Hello, everyone, and welcome to your lesson today on understanding the poem, "My Last Duchess." I'm Miss Sutherland, and I'll be teaching you today.

I'm really looking forward to today's lesson with you.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain the events of "My Last Duchess" and the relevant contextual ideas that surround it.

We have five key words today.

They are, critique: A critique is a piece of work that indicates the faults of something in a disapproving way.

Hubris: hubris is excessive pride or self-confidence.

We see that Ozymandias has immense hubris in Shelley's poem.

Possessive: someone that is possessive wants to have all of their partner's love and attention.

Stoop: To stoop is to lower one's moral standards and dignity.

And munificence: munificence is the quality of being extremely generous.

I'll give you a moment to pause the video and note down those key words now.

Let's get started with today's learning.

In the first learning cycle, we'll read the poem for the first time, and we'll try and comprehend what's going on.

We'll also look for patterns, and we'll just really enjoy the poem and admire how it's been created.

In the second learning cycle, we'll be investigating the important contextual ideas that are going to help unlock the poem for us further.

So let's start off with understanding the poem, "My Last Duchess." It is a good idea to make predictions about poems before you begin reading them.

So, let's infer what we think the poem's about from each word In the title.

We have: my, last, and duchess.

Pause the video now and make a prediction about what you think the poem might be about based on the title.

Off you go.

The word, my, is a possessive adjective, which suggests ownership, so perhaps the poem might refer to some sort of ownership.

Last: this adjective perhaps suggests that the events will focus on a woman of the past, or perhaps that the Duke does not want to marry again.

And, Duchess: Duchess is a title.

This is a clue that the poem may be about someone from the elite class or this poem could discuss status.

So we've made a really good prediction about the poem.

It might be referring to someone's ownership of the Duchess, it might refer to her being the previous Duchess of someone, and also it could refer to a woman of high status or authority.

Brilliant work.

Let's read the poem together.

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

I call that piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf's hands worked busily a day, and there she stands.

Will't you please sit and look at her? I said, 'Fra Pandolf' by design, for never read strangers like you that pictured countenance, the depth and passion of its earnest glance, but to myself, they turned, since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I, and seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, how such a glance came there; so, not the first are you to turn and ask thus.

Sir, 'twas not her husband's presence only, called that spot of joy into the Duchess' cheek; perhaps Fra Pandolf chanced to say, 'Her mantle laps over my lady's wrist too much," or, "Paint must never hope to reproduce the faint half-flush that dies along her throat.

' Such stuff was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough for calling up that spot of joy.

She had a heart, how shall I say, too soon made glad, too easily impressed; she liked whate'er she looked on, and her looks went everywhere.

Sir, 'twas all one! My favour at her breast, the dropping of the daylight in the West, the bough of cherries some officious fool broke in the orchard for her, the white mule she rode with the white mule she rode with round the terrace all and each would draw from her alike the approving speech, or blush, at least.

She thanked men, good! But thanked somehow, I know not how, as if she ranked my gift of a 900-years-old name with anybody's gift.

Who'd stoop to blame that sort of trifling? Even had you skill in speech, which I have not, to make your will quite clear to such and one, and say, 'Just this or that in you disgusts me; here you miss, or there exceed the mark,' and if she let herself be lessened so, nor plainly set her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse e'en then would be some stooping; and I choose never to stoop.

Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt, whenever I passed her; but who passed without much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together.

There she stands as if alive.

Will you please rise? We'll meet the company below, then.

I repeat, the Count your master's known munificence is ample warrant that no just pretence of mind for dowry will be disallowed; though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed as starting, is my object.

Nay, we'll go down together, sir.

Notice Neptune, though, taming a seahorse, thought a rarity, which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!" I want you to take a moment now to discuss with your partner what you liked and disliked about that poem there.

Pause the video and discuss.

I really like how this poem appears like a conversation, and I really like how the Duke reveals things about his relationship with his previous wife.

We're now going to read the poem for a second time.

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

I call that piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf's hands worked busily a day, and there she stands.

Will't you please sit and look at her? I said 'Fra Pandolf' by design, for never read strangers like you that pictured countenance, the depth and passion of its earnest glance, but to myself they turned, since none puts by the curtain that I have drawn for you, but I, and seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, how such a glance came there; so, not the first are you to turn and ask thus.

Sir, 'twas not her husband's presence only, called that spot of joy into the Duchess' cheek; perhaps Fra Pandolf chanced to say, 'Her mantle laps over my lady's wrist too much,' or, 'Paint must never hope to reproduce the faint half-flush that dies along her throat.

' Such stuff was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough for calling up that spot of joy.

