My Last Duchess

My Last Duchess

1. Context

   • 1561 Duke of Ferra was said to have killed his wife and that influenced My Last Duchess.

2. Form

   • Dramatic monologue in an Iambic pentameter and the rhyming couplets show the Duke's desire to have control but the enjambement shows that he gets carried away.

3. Structure

   • They visit the Duke's gallery and he confesses to murder as he is arranging to marry a new wife.

4. Language

   • Power and objectification as he only sees her as an object to him and there is also dramatic irony and status as that is all the Duke cares about.

5. Attitudes and Feelings

   • Pride, jealousy and power of the Duke as he refuses to give up any power he has.