Essay On My Last Duchess

My Last Duchess
While rewriting "My Last Duchess", I went back and forth trying to decide whose point of view
to write it from, but finally decided to write it from the servants point of view. I chose this
character, because the servant is the only one in the narrative who closely experiences the Duke
after he kills the Duchess. By writing it from the servant point of view, we can see still see how the
Duke's mental health is questionable, but yet it adds more depth to it, as we gain this knowledge
from someone other than the Duke himself, and thus we can truly see how awful of a person the
Duke is. There were a few elements that were lost in the changing of narrators, for instance, it is
now harder to see how arrogant and conceited the Duke really is. I
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Essay On My Last Duchess
The poem: "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning gives a haunting look into the thoughts of a
possible murderer. From the first reading one can deduce that the "Last Duchess" was murdered
by the Duke. While the motive for the murder is not blatantly expressed, a deeper reading reveals
that the Duke became aware of his wife's rampant infidelity. This betrayal drove the Duke into a fit
of jealous rage in which he murdered his wife in cold blood. So, "...twas not/ Her husband's
presence only, called that spot/ Of joy into the Duchess' cheek..." (lines 13–15) is not an innocent
expression describing a coy Duchess, brother a suggestive use of language that is employed by the
Duke throughout the poem to allude to his his former wife's lack of...show more content...
He states that he had difficulty discussing his worries about the Duchess' fidelity with his wife. He
sees discussing such things as "stooping" for which he refuses to do "––E'en then would be some
stooping, and I choose/Never to stoop" (lines 41–42). Perhaps this is a consequence of his noble
upbringing. He admits however that if not for his wife's loose morals he would otherwise be
sexually satisfied in his relationship. Yet as the Duchess' flirtatious nature grew the ever more
extreme. The Duke felt jealous, threatened, and that his wife was out of his Victorian era rule. He
had enough, he had her ability to "smile" at other men put to an end "I gave commands; Then all
smiles stopped together."(lines 45–46). Presumably through having her die in some way, or by
having the Duchess be put away. We do not know which due to such details being omitted by
Browning for the sake of mystery. The Duke shows the wedding negotiator (the reader) a new piece
of art, one of Neptune taming a sea–horse "Notice Neptune, though,/Taming a sea–horse, thought a
rarity..."(lines 54–55). The Duke, unlike Neptune, could not tame his wife's promiscuity as Neptune
tames his sea–horse. Just as the gods of Rome dealt with infidelity in their own relationships so too
does man no matter his noble status. In this metaphor Neptune is serving as the Duke and the
Seahorse is his

Essay on my last duchess
Poets often use literary techniques to clearly convey the personalities of their speakers. In
"My Last Duchess", Robert Browning uses point of view, diction, and imagery to achieve a powerful
effect, underlining the attitude and personality of the Duke.
In a dramatic monologue, character development is based on what the speaker says, and how he says
it. In "My Last Duchess", the speaker of the monologue addresses a fictional audience, and the
reader is seen as an unnoticed third party. It is because of this viewpoint that the reader is able to
analyze the words and actions of the Duke, gaining insight into his life and personality that he is not
aware of giving. While the poet...show more content...
The Duke's "trifling lack of countenance" is evident in his jealousy of the duchess's kindness toward
others. Her benevolence "disgusts" the Duke, and causes him to "stoop" down to spouting off
"commands" in her direction. By publicly describing the features that he disliked about the
personality of his duchess, he is shown to be a heartless, arrogant man. His complete nonchalant
manner about the issue of his wife's death is also seen through his diction. He seems to care more
about impressing his guests than telling them about his wife, as he describes the artwork and artist
with such passion. "The piece a wonder, now: Fra
Pandolf's hands worked busily a day, and there she stands." He encourages the envoy to
"Please you sit and look at her," as he had invited many other men to do so. Through the diction used
both in describing the Duke and in his own thoughts, the reader sees his arrogant and ruthless nature.
Browning's use of distinct imagery further creates the picture of the Duke as an egotistical,
tyrannical, and ruthless man. The Duke, through his words to the envoy and his description of his
duchess, proves his own need to be in control. He initially asks his guests to "please you sit and
look at her", later tells his guests that no one may draw the curtain, and in the end commands them
to "please rise" and go downstairs. These commands paint the Duke as a man

