Starter quiz
- What is a dramatic monologue?
- a poem with fourteen lines usually about love
- a narrative poem about legendary figures on extraordinary pursuits
- a poem spoken by one character ✓
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- Which of the below is an example of arrogance?
- Wordsworth retreating back to the willow tree in 'Extract from The Prelude'
- The blackn'ing church in 'London'
- Ozymandias' inscription on the statue's pedestal ✓
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- What does chaste mean?
- engaging in immoral behaviour
- not having sexual desire or intention ✓
- having domestic roles
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- Which of the below is a possessive adjective?
- she
- it
- my ✓
- yours
- we
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- What statements are true of the Victorian era?
- There was equality between the rich and poor.
- There was equality between men and women.
- Marriage was not a respected institution.
- Women were expected to carry out domestic roles. ✓
- It was a patriarchal society. ✓
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- Why might a woman’s promiscuity cause outrage to a Victorian man?
- they were known to worship their wives
- their wife was a reflection of their own honour and reputation ✓
- they could only marry once in their lives
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Exit quiz
- What form does the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ take?
- sonnet
- dramatic monologue ✓
- epic poem
- ballad
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- Which quote from 'My Last Duchess' suggests the Duke killed his wife?
- ''Who’d stoop to blame This sort of trifling?''
- ''...This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together.'' ✓
- ''Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed At starting, is my object.''
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- What can we infer is the reason that the Duke killed his wife in the poem 'My Last Duchess'?
- She kissed another man.
- He found her letters to another man.
- She did not give birth to a boy.
- She was pleased by the attention of other men. ✓
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- What are the most relevant pieces of contextual information for the poem ‘My Last Duchess’?
- The Victorian era was marked by a rise in industrialisation.
- The Victorian era was patriarchal. ✓
- Women were expected to be chaste in the Victorian era. ✓
- There was huge wealth inequality in the Victorian era.
- Women were not highly educated in the Victorian era.
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- When Browning exposes the Duke’s arrogance in 'My Last Duchess', which Victorian ideals could he be criticising?
- the patriarchy and how men valued their pride over their partner ✓
- the institution of marriage
- the industrialisation of cities
- the wealth inequality people experienced
- the rigid moral code of conduct people had to adhere to
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- Why might Browning have set the poem 'My Last Duchess' in the Italian Renaissance?
- he liked Italy
- he wanted to disguise his critique of Victorian England ✓
- he lived in Italy for many years
- his wife was Italian
- he believed it was more problematic than Victorian England
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The poem depicts a Duke showing an envoy a painting of his late wife.
- The poem was written during the Victorian period, marked for its strict morality and patriarchal society.
- Browning uses the poem as an attack on the biased, overbearing views of Victorian society and archaic hierarchy.
- Browning sets the poem in the Italian Renaissance, perhaps to disguise his social criticism of Victorian society.
Common misconception
Browning was writing about his own wife's domineering father.
Biographical moments in the poet's own life are not always relevant to the poem.
Keywords
Critique - a piece of work that indicates the faults of something in a disapproving way
Hubris - excessive pride or self-confidence
Possessive - someone that is possessive wants to have all of their partner’s love and attention
Stoop - to lower one’s moral standards and dignity
Munificence - the quality of being extremely generous
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