Page 81 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit
P. 81
“My Last Duchess”
by Robert Browning, pages 64-65
Vocabulary
countenance – face
mantle – a cape
officious – flattering
trifling – of very little worth or importance
forsooth – truly
munificence – generosity
1. The poem is written in the first person. What is the name of an extended speech by one
speaker to another character?
The poem is a dramatic monologue.
2. The poem’s lines do not end at the end of a line, but rather they continue into the next.
What is the term for the use of sentences and other grammatical constructs that do not
necessarily conclude at the end of a line?
The term is called enjambment.
3. Describe the Duke’s character.
Answers may vary. Example: He is egotistic and jealous. He was controlling over his last
wife and hints that he plans on controlling his future wife as well.
4. To whom is the Duke speaking?
The Duke is speaking to an unseen audience, a servant of another lord whose daughter he
is aiming to wed.
5. What is the tone of the poem?
The tone of the poem is one of unintentional revelation. The speaker is revealing,
unconsciously, internal character flaws to his audience.
T-63