My Last Duchess By Margaret Atwood
The short story, "My Last Duchess," by critically acclaimed, Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, is
an intriguing and thought–provoking work of prose. Though it ties considerably to the famous work
by the same name, written by Robert Browning, it also brings its own ideas, and symbols to the
table. The most prominent symbolic link within this story is the representation between the
characterization of Miss Bessie––the high school english teacher––and the narrator 's ideas,
thoughts, and fears about life. The term life –– for the purposes of this essay –– is defined as the
existence of an individual person and their course through the world. In "My Last Duchess," the
narrator 's life is symbolically represented through Miss Bessie by the character traits of a positive
reputation, overcoming obstacles, and the solitary nature of people. A positive reputation is an
important part of being successful; being respected for your workmanship, determination and
professionalism is, for many people, a major goal in life. Throughout "My Last Duchess," Miss
Bessie is described as having, "[a] no–nonsense professional appearance," as well as being, "the best
English teacher in the school." The narrator also remarks about Miss Bessie's intolerance for meer
passing marks, stating that, "...she wanted top marks from us. She had the reputation of the school
to keep up, and also her own reputation." It can be inferred that Miss Bessie is quite conscious of
her reputation and treats it as a

My Last Duchess Patriarchal Power
My Last Duchess, by Robert Browning represents the sense of powerlessness in women through the
dominating aspect of patriarchal power. My Last Duchess portrays the Duke who possesses
patriarchal power over the Duchess and establishes himself as the more important of the sexes. The
iambic pentameter in 'That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,/Looking as if she were alive. I call'
reinforces the Dukes status through his rhythmic speech, indicating his confidence and superiority.
Patriarchal power is demonstrated as the Duke seems as though he possesses the Duchess through
the first person possessive adjective 'my'. This possessive adjective metaphorically demonstrates the
powerlessness of the Duchess as she has suffered a lack of freedom...show more content...
In conjunction, the symbolism of a tamed sea–horse in the line, 'Notice Neptune, though,/Taming a
sea–horse' demonstrates the way in which the Duke exploits the Duchess' powerlessness to taken
control of her life. 'Taming' symbolises captivity – evoking the notion that the Duke may have
prevented his wife from participating in certain activities by dictating her life – symbolising the
Duchess' powerlessness in the face of a common form of patriarchy. The Duke dehumanises the
Duchess by the way he treats her and refers to her as a 'sea–horse', making her seem insignificant
and powerless. The poet refers to the Duke as Neptune, the powerful king of the sea, implying that
the Duke has an overruling power over the Duchess through the notion of being King – one who
rules over all. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman similarly represents a sense of
women's powerlessness through the theme of patriarchal power in the women's oppression during
the nineteenth century. The story follows an unnamed narrator as she suffers from mental illness
while she submissively obeys to her husband's patriarchal power, as does the Duchess does to the

My Last Duchess Essay
My Last Duchess is a poem but more of a monologue whose poet is Robert Browning. The poem
presents to us probably a Duke who seems to show off the wife's portrait to an addressee who is a
visitor in his house. When the Duke talks to the visitor, he makes reference to the portrait of her
Duchess framed on the wall and refers to her as the last one. The Duchess is late, "Looking as if
she were alive" (Browning, 2). As I had stated in the opening sentence, the poem is just a monologue
since it involves only one character who addresses the passive addressee "visitor" throughout the
poem. The setting of the poem is somewhere within the private residence of the Duke and we can
think of may be an art gallery within his home where he hangs the portraits of several Duchess he
has had. From the title of the poem, we get an idea that...show more content...
The appreciation and admiration aspect of the Duke is shown on how he admires the several
artworks, but particularly for the portrait of his last Duchess. His selection of words just shows
how much he appreciates the work. From lines 2 and 3, his choice of words just shows how much
he admires the portrait. This is an indication that in as much as the Duke can be viewed as someone
who is irrational, at least, there is some aspect of positivity in him, and that is admiring the work of
someone else.
The Duke is also shown as someone who is very proud and immodest. From the first line of the
poem "That's my last Duchess painted on wall" (Browning, 1). He communicates in a tone that
shows some pride and arrogance while addressing the "visitor". Moreover, when the Duke opts to
use the indefinite pronoun "it" to refer to someone he cherished gives us the opinion that he was
viewing the Duchess as an "object" rather than a human being (line, 8). From that, Browning shows
the Duke as someone who looks down upon people and is less bothered by the feelings he elicits in
other

