My last duchess
My Last Duchess
Question: Write about a poem set well in the past, but which remains relevant today. Explain why, despite the difference in time, the main concerns of the poem remains relevant to you.
A poem which is set well in the past but remains relevant in today’s society is ‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning. The poem remains relevant today as even nowadays there are people who possess similar characteristics as the Duke; the abusive use of power in some societies is still relevant in some communities. Despite the obvious change in time and society, there are still people who are egotistical and controlling; human nature remains unaltered even with time.
Before the poem even begins we are immediately struck by the ambiguity of the title itself. We are left to wonder how many duchesses has the duke had, who is his last duchess nor do we know if the "last" indicates the final duchess or just the previous one. The poem begins by the duke leading an emissary around his castle, acting as a tour. He begins by reminiscing about the painting of his last duchess and the reader comes to realize the Duke’s cold character as he describes the painting as "the depth and passion of its earnest glance". He refers to the girl as "its" instead of her, indicating she is of little worth to him. This dehumanizes her and further suggests the duke has developed a better relationship with the painting than the he had with the woman it represents. We also come to understand here that the duke is possessive and demands to be obeyed “since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I” he chooses who does or does not see the duchess- something he could not achieve when she was alive. This shows the overwhelming control that the duke has over the duchess even after death- he cuts even her portrait off from what she loved: life. The woman has clearly died time ago but the possessive duke still requires control over her, suggesting a threatening and controlling
Question: Write about a poem set well in the past, but which remains relevant today. Explain why, despite the difference in time, the main concerns of the poem remains relevant to you.
A poem which is set well in the past but remains relevant in today’s society is ‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning. The poem remains relevant today as even nowadays there are people who possess similar characteristics as the Duke; the abusive use of power in some societies is still relevant in some communities. Despite the obvious change in time and society, there are still people who are egotistical and controlling; human nature remains unaltered even with time.
Before the poem even begins we are immediately struck by the ambiguity of the title itself. We are left to wonder how many duchesses has the duke had, who is his last duchess nor do we know if the "last" indicates the final duchess or just the previous one. The poem begins by the duke leading an emissary around his castle, acting as a tour. He begins by reminiscing about the painting of his last duchess and the reader comes to realize the Duke’s cold character as he describes the painting as "the depth and passion of its earnest glance". He refers to the girl as "its" instead of her, indicating she is of little worth to him. This dehumanizes her and further suggests the duke has developed a better relationship with the painting than the he had with the woman it represents. We also come to understand here that the duke is possessive and demands to be obeyed “since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I” he chooses who does or does not see the duchess- something he could not achieve when she was alive. This shows the overwhelming control that the duke has over the duchess even after death- he cuts even her portrait off from what she loved: life. The woman has clearly died time ago but the possessive duke still requires control over her, suggesting a threatening and controlling