Type of poem
Rhyme scheme
Does the woman have a
name? Suggestions
Does the man have a
name/ specific identity?
Suggestions
Does the woman have
power?
What power does the man
have?
Describe the woman’s
behaviour
Is her behaviour typical/
acceptable of the time?
Violence! Clear/ explicit/
ambiguous?
Porphyria’s Lover
My Last Duchess
Dramatic
Dramatic monologue
monologue
Alternate rhyme
and rhyming
couplets. Irregular
rhyme scheme may
be linked to turmoil
in speaker’s mind.
No name- her individual
identity is not importantshe is of secondary statustypical Victorian gender
dynamic
No- suggests he is
submissive to hershe is the one in
control (at least
initially)
He has power due to rank
and status to give
commands and ensure
that all smiles stop
Implied- duke never states
duchess was murdered.
However his cryptic
‘commands’ and the fact
‘all smiles stopped’
followed by ‘looks as if
she were alive’ heavily
hint at murder
Narrator- reliable/
Unreliableunreliable
[Explain]
How is this poem critical
of women?
How can this poem be read
as a criticism of male
conduct and behaviour
Unreliable- [Explain]