Name of Course/ Class: British Literature/Senior Class
Unit Title: Victorian Era of British Literature
Lesson Title: Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess
Anticipated Instructional Time: 1 day
Rationale: Reading of My Last Duchess is important so that students become familiar with
Robert Browning’s work. Most British Literature students are required to read works by
Browning in order to be exposed to his writing style, the dramatic monologue. Discussing the
poem in class will give students a better understanding of the poem and allow them to express
their opinions of the piece. Students will be able to show their creativity through the written
assessment, as well as show their understanding of the poem.
Goals of the Lesson:
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G.1.1: I intend for students to develop an appreciation for poetry, especially Robert
Browning’s poetry.
G.1.2: I intend for students to discuss the poem and make connections between the
written words and the characters personalities and motivations.
G.1.3: I intend for students to prove they understand the poem through the writing
assessment and their discussion of the poem in class.
Objectives of the Lesson:
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O.1.1: The students will be able to recognize the style of dramatic monologues.
O.1.2: The student will be able to discuss, with the class, the different elements in the
poem.
O.1.3: The students will gain a greater appreciation for poetry.
K-12 Standards:
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12.R.2.1: Students can evaluate how style affects the meaning of text.
12.R.2.2 Students can read fluently to comprehend grade-level text.
12.R.4.1: Students can evaluate the depiction of human experience in literary works from
diverse cultures, locations, and time periods.
NCTE Standards:
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Standard 2: Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to
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build an understanding of the many dimensions of human experience.
Standard 3: Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate,
and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other
readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word
identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features.
Instructional Materials: The poem My Last Duchess. I was going to do a worksheet but I think I
am now going to do a paper. Students will use their Tablet PC’s to begin their short response
paper.
Teaching Notes/Lesson Script/Procedure: Students will come in and Mr. Allen will discuss/hand
back their vocabulary quizzes from Friday. I will then take charge of the class. Students will be
told to read Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess. The students will be given ten minutes to read
the play. We will then, as a class, discuss the play. I have prepared some guiding questions. Once
the play has been discussed and the students are done asking their questions I will give them
their assignment. If time allows, students will have time in class to write their assignment. The
assignment will be due during Tuesday’s class.
Assessment and Homework: Paper on one of three characters in the story. The papers are written
from the characters perspective and are written as letters to other characters, not necessarily
mentioned in the play.
Guiding Questions for My Last Duchess
1. Poetic Form is rhymed couplets, or heroic couplets.
2. Poem is considered a dramatic monologue, which is what Browning, is best known for.
Browning did write some personal poetry but one critic was harsh on him, so he stopped
because he was too embarrassed.
3. Dramatic Monologues always have a speaker and an auditor, the person being spoken to.
The speakers in each monologue always reveal something about themselves without
meaning to.
4. Info about Browning
a. His wife was Elizabeth Barret Browning and she was more popular during their
lifetimes.
b. Elizabeth was 16 years older and Browning was considered quite the catch, their
relationship was true love and they lived happily together in Italy.
5. My Last Duchess:
a. Why do you think the portrait was kept behind the curtain? Why is that
significant? If he truly loved his wife wouldn’t he want to show her off all the
time, maybe he didn’t really love his wife and only wanted to show off his
“trophy wife” when necessary. She could become a model for all the other Dukes
wives to follow.
b. Why does the Duke have the Duchess killed?
c. Discuss the use of the word lessoned, the Duke thought he was lessoning the
Duchess in the ways to act, when really the Duke was lessening the Duchess, or
degrading her.
d. Why is the sculptor of Neptune taming the sea creature important? What does it
signify? It signifies Duke’s view of women: Wild things that need to be tamed.
e. What does the Duke reveal about himself through his dramatic monologue?
f. How do you think the Duke will treat his new Duchess? Do you think the new
Duchess may do something the Duke does not approve of and she will be killed?
g. See the Teaches Edition for other questions to ask!!!!
6. Assignment: Paper, students can pick other characters, maybe they want to choose the
soon to be wife, the Duke, or the artist, that is fine.
Character Portraits
Take the perspective of one person within the poem, chosen from the
following list:
The Duchess
The Count's envoy
Brother Pandolf
The Duchess
Prior to your disappearance, you wrote a letter to a friend, telling
about your life with the Duke. Describe some of your experiences both
in the early years of your marriage and throughout the painting of
your commissioned portrait. How do you view life, and what do you
think of the people around you, including your husband, the Duke?
What sorts of things delighted you?
Count's Envoy
You are the envoy of a Count, who has sent you to Duke Ferrara to
negotiate a wedding between the Duke and the Count's daughter. Prior
to dining with the Duke's other guests, he pulled a curtain aside and
revealed to you the portrait of his last Duchess, whom he described to
you. Based on your knowledge of the Duke through his own words,
what kind of life can the Count's daughter expect as the new Duchess?
Do you recommend that she marry the Duke? Why or why not? Use
the Duke's own words to prepare your argument to the Count.
Brother Pandolf
You are Brother Pandolf, who painted the portrait of the Duchess. You
keep a journal where you write down your thoughts about all of your
paintings, and the experiences that shaped their creation. You have
finally decided to write down your feelings about the Duchess and her
husband, the Duke Ferrara. Based on your knowledge of the events,
describe the Duchess, the Duke, and their relationship.