My Last Duchess

1. My Last Duchess written by Robert Browning in 1845 set in the sixteenth century Ferrara is the duke’s name and the poem looks like a script Watch the video clip

2. Quick questions • Who is speaking? • Who is listening? • Who is the duke talking about? • What was his wife like? Give 2 examples • What happened to her? • What is he like? Give 2 pieces of evidence For the next slide, try to memorise at least 3 of Browning’s ideas.

3. The poet’s ideas • the position of women in a society dominated by men • past wrongs continue into the present because the kind of people who were responsible are still with us • an exploration of one of the seven deadly sins: jealousy • the way a person speaks about something can reveal more than what they actually say • an exploration of what makes people the way they are

4. Methods • line length or metre • run on lines or enjambment • breaks or caesura • rhyme • voice • imagery • references or allusions • mild expression or euphemism Write quotations for each of these.

5. Kid by Simon Armitage • Make a mind map covering meaning, poet’s ideas and poet’s methods. Here’s a start … all the lines end with the sound er Kid brother? The pace gets quicker

6. Task Compare this poem by Robert Browning to Kid by Simon Armitage. Write about: • angry, destructive feelings towards someone close • run on lines and breaks • rhyme • references or allusions • mild expression or euphemism