In 'My Last Duchess', Browning details the flaws of the archetypal Victorian male through the
personification of the portrait of his late duchess. Browning reveals the narrator's irrational sense of
control and possessiveness to showcase the avarice embedded within the human condition. The
pronoun "my" in the title itself elicits the sense of ownership the narrator withholds over his
dutchess. The portrait of his dutchess "stands as if alive" to suggest that the speaker values his
duchess as an inanimate object than her life. Her purpose as his wife is fulfilled as she is finally
"lessoned so" through the depiction of her portrait to symbolise her ultimate submission to the
speaker. The duchess being no more than his "object" proves she has

My Last Duchess
In Robert Browning's poem, My Last Duchess, is about a conversation surrounding a portrait. The
focus swirls around the untimely death of the duchess, Alfonso II last wife, because of some
impropriety. She looks alive, and the duke attributes this to the skill of the painter, FrГ Pandolf. This
serves to remind the reader that the duke does not approve of the way the duchess handled herself.
Evidently, the duke does not approve of the zest for life that the duchess exhibited. He of course
compliments her beauty, but the duke blames his late wife for smiling back at FrГ Pandolf, for
being kind to everyone she encountered, and for enjoying life too much. She failed to appreciate
him. The duke gives a characterization of his former duchess, which

My Last Duchess By Robert Browning Analysis
The Mask of Poetry: Robert Browning
Robert Browning had lifelong aspirations for poetry, but struggled with establishing his own
voice in his works. He regarded himself as writing under a mask, through which he could take on
the unique voices of his characters while shrouding his own voice. Robert Browning was raised as
the only son of affluent parents, who denied him none of life's pleasures. Superficially, two of his
protagonists, the Duke and the Bishop, resemble this aspect of Browning, taking pride in the
wealth they have amassed over their respective lifetimes and relishing any opportunity to boast
their wealth to others. Later in life, Browning married poet Elizabeth Barrett, who was physically
an invalid, but far more renowned as a poet than he was. Browning was so devoted to his wife, and
their son, Pen, that he only wrote a single poem within the first three years of his marriage. Although
there is little reason to doubt that his loving relationship with his wife was genuine, Robert Browning
may have drawn upon his own feelings of inadequacy in regards to his writing, taking on the
'masks' of different character's voices in order to express the darker parts of his nature.
In the poem, My Last Duchess, the speaker, a fictionalized version of the Duke of Ferrara,
audaciously displays a portrait of his late bride, the eponymous Duchess to a representative of his
potential father in law. He goes on to explain that he ordered the death of his beautiful wife for failing

Essay On My Last Duchess
I compared and contrasted the attitudes the women give toward the speaker in the poems "To His
Coy Mistress" and "My Last Duchess." I was able to do this by using elements like speaker,
figurative language, and tone. To show how the poets reveal the attitudes that the women give off.
In the poems "My Last Duchess" and "To His Coy Mistress" the speaker expresses throughout their
poem that they exclusively only want to use women for pleasure and convenience. This was
inferred based on their tone and figurative language used in the poem. The speaker's used a different
and unusual tone and style in order to get their message about women across to us.
In My Last Duchess, the tone of the speaker has a tone that seems like a bragger/show off type
...show more content...
At the end of the poem he stops talking about the painting and he talks to the representative of a
count, whose niece he wishes to marry. Now, at line 51 to 53 he says, "Of mine for dowry will be
disallowedНѕ/Though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed/ At starting, is my object." The author's
diction (word choice) using the word "object" further confirms that the Duke objectifies women. He
doesn't just say that he cares about the women or the marriage, instead he says that she's his object.
That infers that he will own her, as if she is just an item for display, like the painting of his last
duchess.
Lastly in "My Last Duchess" at the very end of the poem, in line 54, he starts to talk about
another piece of art, this makes it seem like just showing off his property (which he is). Showing
off his property, further confirms that he views women as objects and not people (Objectifies).
Then in the poem "To His Coy Mistress", the speaker feelings at first seem very strong, but then
prove to be only normal flirtations that are normally associated with the time period. He shows
himself to possibly be a half decent character by saying, "Nor would I love at lower rate," which
refers to the lady and her virginity. By this line, he is telling her that he will still love her, regardless
of whatever intimate or non–intimate relations they may pursue. But he only tells her this in order to