She had a heart, how shall I say, too soon made glad, too easily impressed; she liked whatever she looked on, and her looks went everywhere.

Sir, 'twas all one! My favourite at her breast, the dropping of the daylight in the West, the bough of cherries some officious fool broke in the orchard for her, the white mule she rode with round the terrace all and each would draw from her alike the approving speech, or blush, at least.

She thanked men, good! But thanked, somehow, I know not how, as if she ranked my gift of a 900-years-old name with anybody's gift.

Who'd stoop to blame this sort of trifling? Even had you skill in speech, which I have not, to make your will quite clear to such an one, and say, 'Just this or that in you disgusts me; here you miss, or there exceed the mark,' and if she let herself be lessened so, nor plainly set her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse, even then would be some stooping; and I choose never to stoop.

Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt, whenever I passed her; but who passed without much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together.

There she stands as if alive.

Will't you please rise? We'll meet the company below, then.

I repeat, The Count your master's known munificence, is ample warrant that no just pretence of mine for dowry will be disallowed; though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed at starting, is my object.

Nay, we'll go down together, sir.

Notice Neptune, though, taming a seahorse, thought a rarity, which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!" I now want you to discuss what patterns you can see across the poem.

Also think about what's puzzling you about the poem.

What do you not quite understand? Pause the video and discuss that now.

I noticed how the poem begins talking about a painting, and then ends talking about a statue.

Browning may have been referring to art for a very important reason.

We'll explore that later on.

Now I want you to read it a third time.

Read it independently for a third time, now.

This poem is narrated by a duke.

Browning was thought to have based this character on Duke Alfonso II of Ferrara, that's in Italy.

In the poem, the Duke is having a conversation with an envoy, an envoy is a messenger, sent from his future wife's family.

This section shows the Duke showing the envoy a portrait of his late wife.

So, he's showing the envoy a portrait of his wife that's no longer alive.

The Duke then points out that his late wife is painted with a spot of joy.

In other words, she's blushing in the painting.

He then speculates why his late wife may have been blushing as she was painted.

What reasons does he suggest? Pause the video and discuss that now.

The Duke speculates that perhaps the artist complimented or flirted with the duchess, and that's why she's blushing in the portrait.

The Duke then complains about the behaviour of his late wife.

What does he complain about, and what emotions can you sense in him? Pause the video and discuss that now.

The Duke complains that his Duchess had a heart that was too easily impressed and too soon made glad.

He also complains that she liked whatever she looked on, and her looks went everywhere.

So basically he's saying that the Duchess was too satisfied with everything she saw, and she was easily excited, and easily made happy.

He didn't like that.

We can always sense jealousy in him regarding her attention going elsewhere.

The Duke resents that his late wife was pleased with and blushed at many things, such as the sunrise, men picking her cherries, and riding her mule.

Of course, these all seem like innocent things that anyone, that would bring joy to anyone, but the Duke has a severe problem with this.

Maybe that tells us more about the Duke than it does about the Duchess.

How does the Duke show his hubris in this line? "She thanked men, good, but thanks, somehow, I know not how, as if she ranked my gift of a 900-years-old name with anybody's gift." How does that show the Duke's hubris? Pause the video and discuss that with your partner now.

You may have said that that shows the Duke's hubris, because he's basically saying that the Duchess should give him thanks, because she was allowed to take his name, and his name means a lot of reputation and status.

He's being very arrogant here and excessively competent to say that he gifted her this amazing thing, and that was his family name.

The Duke then says that to blame or question the Duchess on her actions would be to lower his own pride and dignity.

He said if I mentioned it to her, if I said, if I asked her what she's doing, or if I told her to stop, I would be stooping.

And he says that he never stoops.

He never would lower his pride and dignity in that way.

What is your impression of this line here? "This grew; I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together." Pause the video and discuss what comes to your mind as you read that line.

This line is really sinister to me.

It suggests the Duke has maybe committed the murder of his wife, because he gave commands, and then the smiles miraculously, suddenly stop.

That makes me think that his commands led to the Duchess' death.

The Duke then proceeds to address the envoy about his upcoming marriage with the Count's daughter.

So the Duke is actually planning to marry again, and he talks about this in that section highlighted there.

I want you to discuss what materialistic references does the Duke make as they go downstairs, and what impression are you getting of him? Pause the video and discuss that now.

The Duke makes reference to the Count's generosity, and how that would create a large sum of money for him when he marries the Count's daughter.

He also mentions the statue in bronze of Neptune.

I personally get the impression that the Duke wants to show off his wealth and status, and he does that in the closing lines of the poem.

