My Last Duchess Theme

The theme of death is a potent idea portrayed across a range of poems, throughout these poems it is presented in various different ways. It is portrayed as simply a part of the cycle of life, or a tragic and sorrowful event when happening to loved ones, or a great evil that should be fought with every ounce of strength left in your body until everything in life that you wanted to accomplish has been fulfilled. These themes are portrayed throughout the 3 key poems that I will be focusing on: ‘A Mother in a refugee camp’, ‘My last duchess’ and ‘Do not go gentle into that good night. In ‘A Mother in a refugee camp’ a mother is with her child as he is experiencing his final moments of life, all the while she is cherishing the memories she has of him. In ‘My last duchess’ a cold and callous Duke is talking to the envoy of his future duchess whom he wishes to marry, bragging about how he …show more content…
This relates to the poem ‘My last duchess’ as a cold and uncaring outlook on death and murder is a theme shared by both of these poems. Whereas in ‘My last duchess, the Duke is bragging and boasting over his murder and ‘taming’ of his previous duchess, the young women in ‘The laboratory’ takes pride in the fact that she is plotting the murders of those she sees as betrayers and revels in the act she is soon to commit. The use of enjambment and AB rhyme scheme in this poem gives it a fast and fluid pace, this pace adds to the sense of excitement and joy that the mistress is feeling while preparing for the murder. This shows her cold, sadistic views towards death going as far to take joy in inflicting in others demonstrates her twisted personality. Her excitement is also shown by her willingness as she is willing to give all of her “jewels” and “gold”. This poem highlights a dark side of death showing that people are so cold and heartless that they are willing to inflict such a tragedy upon