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GCSE Poetry- My Last Duchess - Coggle Diagram
GCSE Poetry- My Last Duchess
Context
At the age of 25, the Duke married 14 year old Lucrezia di Cosimo de Medici
It is believed to be inspired by Alfonso II Deste, the fifthe Duke of Ferrara (1533- 1598)
Lucrezia died 3 years later at the age of 17, under suspicious circumstances
The Duke then remarried
The poem was published in 1842
Structure
Poem builds towards a kind of confession, but is never explicitly made
Duke gets caught up talking about the Duchess, rather than just the art
Duke dismisses the situation by moving on to discuss a different piece of art
Framed by the visit to the Duke's gallery
Explanation of each set of lines
47-56= The Duke and his visitor walk away from the painting and the Duke reveals that he is planning to marry again, to the daughter of a count
43-47= The Duke says that he put a stop to her flirting with other men- but he does not say how he did this
34-43= He says that it was not his place to judge her behaviour
21-34= Her says she smiled at everyone and did not treat the Duke any differently to other men
13-21= The Duke states that the flirtatious expression of the Duchess was seen by men other than him
5-13= He says that people always ask about the Duchess's expression of passion in the painting
1-5= The Duke shows a visitor the portrait of the Duchess. He appears very proud of it
Form
Dramatic monologue- reinforces the impression that the Duke is in conversation with the visitor
Iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets- show the Duke's desire for control
Enjambment- suggests he gets carried away with anger and passions. Creates the idea of an unstable character whose obsession with power is unsettling
Recap Points
Caesura used to symbolise the sudden end of her life
Corrupted nature of power (Ozymandias)
Interested in human psyche/mental health
Androcentric (centred around men)
Victorian poet
Male dominance/power and women are belittled and objectified
Key Quotes
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"That's my last Duchess painted on the wall"
"I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together"
"My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody's gift"
Quick Summary
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A Duke who needs control. We suspect that he killed his wife. Is getting remarried
Key Themes
Memory
Identity
Loss/absence
Power of man