1a. In line 1, how does the Duke refer to the person in the portrait?
2a. To what causes does the Duke attribute the Duchess's smile in the painting?
3a. What did the Duke give his Duchess that he thought was greater than all other gifts?
4a. Identify the main characteristics of the Duchess.
5a. Evaluate the Duke's comments. Consider both their intent and their effect.
1b. What can you infer about the Duke from this comment?
2b. Why does the Duke dislike the Duchess's smile?
3b. What does the Duke think of himself?
4b. If the portrait could talk, what do you think the Duchess would say about the Duke?
5b. What would you do if you heard somebody talk like this?
Dramatic Monologue. Explain the situation behind this dramatic monologue. What does the speaker reveal about himself through his speech?
Diction. Review the chart you made in Literary Tools. What is the significance of the Duke's choice of the word object to refer to the woman he wants to marry? What other objects does the Duke collect? What might be the reaction of the Duke's visitor?
1a. What has del Sarto's wife asked him to do at the beginning of the poem? What does del Sarto ask his wife to do this evening?
2a. What is del Sarto's skill as a painter? What does his painting lack?
3a. Why did del Sarto leave his "kingly days" behind?
4a. Analyze del Sarto's lack of success. What aspects of his life led him toward success? Which stood in his way?
5a. Near the beginning of the poem, del Sarto says that he regrets little and "would change still less." Judge whether he is being honest.
1b. How does del Sarto feel toward his wife? How do you know?
2b. Which quality does del Sarto think is more important? How do you know?
3b. What effect has Lucrezia had on del Sarto's work?
4b. What do you think would have happened if del Sarto had left Lucrezia?
5b. Is it possible to regret something, but not want to change it? Explain.
Paradox. In the poem, del Sarto says of other painters in Florence that they are not as skilled as he, that they are able to do less than he can. Then he states a paradox, that "Less is more." What does he mean by that paradox? In what sense is their work greater than his, even though it is less technically perfect?
Theme. One central idea, perhaps the central idea, of this poem is stated in the lines "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, / Or what's a heaven for?" What does it mean to have a reach that exceeds your grasp? What is within del Sarto's grasp? For what should he be reaching? What keeps him from doing so? How might reaching beyond one's grasp account for the great works done by human beings? What is Browning saying about the human spirit and its role in creating great art and wonderful lives?
1. Write a thank you note to somebody who has supported you in some endeavor or helped you to succeed in some way.
2. Write a personal essay about a dream you are trying to achieve, your own attempt to reach beyond your grasp.
3. Imagine that you are the Duke's visitor or Lucrezia, Andrea del Sarto's wife. Write a dramatic monologue in response to "My Last Duchess" or "Andrea del Sarto."
Writing Varied Sentences.Rewrite the following paragraph to vary the length and structure of its sentences. Robert Browning wrote "The Pied Piper of Hamelin." It is a famous poem. It tells a marvelous story. The story is often retold in children's books. The story goes like this: A city is plagued with rats. The city fathers are worried. A piper offers to rid the town of rats. The city agrees to pay him. The piper plays. The rats follow him out of the town. The city then refuses to pay the piper. The piper therefore takes revenge. He plays his pipe. The city's children hear the music. They follow him out of town and are not seen or heard of again.
Art History. Research the life and works of one of the following Italian Renaissance painters: Andrea del Sarto, Giotto di Bondone, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael (Raffaello Santi), Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti), and Michelangelo da Caravaggio.
Research Findings on Renaissance Painters:
Sources Used:
Public Service Announcement.Write a public service announcement about domestic abuse or dating violence. You may need to research the subject to get statistics or other facts. For additional help, read the Language Arts Survey 6.10, "Writing a Public Service Announcement."
