Here we have written My Last Duchess Questions Answers for Class XI English 2nd Semester Students . / 6 and 2 Marks Questions Answers from My Last Duchess by Robert Browning
Class XI English 2nd Semester
My Last Duchess 6 Marks Questions Answers
Q.1. Why did the Duke keep the painting of the Duchess covered?
Ans: The Duke was a jealous and possessive husband who wanted to control his wife completely. However, the Duchess was simple, kind, and cheerful by nature. She admired everything around her—the beauty of nature, the gifts she received, and even small acts of courtesy from others. She treated everyone with equal respect, regardless of their social rank. This friendly and innocent nature of hers made the Duke furious, as he considered it a sign of flirtation.
Unable to bear her free spirit, he ordered her to be killed. After her death, he kept her portrait covered with a curtain so that no one could look at her without his permission. Only he could draw the curtain to reveal her face. By doing this, he felt he had complete control over her image, something he could not achieve when she was alive. Moreover, he could not bear her earnest, lifelike gaze that seemed to accuse him of his cruelty. Therefore, he kept the painting covered.
Q.2 “Fra Pandolf’s hands / Worked busily a day, and there she stands.” — Who is Fra Pandolf? What do the quoted lines mean?
Ans: Fra Pandolf is a fictitious Italian painter and monk created by Robert Browning. He is said to have painted the portrait of the Duke’s last Duchess.
In the quoted lines, the Duke proudly shows the envoy the portrait of his late Duchess and mentions the painter’s name to impress him. By referring to Fra Pandolf, the Duke wants to show that he is a great patron of art and that the portrait is a masterpiece, completed within a single day. The painting is so lifelike that it appears as if the Duchess is standing there alive.
However, there is irony in the Duke’s admiration. The same Duchess whom he disliked for her cheerful and friendly nature is now being admired by him only as a work of art. He praises the painter’s skill but secretly resents that Fra Pandolf once complimented the Duchess on her beauty, which made her blush. The Duke’s jealousy and possessive nature are thus revealed. He now takes pride in owning her lifeless image—something he can control completely.
Q.3 Analyse My Last Duchess as a dramatic monologue.
Ans: Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess is a remarkable example of a dramatic monologue. In this poem, the Duke of Ferrara is the single speaker who talks to the envoy of a Count while showing him the portrait of his dead Duchess. The listener remains silent, but his presence is clearly felt through the Duke’s speech. As the Duke proudly describes the painting, he unknowingly reveals his own proud, arrogant, and jealous nature. He disliked the Duchess for her cheerful, friendly manners and ordered her death because she failed to value his status. Through his words, the Duke exposes himself as a cruel and possessive husband who values power and control more than love. Thus, the poem effectively combines character revelation, dramatic setting, and psychological depth, making it a perfect dramatic monologue.
Q.4 How is power syndrome conveyed in My Last Duchess?
Ans: In My Last Duchess, Robert Browning skillfully presents the power syndrome through the character of the Duke of Ferrara. The Duke’s speech reveals his strong desire to dominate and control others, especially his wife. He considers his Duchess as part of his possessions, just like his famous name or his artworks. When he fails to control her cheerful and independent nature, he uses his power to silence her forever—“I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together.” Even after her death, he keeps her portrait behind a curtain that only he can draw, showing his need for absolute control. His pride in his noble lineage and his cold attitude toward human life clearly express the abuse of power and authority. Thus, the poem exposes how excessive pride and ego can turn love into tyranny.
Q.5 What did the viewers observe about the painting of the Duchess? What did they wish to ask the Duke?
Ans: The Duke kept the portrait of his late Duchess covered with a curtain, which only he was allowed to draw aside for selected visitors. The viewers were struck by the lifelike beauty of the painting. They noticed the earnest and passionate expression on the Duchess’s face, which seemed to make the portrait come alive. They wondered how the artist could capture such depth of emotion so perfectly in his work. The expression appeared so real that the viewers wished to ask the Duke the reason behind that look on her face. However, the Duke’s stern and commanding personality made them afraid to question him directly. Only a few dared to ask, and the Duke’s reaction revealed his pride, jealousy, and need for control.
