PART 1

教师导入

As a chronicler of “the incidents in the development of a soul,” Robert Browning often allowed a speaker’s own words to reveal, and condemn, his or her own behavior. The Duke’s monologue in “My Last Duchess” unveils his persona as courteous, cultured, and terrifying, as he describes a portrait of his late wife in stark detail. Browning’s “My Last Duchess,” first published in Dramatic Lyrics in 1842, is one of the best known of his many dramatic monologues. In the following lesson, students will come to understand the use of dramatic monologue as a poetic device, and they will learn to read beyond the speaker's words in order to understand the implications beneath.

Introduction of the Poet

Robert Browning (1812-1889) was the son of a clerk in the Bank of England. He is a poet, playwright, and he is noteworthy for the dramatic monologue. His major works are My Last Duchess, Meeting at Night, Parting at Morning, The Ring and the Book, Home Thoughts from Abroad, etc.

Features of Dramatic Monologue

1.A single person, who is patently not the poet, utters the speech that makes up the whole of the poem, in a specific situation at a critical moment .

2.This person addresses and interacts with one or more other people.

3.The main principle controlling the poet's choice and formulation of what the lyric speaker says is to reveal to the reader, in a way that enhances its interest, the speaker's temperament and character.