Let's check your understanding of our discussion of the poem so far.

What complaints did the Duke have about the Duchess? Pause the video and have a think now.

The Duke complained that many things made the Duchess blush and smile.

He didn't like the fact that her attention went in loads of different places, and he didn't like that she was easily pleased by a lot of things and a lot of different people.

The Duke is shocked how the Duchess did not feel indebted to him based on his gift of.

Pause the video and complete the sentence.

The Duke is shocked how the Duchess did not feel indebted to him based on his gift of.

High status and reputation.

Remember the Duke says that he doesn't know why the Duchess didn't thank him more than others for the gift of a 900-years-old name, and what he means by that, is that his wealth, authority, and status and high reputation, have been in his family name for 900 years.

And he can't believe that the Duchess doesn't value that, he can't believe that she doesn't feel grateful to him for that.

In the line, "She liked whatever she looked on and her looks went everywhere," the Duke seems..

Pause the video and complete that sentence.

In that line, the Duke seems jealous and insecure.

He doesn't like and he can't come to, and he's not comfortable with the fact that the Duchess is perhaps giving attention to other people.

This makes him seem jealous and insecure rather than making her seem promiscuous.

True or false, now.

The Duke confronted the Duchess about her supposed promiscuity.

Pause the video and answer that now.

False, the Duke did not confront the Duchess about her flirtatious promiscuous actions.

Now, justify your answer.

Pause the video and justify.

The reason the Duke did not confront the Duchess about her supposed promiscuity, is because he says he would never lower his dignity as to accuse her of such small things.

Of course, that is very ironic considering that it's likely he killed her for such actions, so he did lower his dignity and morality, after all.

What is implied in the line, "I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together"? Pause the video and answer that now.

In the line, "I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together," is implied that the Duke ordered the Duchess to be killed.

It's a very sinister line.

Now, I want you to read the poem independently.

This time, consider the questions as you read.

Your first question is, what happens in the poem? What does the narrator seem to be talking about? How many different perspectives are offered in the poem? How might the poem link to power? How might the poem link to conflict? And what tones do you notice in the poem? Does it change? If so, when? Pause the video and answer those questions as you read the poem independently, now.

Excellent effort.

Remember, reading the poem over and over again is a great way to become familiar with it.

Here are some ideas as to what you may have said: What happens in the poem? In the poem, a Duke shows an envoy a painting of his late wife.

What does the narrator seem to be talking about? The narrator talks of the behaviour that his late wife displayed whilst alive and how he felt about it.

How many different perspectives are offered in the poem? There is one perspective offered in this poem, and that is the Duke's perspective.

It's really interesting, and we're going to look at the significance of that later.

How might the poem link to power? The Duke seems to present himself as a powerful man.

He controls the curtain that protects the painting, he shows off his wealth and status through art.

And how might the poem link to conflict? Perhaps the Duke was in conflict with his last Duchess whilst she was alive as he seemed to have a problem with her behaviour.

What tones do you notice in the poem? Does it change, and if so, when? The poem initially has an arrogant tone, as the Duke references his status and authority.

It seems to shift to a sinister tone when it says, "I gave commands," and the reference to the flush that "dies along her cheek." Well done on getting a really good grasp of the poem.

Let's move on to investigate the important contextual ideas relevant to "My Last Duchess." The poem, "My Last Duchess" is by Robert Browning.

It was written and published in 1842, during the Victorian era.

What do you remember about the Victorian era? And based on the title and your readings of the poem, which contextual ideas might be relevant to the poem, "My Last Duchess"? Pause the video and discuss those two questions now.

So you may have talked about attitudes to women in the Victorian era as being relevant to this poem potentially.

Remember, you do not need to write about every contextual detail that surrounds a poem.

Focus on the most relevant information that furthers your understanding of the poem and sheds light on its big ideas.

I want you to think about which student discusses the most relevant contextual information for the poem? Jacob says, "I remember that women were expected to have domestic roles and were perceived as the moral guardians of the family." June says, "I remember that the Victorian period witnessed a growth in industrialization.

The rich prospered and the poor suffered." Which student discusses the most relevant contextual information for the poem, "My Last Duchess"? Pause the video and have a brief think now.

Whilst both students talk of accurate information relevant to the Victorian era, Jacob's idea is relevant to the poem, "My Last Duchess," because we clearly see the poem revolves around a woman, her behaviour, and a man's treatment of that woman.

So any idea, any Victorian ideas about gender are very relevant here.

In the Duke's opinion, his wife subverted the traditional gender roles of the Victorian era, and this fuels a lot of his frustration, anger and jealousy.

