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My Last Duchess

A duke shows a visitor a painting of his dead wife. As he talks, we realise he had her killed.

Lucrezia de' Medici, the duchess thought to be behind the poem
Lucrezia de' Medici, the duchess thought to be behind the poem. Alessandro Allori, 1560. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.

This poem in five words

Dukeshowsportraitadmitsmurder

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The quotes

3 big quotes in this poem.

I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together

Browning · My Last Duchess · power of humans · conflict

The Duke had his wife killed because she smiled at everyone. He says it calmly, in passing.

That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive

Browning · My Last Duchess · power of humans

He shows off her portrait like a possession. As if she were alive. She is not.

I choose Never to stoop

Browning · My Last Duchess · power of humans

He would not lower himself to tell her what annoyed him. So he had her removed.

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The words of the book come from the AQA Poems Past and Present anthology, Power and Conflict cluster (poems quoted briefly for study; older poems are public domain). Every quote was checked against it. Paintings and drawings are public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one. Notes by Akash Wadhwani. Copy it. Print it. Share it. No sign-up.
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