In those days there were always certain classed that would always be prejudiced against. Therefore, this incidence could have been regarded as his wife trying to exert some egalitarian power, by making the officious fool’ feel like an equal, and also by riding round on a white mule’, something which was often seen as a past time of the poor, as they could not afford to buy a proper horse. This form of power did not seem to go down well within the constraints of the love relationship.
The duke seemed particularly afraid of this form of power as he proceeded to mention the fact that he thought that she felt that she ranked’ his nine-hundred year old name’ with anyone’s gift’. This shows that he feels that the social classes should stand as they are. This is quite ironic, as this is set in the Renaissance period where it was said that people were becoming more scientific and were ready to embrace new ideas.
This is at odds with what actually happens in the poem, with the man defecting to the typical view of women being slaves’ to the men, but during a very socially obligated period. As well as this, the poem also manages to explore the power of love itself.
This is shown with the infatuation of the widowed husband over the picture, as is demonstrated when the Duke believe that there is depth’ in the painting, and that the women portrayed in the painting still holds some passion’ for him.
This could either be the power of the love, or, in fact, the power of the painting. This could, however, represent the actual mentality of the Duke, as he falls in love’ with a painting of a woman who is deceased
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