Q.6 What gifts had the Duke given to his late Duchess? Was he satisfied with her reaction?
Ans: The Duke believed that the greatest gift he had given his Duchess was the honour of his nine-hundred-year-old family name. Another gift he mentions is “my favour at her breast”, an expensive jewel or pendant, which the Duchess is shown wearing in her portrait.
However, the Duke was deeply dissatisfied with her response. He expected her to value his gifts above everything else and to show excessive gratitude and admiration. But the Duchess treated his gifts with the same warmth and delight that she showed for simple things — such as the sunset, the cherries brought by someone, or a ride on her white mule. This made the proud Duke furious. He felt insulted that she made no distinction between his noble gifts and ordinary pleasures, revealing his arrogance and obsession with power and status.
Q.7 What is the dark revelation made by the Duke? How does this revelation present the Duke’s character? How does the revelation affect the listener?
Ans: When the emissary visits the Duke of Ferrara to negotiate his marriage with the Count’s daughter, the Duke unexpectedly reveals a dark secret — that he had his former Duchess murdered on his command. He discloses that her cheerful nature, simplicity, and habit of treating everyone with equal kindness displeased him. Her inability to value his noble status and her innocent response to others’ compliments wounded his pride.
This revelation exposes the Duke as a cruel, arrogant, possessive, and egotistic man, who values power and pride over love or humanity. He speaks of the murder without remorse, even boasting of his control over her smiles. The listener, the emissary, and the readers are left shocked and horrified at the Duke’s cold-blooded confession, realizing the depth of his vanity, insecurity, and moral corruption.
Q.8 Describe the character of the Duchess.
Ans: The Duchess in Browning’s My Last Duchess is portrayed as gentle, cheerful, and kind-hearted. She is simple by nature and finds joy in everyday pleasures — a sunset, a flower, or a small gift. She treats everyone with equal respect and warmth, regardless of their social rank. The Duchess is friendly, innocent, and easily pleased, which shows her open and trusting nature.
However, these very qualities make her husband, the Duke, jealous and possessive. She does not exaggerate her gratitude for gifts or display excessive pride, which the Duke expects. Despite her modesty, intelligence, and charm, she becomes a victim of the Duke’s arrogance and obsession with control. In life, she is lively and free-spirited, but in death, she exists only as a portrait, symbolizing how her natural warmth and individuality are suppressed by the Duke’s tyranny.
Q.9 How, according to the Duke, should the Duchess have conducted herself?
Ans: From the Duke’s complaints, it is clear that he was extremely proud of his noble lineage and expected his wife to recognize that marrying him was her greatest fortune. According to him, the Duchess should have shown constant gratitude for his “favour” through every word and action. She was expected to follow a strict code of conduct, remaining confined within the palace and interacting with others only with his permission.
The Duke wanted her to be as proud and socially selective as he was, looking down upon those of lower status, and reserving her smiles and approval solely for him. He treated her not as a partner but as an object of possession, demanding total obedience. Her failure to meet these expectations enraged him, ultimately leading to her murder and confinement as a lifeless portrait behind the curtain he alone could draw.
Q.10 Comment on the literary devices used in Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess.
Ans: Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess is a dramatic monologue, where the Duke of Ferrara speaks to the Count’s emissary, revealing his character and themes of jealousy, pride, and control. Browning uses several literary devices to enhance the poem.
The poem is rich in irony: the Duke presents himself as a victim, while he is actually a cruel murderer. Metaphor is used when the Duchess is reduced to a portrait, an object of possession, and when “spot of joy” represents her smile. Browning employs assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) and consonance (repetition of consonants) to give rhythm and emphasis, e.g., “Of mine for dowry will be disallowed” and “Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though.” Caesuras create pauses that emphasize the Duke’s self-importance and control.
