Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Literature · specification 4ET1 · Component 1 | Section B: Anthology Poetry · Free · no account needed
My Last Duchess — Robert Browning (4ET1 specification)
A Duke shows a portrait of his dead wife to the envoy negotiating his next marriage, and reveals far more than he intends.
Specification coverage
Component 1, Section B — Anthology Poetry (Part 3 of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology)
Assessment objectives: AO2, AO3. Suggested learning time: 60 minutes.
Required knowledge
- Published 1842; the speaker is based on a Renaissance Italian duke
- A silent listener is present throughout — the envoy of the next bride's family
- The Duke's account of what he did to the Duchess is left deliberately unfinished
Required skills
- Analyse how language, form and structure create meanings and effects (AO2)
- Compare this poem with another from Part 3, including language, structure and form (AO3)
- Use appropriate literary terminology accurately
- Select relevant, short examples from the poem — it is printed in the paper, so precision is expected
How it is examined
- One 30-mark comparative essay, from a choice of two, comparing this poem with one other from Part 3
Common mistakes
- Treating the Duke as a reliable narrator. Everything he says is evidence against him.
- Forgetting the silent listener. The poem is a performance aimed at a specific man for a specific purpose.
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