My Last Duchess Diction
'My Last Duchess" in itself is a Victorian reflection on Renaissance Italy. It explores societal schemas
which permeated both aristocratic societies extensively, such as societal entitlement and a
narcissistic and oppressive attitude. Browning takes this to a deeper level by exploring these
temperaments in the speaker; the Duke of Ferrara. This is achieved through the use of structure and
syntax to provide insight into the psyche of the speaker by insinuating and presenting the real
ideology of the speaker through the development of a societal interaction. Browning employs
thematic progression lead by the speaker delivered through a dramatic monologue, forced sentences
of genuine nature, and the use of vivid imagery and syntax to create such...show more content...
One can imagine the messenger standing up and bolting towards the stairs, to warn his master of
the dark intentions of the Duke, only to be abruptly halted. This is a clear example of his
controlling nature and provides insight into the oppressive nature of the Duke. The Duke is so
narcissistic and oppressive the he feels entitled to express his darkest attributes and still maintain his
social and political status through subtle yet blunt manipulation. This is reflected in the structure of
the poem through the use of a dramatic monologue; where the Duke commands the conversion and
guides it where he wants to go, forcing his thoughts onto the audience and drawing focus only to
what he desires. This mentality of oppression is further reflected in the diction and syntax that is
used; where the Duke uses phrases to control the individual in a seemingly polite way. This view is
shared by Joshua Adler in his article Structure and Meaning in Browning's "My Last Duchess".
"Throughout the interview the Duke is, in effect, manipulating his guest as if he were a puppet– sit
down, stand up, look at this, notice that– and his manner is indicative of his whole attitude to life,
for in the main body of the monologue the same habits are revealed as in the double frame. The
structure of the poem thus corresponds perfectly to its content: just as the monologue is cramped in
and the listener held down, so had the Duke attempted to confine his wife within the bounds
imposed by his inflexible will." (Adler

Critical Appreciation Of My Last Duchess
Critical analysis essay on "My Last Duchess"
Robert Browning's poem, "My Last Duchess" is an exemplary dramatic monologue written in
1842. As the poem disentangles, the readers discover that the poem's speaker, Duke Ferra, is
having a talk with a representative of his wife's family. Duke is talking while standing before a
portrait belonging to that of his last wife who is deceased. The theme of the Duke's talk focuses on
the woman's imperfections and failings. The poem's irony becomes conspicuous as the readers learn
that the 'faults' of the young was as a result of her kindness (Kuiper & Merriam–Webster, Inc. 1995).
The lady is said to have qualities such as politeness, companion, delight in simple desires,
humbleness, and courteous to servants. In this poem, "My Last Duchess" poet Browning explores the
theme of power, jealousy, and madness.
The actions of the Duke can be compared to a personified green–eyed monster. He is a perfect
metaphorical figure for jealousy. He feels jealous of any attention his wife shows to other people;
even if what she does is to show gratitude to them for getting her some cherishes. Dukes gets
consumed with jealous whenever his wife smiles and blushes either intentionally or unintentionally,
to somebody. He is jealous to the point that he cannot...show more content...
The Duchess is being commemorated in a portrait owned by the Duke. He reduces the Duchess
into an artwork hidden behind a curtain. He can draw the curtain if he wishes to, "since none
puts by/The curtain drawn for you, but I" (line 9). While alive, she would make her decisions
independently. But now she is dead, the Duke controls every aspect of hers. The speaker is
contended with her wife's painted version. In a few instances, he says that "looks as if she were
alive" (line 5) or "There she stands/As if alive" (line 2). To the Duke, the painting is his fiancГ©e in
a more submissive form ("Overview: 'My Last Duchess,'"

