only to then worship a painting of her that only he looks at most of the time.
5. Because she is someone that showed kindness to everyone and anyone that could catch her attention would get that kindness. the duke did not like that about her which drove him to kill her.
6. There is several themes in this poem; love, greed, happiness, selfishness. they all are the foundation of this poem. He loves her because he killed her, he killed her because he is selfish and the painting makes him happy.
7. This story is in first person because he is using "i" and "my" for example "The curtain i have drawn for you" which is a good example that Christain used.
1. The dramatic monologue use is that he talks about he is talking about his own paintings talks about his ex-wife and what she use to do like “flirt” with others.
ReplyDelete2. The irony is that the dukes says he has not killed her but in reality he did and still manages to have a portrait of her like nothing ever happen
3 Fra Pandolf that is mention in the beginning of the poem is the painter who painted the portrait of the duchess. Fra Pandolf is in included because if he was not mention we would be able to know who the person who painted the portrait was.
4 I could agree with mostly everybody about him being sociopath because the way he expresses himself it’s almost as if he was cold blooded he has no guilt about anything he had done
5 “too easily impressed” mean the duchess was happy it didn’t take much to make her happy. She was a satisfying, pleasant person.
6 The theme I take from this poem is that some actions that men do is not the same thing when a women do they are seeing different from society. Evidence is when he talks about her smiling at everybody.
7 the diction he is using is in first person I call the piece I wonder"," that Is my last duchess painted"
-Sarai Garcia
1. In what ways do you see the poem as a dramatic monologue?
ReplyDeleteThis is type of dramatic monologue, the narrator talks about his painting of the duchess, and he cannot forgot her even thought she upset him
2. Provide an example of irony from the poem.
I think this one example of irony is when he killed his wife, and then paint her on the wall, means he still love her.
3. Fra Pandolf is mentioned in the beginning of the poem. Who is this? Why is Fra Pandolf included in the poem?
He is describing his wife (the duchess), beside everyone can describe and express himself in his own way and the narrator choose the painting to express himself
4. Some people describe the persona of the poem as a sociopath. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
No, I do not agree, because as simple as that, if you have least knowledge on poem, you will like reading it, but when you cannot write or understand a poem, will call the poem-er crazy or other thing.
5. What does the speaker mean when he says his last duchess had a heart “Too easily impressed?"
The way I see it, he is giving the right description for any female not only his wife, because that is the female nature they like exploring and anything new, sometimes curious nothing else.
6. What theme do you take away from the poem? Provide evidence of this?
The regret appear on him, especially when the author said:
I repeat,
The Count your master’s known munificence / Is ample warrant that no just pretense
Of mine for dowry will be disallowed; / Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed
At starting, is my object. Nay, we’ll go / Together down
7. What type of diction is used in this poem? Provide an example of this?
It’s a dramatic monologue type, because he is talking to us directly as a reader.
Khaldun
1. The poem is a dramatic monologue because the main character reveals that he had his last wife murdered because she didn’t act like he wanted her. He reveals that he is a person of poor character.
ReplyDelete2. The main character had his former wife killed, yet he goes on and on about her as if she was taken away from him by some other force.
3. Fra Pandolf is the person who painted the duchess on the wall. He must be someone who is very good at his job, because the main character seems proud that his duchess was painted by Fra Pandolf.
4. I would have to agree that the main character of the poem is a sociopath. He seems to be totally fine with the fact that he had his former lover, who he acts like meant a lot to him, killed. He’s moving on to another woman, and doesn’t seem genuinely sad.
5. He is referring to the fact that his former lover was too easily impressed with other guys who sought her attention. He thought she was flirtatious, and disrespectful to him.
6. The theme of the story is power. The main character seeks to control his personal relationships just as he controls his land and people.
7. Neutral or middle diction is used in this poem. Even though some of the language is dated, it is fairly straight forward. An example of this is, “I call That piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf’s hands Worked busily a day, and there she stands. Will’t please you sit and look at her?” (Browning)
Marc Moody