Relationships In My Last Duchess

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How are different types of relationships portrayed in the poems through language, structure and form?

Relationships can mean many things to different people. The standard definition from the Oxford Dictionary says “the way two or more people or things are connected, or the state of being connected”. For many people, relationships are easily found as a meaning within poems and books. In one of the best classics of all time, Romeo and Juliet, love had no bounds; it bypassed many generations of family history. But in reality, often relationships aren’t as perfect as it seems. In “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning and “Havisham” by Carol Ann Duffy, relationships, mainly marriage, are a destructive force. While in “La Belle Dame Merci” and “Sonnet
”For calling up that spot of joy. She had a heart - how shall I say? - too soon made glad” . The present participle ‘calling’ has an association of a childlike behavior which suggests of the Duchess’ rash behavior. The metaphorical ‘spot of joy’ denotes blushing of the Duchess’ cheek. In the Victorian times, blushing was one of the main gestures related to femininity. The hyphens act as a pause of thought in ‘how shall I say?’ Although the Duke seems like portraying an act of sincerity, it is presumably an aspect of manipulative nature concerning his highly educated background. The Duke criticises the Duchess of being ‘too soon made glad’ which is an accusation of her acts being flirtatious and depicts her as a traitor. This shows that the Duke’s obsession and paranoia directed towards his wife are both excuses of wrongdoing and traces of distrust within their
Additionally, the Duke has also a sense of dominance over the Duchess. “I gave commands then all smiles stopped together. There she stands as if alive.” The use of the forceful word ‘commands’ shows that the Duke has power over the Duchess. Together with the view of the Duchess as a possession, suggests the patriarchal society of the past. Furthermore, ‘then all smiles stopped together’ underlines a subtle but sinister tone change within the poem. The use of a . Possessive pronoun, patriarchy.

The structure in “My Last Duchess” is iambic pentameter which reflects upon the duke’s controlling nature. In each line, there are exactly ten syllables. one stanza, rhyming couplets.

In Havisham, the poem is in the form of a dramatic monologue

In Piano, the author, , is reminiscing about his

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