Section B · Anthology PoetryRobert Browning · Pre-1900 (1842)
My Last Duchess
Robert Browning · Section B anthology poem · 30-mark comparison question · Poems are provided in the exam.
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Mrs Rumsey · Edexcel IGCSE AnthologyAnalysis of My Last Duchess
Key analysis
⚡ 30-mark poetry question structure: AO2 (analyse language, form, structure — how the writer creates meaning) + AO3 (compare two poems — link them throughout, not one then the other). Both poems are given to you in the exam. Quote precisely and analyse the effect of specific words.
Themes
Power and control
Jealousy and possessiveness
Gender and objectification of women in Victorian society
The male gaze
Marriage as ownership
Form & Structure
Dramatic monologue — a speaker who reveals more than they intend
Iambic pentameter with rhyming couplets — controlled, aristocratic, mirroring the Duke's controlled manner
Enjambment — the Duke's thoughts overflow, suggesting his suppressed feelings
The "painting" as symbol — he has literally frozen his wife in a moment he can control
The word "all" is repeated — the Duke's obsession with totality of control
Key quotes to memorise
"That's my last Duchess painted on the wall" — possessive "my", past tense implies she is dead
"She had / A heart — how shall I say? — too soon made glad" — the pause reveals his contempt
"I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together." — chilling euphemism for murder
"Notice Neptune, taming a sea-horse" — the final sculpture symbolises control of nature, mirrors his control of her
"Since none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you, but I" — he controls who sees her even in death
Exam questions — 2 questions · 17 marks
1 markDramatic monologue
Why is the dramatic monologue form particularly effective for this poem?
A It allows Browning to directly address Victorian readers about marriage
B It allows the Duke to reveal his crimes unknowingly — the reader sees more than he intends, creating dramatic irony and horror
C It creates sympathy for the Duke by allowing him to explain himself
D Browning uses it to tell the story of the Duchess herself
Write two comparative paragraphs exploring how My Last Duchess and War Photographer both present men who exercise a form of control over how women or suffering is represented.
Hint: Link the two poems throughout. Note what they share AND where they differ. Cover: what control means in each poem + how the poets use form/imagery to explore it + effect on the reader.