Through these devices, Browning skillfully reveals the Duke’s psychology and the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the poem.
আরও দেখো:
Class XI English 2nd Semester
My Last Duchess 2 Marks Questions Answers
Q.1 What type of a lady was the Duchess?
Ans: The Duchess was gentle, cheerful, kind-hearted, and free-spirited. She enjoyed simple pleasures, treated everyone equally, and was innocent, friendly, and easily pleased, which reflected her open and warm nature.
Q.2 According to the Duke, how was the heart of the Duchess? / “She had / A heart — how shall I say?” — What does the Duke mean?
Ans: In My Last Duchess, the Duke of Ferrara criticizes his deceased Duchess. According to him, she derived happiness from the simplest pleasures of life and possessed a heart that could be easily impressed or made glad. She was too naive and simple-minded to behave as a proper Duchess or a mature woman.
Q.3 “…she liked whate’er / She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.” — What does the speaker mean?
Ans: These lines, spoken by the Duke, reveal his extremely possessive and dominating nature. He regrets that he could not control what or whom his wife looked at. The Duchess was a vivacious and cheerful young lady who appreciated everything she saw, treating all people and objects equally with her gaze.
Q.4 “Sir, ’twas all one!” — What is the significance of this statement?
Ans: The Duke uses this statement to criticize his late Duchess for being a woman to whom all persons and things held equal interest and value. She made no distinction between ordinary men and the Duke himself, or between outsiders and those close to her, which enraged him.
Q.5. Why did the Duke give commands to stop all smiles of the Duchess?
Ans: The Duke became angry and jealous because the Duchess treated everyone equally and smiled at small acts of kindness, whether from him or others. He felt insulted that she did not value his gifts or noble status above all else. Unable to tolerate her cheerful and friendly nature, he gave commands that caused all her smiles to stop forever, implying he had her killed.
Q.6. How does the Duke treat his Duchess after her death?
Ans: After her death, the Duke treats the Duchess as a possessed object rather than a human being. He keeps her portrait behind a curtain, which only he can draw, showing his need for complete control. He admires her beauty, but only as an art object he can dominate, reflecting his pride, arrogance, and obsession with power.
Q.7. What does the Duke reveal about his attitude toward art and ownership?
Ans: The Duke reveals that he views art as a symbol of power and control. He admires paintings and sculptures, such as the bronze Neptune, because they can be possessed and displayed. Similarly, he sees the Duchess’s portrait as a possession, highlighting his domineering and materialistic nature, where even human beings are reduced to objects under his authority.
Q.8. How does Browning create dramatic tension in the poem?
Ans: Browning creates dramatic tension through the Duke’s speech. The reader slowly uncovers the truth about the Duchess’s murder as the Duke talks casually, showing his arrogance and cruelty. The silent listener (the emissary) heightens suspense, as the Duke’s words reveal his jealousy, pride, and moral corruption while the listener reacts only inwardly. This tension keeps the audience engaged.
Q.9. How is irony used in My Last Duchess?
Ans: The poem uses dramatic and situational irony. The Duke presents himself as a victim of the Duchess’s behavior, but the reader sees him as jealous, controlling, and cruel. It is also ironic that he admires her portrait for its beauty while he is responsible for her death. This contrast between his words and reality exposes his arrogance and immorality.
Q.10 What is the role of the silent listener in the poem?
Ans: The silent listener, the Count’s emissary, serves as a foil to the Duke, allowing Browning to reveal the Duke’s character indirectly. The emissary’s silence highlights the Duke’s domineering and boastful nature. Through his speech, the Duke inadvertently exposes his jealousy, cruelty, and obsession with control, while the listener’s reactions—though unspoken—allow the audience to judge the Duke.
Q.11 What does the Duke mean by, “She had / A heart—how shall I say?”
