Compare the ways poets present relationships in ‘Les Grands Seigneurs’ and in one other poem from Character and Voice In this essay I will be commenting on the presentation of relationships in two poems.
The first poem is ‘Les Grands Seigneurs’, in which the speaker remarks on her life before marriage, where she was adored and worshiped by men, and how it has changed after marriage. ‘My Last Duchess’ is a dramatic monologue in which the speaker comments on his late wife and her character, suggesting that she was unfaithful to him and hinting that he may have murdered her because of this.One feature that is common to both poems is the presence of male dominance. ‘Les Grands Seigneurs’ presents the idea of male dominance in the final stanza of the poem, where the speaker remarks on how her role as a wife now that she is married: “I became (yes overnight) a toy, a plaything, little woman, Wife, a bit of fluff”, in this quotation a list of metaphors have been used to display the speaker’s transformation from a ‘queen’, who was worshiped by men to ‘a bit of fluff’, who is forced to obey by her husband’s orders.The images in the list appear to be diminishing in value; the speaker starts by comparing her status with a toy, however by the end of the list it has become ‘a bit of fluff’, which suggests that this imagery reflects how marriage has diminished her value and attraction. Moreover, the imagery of the wife being a ‘plaything’ relates to the concept of male domination, as it suggests that in her husband’s eyes she is nothing more than a possession, a ‘plaything’, belonging to her husband.
Furthermore, the quotation “My husband clicked his fingers, called my bluff” adds to the theme of male domination as it displays how she has no control over the situation. The image of the husband clicking his fingers to signal his wife causes the speaker’s role as a wife seem almost synonymous to a slave; she is powerless to his command. Likewise, in ‘My Last Duchess’ the concept of ‘male domination’ is also present, however as this poem is written from the male’s point of view, it gives a different perspective on the subject.This is supported by the quotation: “I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together. ” in which the Duke is remarking on how he thought that his wife smiled too much, so he ordered her to stop smiling. The simplicity of the sentence and the use of the semi-colon reflects easily the Duke is able to control and command his wife, as if she were one of his possessions, which clearly displays the dominant role of the Duke in the relationship presented.
Furthermore, the use of sibilance in the words ‘smiles stopped’ acts to emphasise the threatening aspect of this line by creating a ‘hissing’ sound which accentuates the sinister tone of the poem. ‘Les Grands Seigneurs’ appears at first to have a fairly conventional form; it is set out in four clear stanzas with fairly equal line length. Conversely on the fourth stanza comes a dramatic turn in the tone conveyed, shifting from a romantic and playful tone to dark and ironic, which is emphasised by the shortness of the last stanza.The final stanza contains only three lines as opposed to the four on each previous stanza, which causes the stanza to look out of place, which suggests that perhaps the poet intended for the structure of this poem to reflect the content; the black humour and irony of the final stanza with “I became (yes overnight) a toy, a plaything, little woman, Wife, a bit of fluff” is a stark contrast to the image of romance and courtly love that is portrayed before with imagery such as “Men were my buttresses, my castellated towers”.This quotation creates rather naive images of a ‘fairytale’ romance, which contrasts to the harsh reality of their relationship that is revealed in stanza four. In contrast to ’Les Grands Seigneurs’, ‘My Last Duchess’ has a fully regular structure.
It is written in iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets consistently throughout the poem. The regularity and precision of the structure imply strict control, which could reflect that the speaker is somewhat domineering. This relates to the personality of the Duke which is portrayed in this poem; “I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together”.Furthermore, ‘Les Grands Seigneurs’ uses poetic methods such as caesura are to emphasise dramatic statements, which are features heavily in this poem. For instance, in the line “Wife, a bit of fluff. My husband clicked” the caesura creates a harsh stop in the line, which disrupts the flow of the poem and draws attention to the blunt sentence, enhancing the harsh image of the speaker’s image being reduced to ‘a bit of fluff’.
Likewise ‘My Last Duchess’ also features many examples poetic methods, such as caesura.Similarly to ‘Les Grands Seigneurs’, the caesura in the quotation “There she stands/ As if alive. Will’t you please rise? ” is used to dramatic effect. The pause in the line comes after the speaker reiterates the fact that his wife is death, therefore making the statement seem more shocking. However unlike ‘Les Grands Seigneurs’, ‘My Last Duchess’ features techniques enjambment and a variety of punctuation: “She thanked men,-good! but thanked / Somehow - I know not how”.
This is used to mimic the natural flow and stops of speech, as the speaker in the poem is supposedly talking to an unheard character.
