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Year 10
AQA

Understanding the poem 'My Last Duchess'

I can explain the events of 'My Last Duchess' and the relevant contextual ideas that surround it.

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New
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Year 10
AQA

Understanding the poem 'My Last Duchess'

I can explain the events of 'My Last Duchess' and the relevant contextual ideas that surround it.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The poem depicts a Duke showing an envoy a painting of his late wife.
  2. The poem was written during the Victorian period, marked for its strict morality and patriarchal society.
  3. Browning uses the poem as an attack on the biased, overbearing views of Victorian society and archaic hierarchy.
  4. Browning sets the poem in the Italian Renaissance, perhaps to disguise his social criticism of Victorian society.

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

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.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Understanding the poem 'My Last Duchess', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The first and second read of the poem allows your teaching of the poem to be led by your students' own discoveries and ideas. Listen to the students and unpick any interesting comments they make.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the AQA Power and Conflict Anthology for this lesson.

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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
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Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a dramatic monologue?
a poem with fourteen lines usually about love
a narrative poem about legendary figures on extraordinary pursuits
Correct answer: a poem spoken by one character
Q2.
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'
Correct answer: Ozymandias' inscription on the statue's pedestal
Q3.
What does chaste mean?
engaging in immoral behaviour
Correct answer: not having sexual desire or intention
having domestic roles
Q4.
Which of the below is a possessive adjective?
she
it
Correct answer: my
yours
we
Q5.
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.
Correct answer: Women were expected to carry out domestic roles.
Correct answer: It was a patriarchal society.
Q6.
Why might a woman’s promiscuity cause outrage to a Victorian man?
they were known to worship their wives
Correct answer: their wife was a reflection of their own honour and reputation
they could only marry once in their lives

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What form does the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ take?
sonnet
Correct answer: dramatic monologue
epic poem
ballad
Q2.
Which quote from 'My Last Duchess' suggests the Duke killed his wife?
''Who’d stoop to blame This sort of trifling?''
Correct answer: ''...This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together.''
''Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed At starting, is my object.''
Q3.
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.
Correct answer: She was pleased by the attention of other men.
Q4.
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.
Correct answer: The Victorian era was patriarchal.
Correct answer: 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.
Q5.
When Browning exposes the Duke’s arrogance in 'My Last Duchess', which Victorian ideals could he be criticising?
Correct answer: 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
Q6.
Why might Browning have set the poem 'My Last Duchess' in the Italian Renaissance?
he liked Italy
Correct answer: 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

Additional material

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