My Last Duchess
Women have an alluring vivacity which is beautiful to some, but some people view women's vivacity
as a rare object that should be conquered rather than cared for. In "My Last Duchess," the Duke's
interaction with the last Duchess represents the value of women during the 19th century. The
characterization of the speaker, the Duke, and the speaker's analysis of the Duchess, the reader notes
that one of the main downfalls to the Duke and the Duchess's relationship is that the Duke's
arrogance.
In the beginning of the poem, the Duke is introduced as a loving husband who misses his late wife;
however, the Duke quickly reveals that he misses having a conquest that doubled as a possession.
The Duke gives off the impression that he misses the Duchess...show more content...
The speaker knows that some may have viewed her actions as being common "courtesy" (line 20);
however, he believed she was "too easily impressed" (line 23). To extend the point further, the Duke
was displeased by the fact that she "liked whate'er she looked on" (line 23–24). One of the Duchess's
activities that gave her immense amount of happiness is riding her "white mule" (line 28). The
reader infers that the Duchess was young and callow; she appreciated the small things in life. The
Duchess's temperance was the root of most of the Duke's anger toward the Duchess. The Duchess
"thanked" (line 31) men which the Duke viewed as unnecessary. The Duke probably believed that
some of her mannerisms didn't match his mental prototype of how a Duchess should act.
Furthermore, the Duke believed that the Duchess's admiration for everything disrespected his gift of
giving her his "nine–hundred–years–old name" (line 33) because he felt that he should come first
above any and everybody. Ironically, the Duke disregards his previous statement about her
disrespecting his family name by calling his previous statement a "sort of trifling" (line 35). Even
though he expresses his anger about the Duchess, he tries to downplay his anger in response to her
actions. The reader infers that he is trying to impress the person who is showing off his gallery to.
As the Duke

What Is The Tone Of My Last Duchess
Love, death, and infidelity were weaved through the readings this week. In "My Last Duchess" by
Robert Browning, the speaker is a Duke who is looking at a painting of his last (now deceased)
Duchess and remembering her. His memories are not fond; he was jealous and possessive, and
frankly, a bit of a drama queen. His suspicion is evident repeatedly, starting in line 13 where he
states, "Sir, 'twas not/ Her husband's presence only, called that spot/ Of joy into the duchess' cheek".
Lines 21–24 boldly say what he was alluding to earlier on, "She had/ A heart–how shall I say? –too
soon made glad,/ Too easily impressed: she liked whate'er/ She looked on, and her looks went
everywhere." She blushed easily and enjoyed looking at things, so in his mind she was a bit
promiscuous. He thought his wife unfaithful basically because she was polite. This, as well as his
uppity attitude, are both made clear in lines 31–34, "She thanked men, –good! but thanked
/ Somehow–I know not how– as if she ranked/ My gift of a nine–hundred–years–old name/ With
anybody's gift." He thinks that his name alone is a better gift than anything else; he's conceited and
entitled.

Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning Murder mystery intrigue. All describe Robert
Browning's poem, 'My Last Duchess'. From the speaker's indirect allusions to the death of his
wife the reader might easily think that the speaker committed a vengeful crime out of jealousy.
His flowery speech confuses and disguises any possible motives, however, and the mystery is left
unsolved. The poem is a great example of dramatic dialogue, a poetic form used to narrate and
dramatize. It consists entirely of the words of a single speaker who reveals in his speech his own
nature and the dramatic situation in which he finds himself. This format suits this poem particularly
well because the speaker, taken to be the Duke of Ferrara,...show more content...
I wonder what happened ...", or at least we might wonder until he finished his sentence with
"Looking as if she were alive." This clause, also sounding peculiar, tells us two things. The Duchess
looks out at us, the viewers, directly from the painting; and her depiction there is life–like, that is, we
might be looking at a living person rather than a work of art. Yet wouldn't Ferrara say "life–like" or
"true to life," if that was simply what he meant? His choice of words may suggest that, while she,
the Duchess herself (rather than her image in the painting), looks alive, she may be dead; and the
phrase "last Duchess" echoes in our working memory. Do we know for sure? Does "she" mean
the Duchess or her painting? When discussing the poem's content, there are many things we
know for certain and many others that are questionable. We know that the Duchess died
suspiciously and that the Duke is in the process of looking for a new wife. He is speaking to a
messenger about a painting of his now deceased wife. The Duke, of course, is casting himself in a
favorable light and is presenting his best side. He wants to make it look as if his wife was cheating
on him and was unfaithful to him. He is very controlling, and could not control her and her smiles.
This smile was what the Duke likes the most about the painting of the Duchess––he feels that the
painter accurately captured the smile and the vivacity of the Duchess. Now that the Duke

