Compare My Last Duchess and Ozymandias: Grade 9 Thesis & Quotes (AQA)
Best for: The arrogance of power, the desire for immortality, and the ultimate futility of control. If the exam poem is My Last Duchess, compare to Ozymandias to show how the Duke’s attempt to “freeze” his wife in a painting mirrors Ozymandias’s attempt to “freeze” his greatness in a statue. If the exam poem is Ozymandias, compare to My Last Duchess to show how both leaders use art as a tool of propaganda to mask their own insecurity and cruelty.
Elite Thesis:
“While both Shelley and Browning explore the narcissistic hubris of leaders who utilize art to immortalize their absolute power, Shelley presents a temporal perspective where nature inevitably dismantles the ‘sneer of cold command,’ whereas Browning offers a psychological perspective where the Duke’s domestic tyranny remains chillingly active, suggesting that while empires fall, the impulse to control others is a persistent human corruption.”
Quick Comparison Grid (The “Ninja Cheat Sheet”)
| Element | Ozymandias (Shelley) | My Last Duchess (Browning) |
|---|---|---|
| When? | 1818—The Romantic era, focusing on the ruins of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh | 1842—The Victorian era, set in the Italian Renaissance |
| Key Image | “Shattered visage” / “Trunkless legs of stone” | “Looking as if she were alive” / “The curtain I have drawn” |
| The “Power” | Political/Imperial—a “King of Kings” | Domestic/Aristocratic—a Duke with a “nine-hundred-years-old name” |
| Tone | Ironical, detached, elegiac | Arrogant, sinister, controlled |
| Structure | Sonnet (mixing Petrarchan and Shakespearean)—mimics the decay of power | Dramatic Monologue in heroic couplets—mimics the Duke’s total control |
| The Result | “Nothing beside remains” | “I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together” |
1. Art as a Tool of Power: The Statue vs. The Painting
Ozymandias:
- The statue was intended to be a monument to greatness (“Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”). It is a form of political propaganda designed to intimidate future generations.
- The sculptor “well those passions read,” suggesting that the art actually captures the cruelty of the leader (“sneer of cold command”) rather than his glory.
- Elite Link: The art has outlasted the empire, but it only serves to mock the leader’s vanity. The “shattered visage” is a literal deconstruction of his ego.
My Last Duchess:
- The painting is a monument to possession. The Duke has turned his wife into an object (“That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall”) that he can finally control with a “curtain.”
- The Duke values the technical skill of the artist (“Fra Pandolf’s hands / Worked busily a day”) over the actual life of the woman, showing his preference for controlled art over “wild” humanity.
- Elite Link: For the Duke, art is a way to “fix” a problem. He couldn’t control the Duchess’s “smiles” in life, so he killed her to ensure she only “smiles” for him in the painting.
Explore: Both leaders use art to replace reality, but while Ozymandias’s art is a public failure, the Duke’s art is a private success—he has successfully commodified his victim.
2. The Arrogance of Command: “King of Kings” vs. “Nine-hundred-years-old Name”
Ozymandias:
- Ozymandias’s power is absolute and imperial. He calls himself “King of Kings,” a title that challenges both men and gods. His “cold command” suggests a leader who ruled through fear and distance.
- His arrogance is his blindness to time. He believes his “works” are eternal, failing to realize that “the lone and level sands” of time will erase everything.
- Elite Link: The “sneer” on the statue’s face is the only thing that remains, proving that his legacy is one of contempt, not achievement.
My Last Duchess:
- The Duke’s power is inherited and aristocratic. He is obsessed with his “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name,” suggesting that his authority comes from bloodline rather than merit.
- His arrogance is his inability to be “stooped”. He refuses to “lesson” his wife on her behavior because he believes his status should make his expectations obvious without him having to speak.
- Elite Link: The Duke’s “commands” are a domestic version of Ozymandias’s “cold command”—both use their position to silence anyone who does not show them total “despair” or devotion.
Explore: Both poets critique the ego of the elite, showing how a sense of superiority leads to the dehumanization of others.
3. Structure: The Decaying Sonnet vs. The Controlled Monologue
Ozymandias:
- The poem is a Sonnet, but it breaks the traditional rules. It starts as a Petrarchan sonnet, moves into a Shakespearean rhyme scheme, and then invents its own.
- This structural decay mirrors the physical decay of the statue and the empire. The form itself is “shattered” by the end of the poem.
