JAMB - Literature In English (2001 - No. 37)
This question is based on selected poems from Ker, D. et al (eds.): New Poetry from Africa; Soyinka, W. (ed.): Poems of Black African; Senanu, K.E. and Vincent, T.(ds.): A Selection of African Poetry; Umukoro, M. et al (eds.); Exam Focus: Literature-in-English; Eruvbetine, A.E. et al (eds.) Longman Examination Guides and Nwoga, D.I. (ed.):West African Verse
The theme of Browning's My Last Duchess' is
an aristocrats's marital problems
the pitfalls of a duchess now dead
an ambassador's personal life
the pride and arrogance of an aristocrat
Explanation
The Duke, the speaker in the poem, reveals his pride, arrogance and obsessive desire for control as he narrates the story of his late wife. He views her as a possession rather than a person and values her only because of how she reflects on his status and authority. His disdain for her independent expressions of joy and his chilling implications about her fate underscore his hubris and authoritarian nature.
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