My last Duchess
Browning presents the duke as an arrogant, jealous character with an ostentatious disposition .In
the dramatic monologue of the Duke it would seem he over analyses his duchesses interactions in
the poem, particularly that of the male gender. This institutes that the Duke is a jealous man and
also that he regards the duchess as more of a possession than a person. This is also portrayed
through the possessive pronouns used throughout the poem such us "my" and "mine." Another fact
that expresses his officious nature would be that as his wife didn't act like 'his' possession he had
her killed and turned into something he could control. This is shown in the fact he had her portrait
put behind a curtain which only he was allowed to open this is symbolism for being able to hide
and control her unlike when she was alive. The curtain also draws attention the painting behind it
which shows his theatrical side as he just shows it off to strangers "strangers like you that pictured
countenance." His theatrical side is also shown when he drops...show more content...
It also expresses the jealous disposition of the Duke as in the poem as Fra Pandolf makes the Duke's
Duchess blush and the Duke expresses the jealousy when he says "twas not her husband's
presence only, called that spot of joy into the Duchesses cheek" stating that Fra Pandolf had also
made his Duchess blush giving us the imagery of a spot, something undesired by the Duke, an
imperfection on 'his' duchesses face. It could also be a territorial jealousy seeing as Fra Pandolf had
called his Duchess "My lady" which would be understandable in the Dukes favour if it wasn't
common curtesy, a comment used to make her blush for the painting or just

Browning, Robert. "My Last Duchess." The Harvard Classics. Bartleby. N.d. Web. 22January 2015.
This poem, written in 1843 by Robert Browning, tells the tale of the fictional Duke of Ferrara's
former duchess. While discussing with a servant his plans to remarry, the Duke reflects upon some
of his late wife's memorabilia, including a portrait of her. He explains that she was pleased too
easily; that "she had a heart...too soon made glad" (22–23). He expressed to the servant that his
former duchess too often gave her attention to other men and ranked them just the same as she
ranked her own husband, who very clearly believes that under no circumstances should he be in
competition with a stranger for his wife's kindness. Thus, it is inextricably apparent that her
overly–friendly disposition was a source of deep discomfort to the Duke. It is suggested in the poem,
though not explicitly stated, that the Duke had his last duchess killed so that he could start over
with a newer, better–behaved wife.
In my essay, I intend to examine the Duke of Ferrara's...show more content...
Collins, Thomas J. & Vivienne J. Rundle, eds. The Broadview Anthology of Victorian
Poetryand
Poetic Theory. Toronto: Broadview Press Ltd, 2005. Print. This anthology enlists hundreds of
Victorian poems, a large number of which are Robert Browning's. Other poets whose work are
featured include Felicia Hemans, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Alfred Tennyson, Matthew Arnold,
Dante Rossetti, Christina Rossetti, and many others. Additionally, this anthology contains a section
on poetic theory with essays written by and about several of the featured poets, including Robert
Browning. I intend to use this anthology to study different poems of the Victorian era. In doing so, I
can effectively identify a trend that reveals nineteenth–century poetry as being infatuated with ideas
of dominance, power, and gender