Ans: By this line, the Duke expresses that the Duchess had a gentle and easily pleased nature. She found happiness in small things and was too naive to behave like a mature or restrained Duchess. The Duke criticizes her for being too cheerful and indiscriminately kind.
Q.12 Explain the meaning of, “…she liked whate’er / She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.”
Ans: The Duke complains that the Duchess was too appreciative of everything she saw. Her eyes and approval were not reserved solely for him. She treated everyone equally, which angered the Duke, revealing his possessive and jealous nature.
Q.13 What is implied by the line, “I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together”?
Ans: This line reveals the Duke’s cruelty and absolute control. Unable to tolerate the Duchess’s cheerful nature, he ordered her death, so that her smiles and joy ceased forever. The line shows his arrogance and tyranny.
Q.14 Explain the line, “Notice Neptune, though, / Taming a sea-horse…”
Ans: The Duke shows the emissary his bronze statue of Neptune, symbolizing power and dominance. Just as Neptune tames the sea-horse, the Duke believes he has the right to dominate people and even his wife. It highlights his obsession with control and authority.
Q.15 What does the Duke imply by saying, “My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name / With anybody’s gift”?
Ans: The Duke is proud of his noble lineage and considers it his greatest gift. He is angry that the Duchess treated his prestigious name and simple gifts equally, failing to show special gratitude, which made him feel insulted and disrespected.
Q.16 Why did the Duke deliberately mention the name of the painter without being asked by the envoy?
Ans: The Duke deliberately mentioned the name of the painter, Fra Pandolf, without being asked by the envoy because visitors often looked at the Duchess’s painted face as if they wished to know how such an expression came there. Fra Pandolf was a famous Italian painter, and by mentioning his name, the Duke wanted to show off his power, social connections, and refined taste in art.
Q.17 Why did the visitors turn to the Duke after watching the portrait of his last Duchess?
Ans: After seeing the portrait of the last Duchess, the visitors turned to the Duke to ask how such deep passion and earnestness appeared on her face. Since only the Duke was allowed to draw the curtain and show the painting, the visitors looked to him for an explanation of the Duchess’s expression.
Q.18 What does the word ‘countenance’ mean? What does the Duke mean by ‘pictured countenance’ in the poem?
Ans: The word countenance means the facial expression of a person.
By pictured countenance, the Duke refers to the painted expression of his late Duchess’s face, which the artist skillfully reproduced in the portrait.
Q.19 “The depth and passion of its earnest glance,” — What does ‘its’ signify here? OR, Describe the expression on the Duchess’s face.
Ans: Here, its refers to the Duchess’s painted face. In the portrait, the Duchess’s expression is one of deep passion, earnestness, and tender emotion. Her eyes reflect sincerity and warmth, while her faint blush conveys modesty and joy, making the portrait seem alive.
Q.20 What did the emissary ask, turning to the Duke after viewing the painting of the Duchess?
Ans: Though the emissary does not speak in the poem, it is clear from the Duke’s speech that the emissary was deeply moved by the Duchess’s expression in the painting. He probably wished to ask the Duke what caused such a lively and emotional look on her face.
Q.21 “… none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you,” — Who is referred to as ‘I’? Which traits of the character are expressed in these lines?
Ans: Here, the Duke of Ferrara is referred to as I.
These lines reveal his arrogance, possessiveness, and controlling nature. By keeping the portrait curtained, he asserts his authority and pride, showing that he alone has the right to decide who may look upon his late Duchess’s image.
Q.22 Why did the Duke keep the portrait of his late wife curtained?
Ans: The Duke kept the portrait of his late wife curtained to assert his complete control over her image, something he failed to achieve during her lifetime. By doing so, he symbolically confined her gaze and smile within the frame, allowing no one to see her without his permission.
আরও দেখো:
WBCHSE Class 11 English 2nd Semester / My Last Duchess by Robert Browning 6 and 2 Marks Questions Answers