Let's look at another piece of important contextual information.

Although the poem, "My Last Duchess" was written in 1842, it is set in the Italian Renaissance.

In your additional materials, there is some contextual information about the Victorian era and the Italian Renaissance.

Read it and highlight anything you think links to the poem, "My Last Duchess." Pause the video and have a read now.

Let's zoom into some of those key pieces of contextual information that you should have highlighted.

Victorian era was a time with strict class hierarchy and moral conduct.

It was extremely patriarchal.

The suffrage movement was only just gaining traction.

For a very long time, women were the property of their husbands, could not vote, and were deemed to not have rational thought.

It is thought that Browning uses the poem as an attack on the biassed, overbearing views of Victorian society and the archaic hierarchy.

Discuss: what evidence do we have for Browning using the poem as a critique of those things? Pause the video and discuss that now.

Well, the poem depicts an arrogant man.

Perhaps that is Browning critiquing the patriarchy, because he's presenting the Duke as a very unlikable figure, and the arrogant man in the poem seeks to silence and control his wife.

His behaviour towards his late wife comes across as very deplorable.

This could be Browning's criticism of the sexist beliefs held in the Victorian era about women.

Now I want you to think about, why might a poet choose to set their permanent different time period to their time of writing? So we've said that Browning wrote this poem in the Victorian era, published it in the Victorian era, and it indeed criticises the Victorian era.

So why set it in the Italian Renaissance? Pause the video and discuss that now.

A poet may choose to set their poem in a time period different to the one they were writing in, because they are interested in a certain time period.

Indeed, Browning was very fond of Italy and researched Italian history a lot.

However, it is assumed that Browning set his poem in the Italian Renaissance for another reason, because it disguises his critique of Victorian England.

Say Browning was to set his poem in Victorian England, and he wanted to criticise Victorian England.

This would make it very obvious to the readers that he is showing his disapproval of Victorian beliefs and ideals.

This may make some Victorian readers feel uncomfortable reading his work, or being a fan of his.

So therefore, he could set the poem in the Italian Renaissance to make it seem not so explicitly he's critiquing Victorian society.

Let's check your understanding of what we've just discussed.

In the Victorian era, women were expected.

Pause the video and complete that sentence.

In the Victorian era, women were expected to fulfil the role of moral guardian in the family, and to remain chaste.

Those are two important expectations of women in Victorian era that are relevant to our understanding of "My Last Duchess." Which period is "My Last Duchess" set in? Pause the video and answer that question now.

"My Last Duchess" is set in the Italian Renaissance.

Which period was "My Last Duchess" written in? Pause the video and answer that question now.

"My Last Duchess" was written in the Victorian era.

What is the more strong and nuanced idea for why Browning set his poem in the Italian Renaissance? Pause the video and think about that now.

The more strong and nuanced idea for why Browning set his poem in the Italian Renaissance is because setting it in a different time period to one he was critiquing, disguises his critique of Victorian England.

Well done if you got that right.

Now, I want you to complete the table to explore how these contextual points are relevant to the poem.

On the left, you have four contextual ideas.

I want you to write in the column next to it how each of them are relevant to the poem, "My Last Duchess." Pause the video and complete that task now.

Off you go.

Let's go through some ideas.

Victorian women were expected to be chased, moral guardians and to respect marital fidelity.

This is shown in "My Last Duchess," because the Duke is resentful and jealous that his Duchess' looks went everywhere.

It is also inferred that he kills her, showing his outrage at her supposed breach of gender roles.

This could be suggestive of his lack of control.

The next one, Victorian society was patriarchal.

This is shown in the fact that the poem is a dramatic monologue, and that means the Duke completely controls the narrative around the marriage with his late wife.

It reflects the control that men had in the Victorian era.

Next, Victorian society perceived women to be property of their husbands.

That is shown by the possessive pronoun, my, in the poem's title.

Also, the painting could be symbolic of him having ownership of his Duchess in her death.

And lastly, the aristocracy patronised the arts to display their prestige.

That is shown, because the Duke boasts that Fra Pandolf and Claus of Innsbruck made art for him.

His hubris is apparent here.

He is really keen to show off his prestige.

Well done on completing that task, and I hope you're more confident with how some of those contextual ideas can be firmly linked to the poem.

Let's go through what we've learned.

The poem depicts a duke showing an envoy a painting of his late wife.

The poem was written during the Victorian period, a time marked for its strict morality and patriarchal society.

Browning uses the poem as an attack on the biassed, 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.

I hope you've enjoyed today's lesson, and that you are more confident with this poem, "My Last Duchess." Thank you for joining me.

I hope to see you again soon.