His guilt is evident because he is questioning his actions; this is reinforced by the repetition of the word ‘foe’. Also the use of the words ‘That’s clear enough…’ where he is trying to reassure himself, about his actions.
My Last Duchess The duke does not feel guilty for his actions; this is evident when he says;
“I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together.”
His lack of guilt is evident because he is giving commands to someone to kill his wife; and he is not showing any regret or sadness. Therefore the two characters feel very differently about the deaths that they have both been involved in. The attitudes about the deaths are very different: both men also reveal different attitudes towards the past.
The Duke would kill again if his wife was not perfect and the solider would kill again only if he came into contact with another enemy.
In My Last Duchess
“Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed
At starting, is my object”
Here it is obvious he would kill again because he is saying his next wife will also be his object. She is an addition to his art collection and will need to be perfect if she is keep her life.
The protagonist in ‘The man he killed’ would probably kill again if placed in the sa
me position.
In The Man He Killed
“But ranged as infantry
And staring face to face.”
If he was put in that position again then he might shoot to kill somebody to save his life. However In the Man he Killed it seems that the man would only kill again if he was forced to.
The men both display different attitudes towards their actions.
In the poems the Duke is haughty and dismissive and in the man he killed the solider is very humble. And regretful. In the Man he Killed another key difference between the two poems are the attitudes displayed after the deaths.
The langue he used is very basic and monosyllabic, and he is also very agitated about what he has done.
“Was out of work – had sold his traps –
No other reason why.”
The simple language shows how he is struggling to come to terms with what he has done. In My Last Duchess
The Duke’s attitude is completely different, because he is very dismissive and bossy, and he loves the sound of his own voice.
“Nay, we’ll go
Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,
Taming a sea-horse”
Here the duke is talking about his wife which he has just had murdered, then he just stop talking about her and starts talking about his art work, this shows he is very dismissive and he is not bothered about what he has done. This quote shows that the attitudes of the two characters are extremely different.
In the two poems both Thomas Hardy and, Robert Browning use enjambment, to emphasise what they are saying, and to reflect on the naturalistic speech. In The Man He Killed
“That’s clear enough; although
He thought he’d list perhaps “
Here enjambment is used to show the hesitation, the moment he realises that the other man was just like him. In My Last Duchess,’ enjambment is used in a different way
“I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together”
The Duke is thinking about what he has done – the audience are encouraged to reflect on this and are naturally shocked at what he has done. This quote shows that both writers used enjambment in two different ways, to emphasize their character’s actions towards the deaths that have occurred.
