Poem Comparison Between London and My Last Duchess
London
William blake
1757-1827
He was an artist and poet in Victorian/Georgian England
Points
London: 'the youthful harlot's curse'
Harlot means prostitiute
Context: orphan girls were sometimes forced into prostitution to earn money to survive
Links to my last duchess: the duchess was forced into an unpleasant marriage
London: repetition of 'every'
My last duchess: 'she looked on, and her looks went everywhere'
Personification
Ownership
London
poem starts with criticism of laws relating to ownership
duke criticises duchess for supposed sin
'The depth and passion of its earnest glance'
powerful emotive language highlights how strongly he believes no one but a husband should see such feeling in her eyes
jealousy is a key emotion here
No women's rights
When London was set poverty and child labour were common. Women had no rights
compare with Duke's actions toward the Duchess
'that's my last duchess painted on the wall'
'my'
personal pronoun
he "owns" her
property
previous wife
she has no rights
'That piece a wonder,now'
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his
referring to her as an object
'now'
implies he was less satisfied when she was alive
Death
Line 2 of My Last duchess: 'Looking as if she were alive.'
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irony
In London the poem starts with criticism of laws relating to ownership.
'chartered Thames'
bitter reference to the way in which every aspect of life in London is owned
ownership
my last duchess
rivers are often a symbol of life and freedom
Duke arranged for the Duchess to be killed
The poem 'London' featured in Blake's collection called Songs of Innocence and of experience'
Innocence
The duchess is innocent being happy about everything and not expecting to be killed
experience
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Duke is wanting a wife and he is showing to the messenger of his potential father in law he is ...
experienced in having a wife
'experienced' ina bad way
he specialised
he rejected established religion for various reasons
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