Answer
The central idea of control is a common theme in the texts “My Last Duchess”, “Hamlet”, and “A Room of One’s Own”. In “My Last Duchess”, Robert Browning uses the Duke of Ferrara to illustrate the power of control. The Duke is a controlling figure who is obsessed with controlling his late wife’s behavior and appearance. He is so controlling that he has her portrait painted to ensure that her beauty is preserved forever. In “Hamlet”, Shakespeare uses the character of Claudius to illustrate the power of control. Claudius is a manipulative and controlling figure who is determined to maintain control over the kingdom of Denmark. He is so controlling that he murders his own brother in order to gain control of the throne. In “A Room of One’s Own”, Virginia Woolf uses the idea of a woman’s need for a room of her own to illustrate the power of control. Woolf argues that women need a space of their own in order to be able to express themselves and to be free from the control of men.
The authors of these texts develop the idea of control in different ways. Browning uses the Duke of Ferrara to illustrate the power of control over another person. Shakespeare uses Claudius to illustrate the power of control over a kingdom. Woolf uses the idea of a woman’s need for a room of her own to illustrate the power of control over one’s own life.
The texts work together to build an understanding of the central idea of control by showing how it can manifest in different ways. Browning’s text shows how control can be used to control another person, while Shakespeare’s text shows how control can be used to control a kingdom. Woolf’s text shows how control can be used to control one’s own life. All three