Londyn Zografakis
English Period 8
7 November 2014
Throughout history, gender roles have been an important barrier in society. Women are forced to
satisfy expectations established by men and society. "My Last Duchess," by Robert Browning,
focuses on the powerful Duke establishing certain expectations of the Duchess, and attempting to
control her. Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, concentrates on Laertes establishing certain
expectations of Ophelia, and seeking to control her. A Room of One's Own, by Virginia Woolf,
centers on societal expectations of Judith, and her father trying to control her. In all three texts, men
have the ability to control women and have the freedom to do as they please. Women must conform
to the expectations of faithfulness, attentiveness, and chastity.
"My Last Duchess," by Robert Browning, depicts powerful husbands attempting to control the
actions of their wives as they are free to do as they please. In contrast, women are expected to be
faithful and attentive only to their husbands. The power and control of the Duke is conveyed by a
painting of the Duchess. It belongs to the Duke and is referred to as "my last Duchess" (1). The
use of "my" demonstrates the possessive nature of the Duke and his claim of the Duchess as his
own personal possession, much like the painting itself. As the Duke persists on forcing domination
upon the Duchess, he is greatly displeased to find that she treats and considers him as the same
value as nearly any other man.

"My last Duchess" In the story "My last Duchess," the Duke is speaking to the envoy of another
nobleman of his second bride to be. The Duke describes the circumstances of his last duchess in
which it was painted and boasted how Fra Pandolf the painter made her "look as if she was alive".
The Duke continues speaking about the unfortunate fate of his former wife. It is evident that a
crime has been committed; He was jealous and annoyed of his easily impressed wife so he murdered
her. His tone and demeanor is one of extreme arrogance and it is clear he is a dangerous man who
poses a threat to any and all women he claims to love. First of all, you can clearly see the motive
on why he killed his wife. In his opinion, the last Duchess was too easily pleased because she smiled
and blushed at everything and...show more content...
He probably thinks it's the Duchess own fault for her death because he was very annoyed with her
attitude towards everything and couldn't tell her. "Who'd stoop to blame this sort of trifling?"
(Browning30) Even thought he is so bothered by her behavior he thinks he shouldn't have to lower
himself to talk to her about it. There was lack of communication in their marriage and he never
expressed his feelings about his wives demeanor to her, due to his poor communication skills. As he
stated: "Even had you skill In speech – (which I have not) – to make your will Quite clear to such an
one, and say, "Just this Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss, Or there exceed the mark" – and if
she let Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse, E'en
then would be some stooping; and I choose Never to stoop." (Browning 40) In this the murderer
arrogantly states what he wanted from her and how he had no "Skills in speech" in which to tell
the Duchess but he clearly tells the envoy how he feels, so he is clearly lying to the

Analysis of My Last Duchess Essay
'My Last Duchess' is a poem written by Robert Browning in 1845. It's a first person narrative of a
duke who is showing the ambassador around his palace and negotiating his marriage to the daughter
of another powerful family. As they are walking through the palace, the duke stops and looks at the
beautiful portrait of his lovely last duchess.
The duke speaks his thoughts about the girl, and as the poem progresses we begin to realize that his
last duchess had been murdered. "...I gave commands, then all smiles stopped together," This
metaphorical sentence tells us that his commands were the ones that caused her death and her 'stop
of all smiles together'. The reason behind this is that she was flirtatious with all men because "she
...show more content...
"My favour at her breast, the dropping of the daylight in the West". Here the Duke tells us that he
believed he had a seat at her heart. However her passion for him was diminishing as quickly as a
day's sunset in the West. The daylight is such a beautiful thing, but her love for him was like the
'dropping of daylight' meaning that he was losing such a beauty and he regretted.
This metaphor used is a tragic metaphor.
The rhetorical question used on line 23 reflects his anger. "A heart – how shall I say? – too soon
made glad..." this quote explains that she was pleased by all men, and the Duke was struggling to
find a way to express himself successfully. This is because he was so bothered by the fact that he
didn't satisfy her enough since she needed the satisfaction from other men. His frustration also
reflects that there is an element of jealousy within him. "Oh sir, she smiled..." The poet makes use of
a sibilant, which is an irritating sound to hear. This emphasizes his anger and frustration. He never
refers to her by name, which reflects his disturbed character.
After all of the Duke's anger builds up, we learn that he lets out all of his frustration in a very
negative and disturbed manner. "This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together.
There she stands as if alive." The deliberate ambiguity used in this sentence hints to the audience that
he has murdered her.
The poem is one

Essay On My Last Duchess

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