- Elite Link: The use of a frame narrative (“I met a traveller”) distances the reader from Ozymandias, making his power seem like a distant, irrelevant myth.
My Last Duchess:
- The poem is a Dramatic Monologue written in heroic couplets. This highly controlled, repetitive form reflects the Duke’s obsession with order and his dominance over the conversation.
- However, the heavy use of enjambment suggests that the Duke’s true, murderous nature is “spilling out” despite his attempt to sound sophisticated and in control.
- Elite Link: The Duke is the sole speaker. The Duchess is silenced, and the Envoy (the listener) is silent, mirroring how absolute power leaves no room for other voices.
Explore: Shelley uses structure to enact the fall of power, while Browning uses structure to enact the presence of power—both use form to comment on the nature of authority.
Context Comparison (AO3 Power Move)
| Ozymandias (Shelley) | My Last Duchess (Browning) |
|---|---|
| Written by a Romantic poet who was a radical atheist and anti-monarchist. Shelley hated the “cold command” of the kings of his own time (like George III). | Written in the Victorian Era but set in the Renaissance. Browning uses the setting to critique Victorian gender roles and the “taming” of women. |
| Inspired by the discovery of Ramesses II’s statue. It reflects the Romantic fascination with ruins and the “Sublime” power of nature over man. | Inspired by the historical Duke of Ferrara, who was suspected of poisoning his young wife. It reflects the Victorian fascination with psychology and the “darker” side of the elite. |
| The poem is a warning to tyrants: no matter how great your “works,” time and nature will eventually reduce you to “trunkless legs of stone.” | The poem is a study of a tyrant: it shows how the impulse to control can lead to murder, and how the elite use their “name” to hide their crimes. |
Elite Insight: Ozymandias is a warning from the past, while the Duke is a threat in the present. Shelley shows us that power is temporary, but Browning shows us that the desire for power is lethal.
Exam Sentence Starters
- “While Shelley presents the inevitable decay of power through the ruins of Ozymandias, Browning explores the chilling persistence of power through the Duke’s domestic tyranny…”
- “Both poets utilize art as a metaphor for the leader’s ego: Shelley through the ‘shattered visage’ of a statue, and Browning through the ‘painted’ Duchess on the wall…”
- “The ‘cold command’ of Ozymandias serves as a political parallel to the ‘commands’ of the Duke, as both represent the elite’s desire to silence and control others…”
- “Shelley’s use of a decaying sonnet structure mirrors the fall of an empire, whereas Browning’s use of heroic couplets reflects the Duke’s obsession with total order…”
- “Contextually, Shelley’s Romantic critique of monarchy parallels Browning’s Victorian critique of aristocratic narcissism, as both poets expose the hubris of absolute rule…”
FAQs
What is the best poem to compare with Ozymandias?
My Last Duchess is perfect for the arrogance of power. You can also compare it to London for the corruption of the state, or The Prelude for the power of nature.
What is the best poem to compare with My Last Duchess?
Ozymandias is excellent for control and ego. Alternatively, compare it to London for tyranny, or Kamikaze for social pressure.
What is the best theme linking Ozymandias and My Last Duchess?
The Arrogance and Corruption of Power—specifically, how leaders use art and status to try and immortalize their control over others.
What quotes should I compare between Ozymandias and My Last Duchess?
- “Sneer of cold command” (Ozymandias) vs. “I gave commands” (Duchess)—the language of absolute authority.
- “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” (Ozymandias) vs. “My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name” (Duchess)—the source of their hubris.
- “Shattered visage” (Ozymandias) vs. “Looking as if she were alive” (Duchess)—the use of art to preserve a version of the self or the other.
How do I compare structure in Ozymandias and My Last Duchess?
Shelley uses a decaying sonnet form to mirror the inevitable fall of empires and the passage of time. Browning uses a Dramatic Monologue with heroic couplets to mirror the Duke’s obsession with control and his silencing of other voices. Both use form to reflect the stability (or instability) of the power they describe.
What is a Grade 9 thesis for Ozymandias vs. My Last Duchess?
“While Shelley presents a temporal perspective where nature inevitably dismantles the ‘sneer of cold command,’ Browning offers a psychological perspective where the Duke’s domestic tyranny remains chillingly active, suggesting that while empires fall, the impulse to control is a persistent human corruption.”
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