There is seldom a more deeply rooted bond than that between an artist and his masterpiece. However, in the poem "My Last Duchess", written by Robert Browning, it is not, in fact, the artist that possesses this bond, but the owner of the artwork. This dramatic monologue seems to be a tragic love story at first; however, as the story progresses, is it revealed to the audience that the grief-stricken Duke may have had some issues with his blushing bride. While addressing a representative of his future fiancé’s father, the Duke relays his thoughts and feelings on the untimely demise of his former Duchess. The Duke is not remorseful over the death of his bride but is instead bitter that she did not fit his expectations of a perfect wife. This …show more content…
In fact, his new marriage is the affair that sparks this retelling of events. The speaker is supposedly discussing these traits of his former wife with the servant in order to put the Count, who is the father of the Duke’s new bride, at ease about the safety and happiness of his daughter. However, many of the phrases he chooses are not particularly reassuring. The speaker says, “E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose/ Never to stoop.” (42-43). Indicating that this is a gentleman who is not to be trifled with, and will more than likely get what he desires as the end result. This can be linked to the situation he incurred with his former Duchess, in that she was not behaving in a manner pleasing to him so instead of choosing to stoop to her level and play her metaphorical game, he simply let the problem resolve itself and found a new Duchess who would fulfill his standards. However, to say whether or not he let the problem resolve or if he played a role in resolving the problem himself is still up in the air and can be left open to the interpretation of the reader. Regardless, it is highly likely that this sarcastic tone and these harsh words were meant to serve as a warning to the new bride, lest she end up with the same fate as the former Duchess. Throughout the poem, Browning uses several aspects to symbolize his character's inner feelings and consequently reveals information to help build
Robert Browning wrote the two poems, "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover." Both poems convey an thoughtful, examination profound commentary about the concept of love.
The poem “My Last Duchess” is a historical event that involves the Duke of Ferrara and Alfonso who lived in the 16th century. Robert Browning "My Last Duchess" presents a narrative about a recently widowed Duke who talks with an emissary had come to an arranged marriage with another lady from a powerful and wealthy family. In the perspective of Duke, power and wealth were integral in marriage and was determined to be married to a wealthy lady from a famous family. As the Duke orients the emissary through the palace, he stops and shows a portrait of the late Duchess who was a lovely and young girl. The Duke then begins by stating information about the picture and then to the Duchess. Duke claims that the Duchess flirted with everyone and did not appreciate the history of the family: “gift of a nine hundred years old name.”(33) However, when an individual continues to read the poem, it is evident that the Duke played an important role in killing the lady. Duke states that “he gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together”(45-46) he used these words to define the death of his beloved Duchess. The aim of the essay is to analyze literary devices that emphasize the content of the poem, which includes rhetorical questions, exclamation mark, and em dash.
“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.
“Art is an expression of human creative skill and imagination” (google) Paintings are works of art created to express or let out a person’s creativity or feelings towards a certain subject. In Robert Browning’s dramatic monologue, “The Last Duchess”, he uses the painting as a symbolism of the Duke’s relationship with his former wife. Therefore, as the Duke tries to impress people with his wealth through the painting of Fra Pandolf, he instead unintentionally displays his true personality to others. Initially, the painting is used to reveal Duke’s jealous nature as he mistakes his wife’s friendless as flirting which later reveals his controlling nature. Ultimately, the Duke’s selfishness and greed for power is slowly revealed through abusing art to control his wife and others.
In "My Last Duchess", by Robert Browning, the character of Duke is portrayed as having controlling, jealous, and arrogant traits. These traits are not all mentioned verbally, but mainly through his actions. In the beginning of the poem the painting of the Dukes wife is introduced to us: "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,/ looking as of she were still alive" (1-2). These lines leave us with the suspicion that the Duchess is no longer alive, but at this point were are not totally sure. In this essay I will discuss the Dukes controlling, jealous and arrogant traits he possesses through out the poem.
Written by Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess” is a poem about an egocentric Duke who has a painting of his last wife upon the wall and is trying to impress an ambassador who is negotiating his next marriage. Although it is obvious that the Duke is trying to persuade this ambassador, however, this is where the first mystery is created. It is almost as if he is trying to persuade no one more than himself.
The characterization of the Duke in “My Last Duchess” and the characterization of the speaker in “Porphyria’s Lover” further establish Browning’s messages about love. In “My Last Duchess,” the Duke is portrayed as arrogant and believes he is superior to others. Because of his status as Duke, his arrogance becomes prevalent, as he brags about his “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name.” He also believes he is superior to others, especially the Duchess, as
Robert Browning was a nineteenth century writer and poet whose works are famous worldwide.One of his poems that has been analyzed constantly is "My Last Duchess," a dramatic monologue of a Duke who is talking to the count's messenger about wedding arrangements through speaking about his last Duchess.He started off as simple,then his superiority complex took him over.
There is nothing more telling of an individual than the way they present themselves. Speech is an incredibly powerful means of expression, and often gives deeper insight into who one is as a person. “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning explores the complexity of tone in a way that is both effective and powerful. The poem is narrated by the Duke of Ferrara, who is speaking to an envoy about a painting of his previous duchess. He recounts the memories behind the artwork in an ominous and snide manner, giving the reader insight on the nature of their relationship.
“My Last Duchess”, by Robert browning, is a dramatic speech delivered by the Duke of Ferrari which highlights the covetous and cruel nature of his personality and the questions which surround his bride’s death.
Likewise, in the poem “My Last Duchess,” as the Duke discusses his dead wife, it becomes increasingly clear that he is insecure. The Duke implies that his former wife had been unfaithful, but does not have any evidence to support his theory. Instead, like a child, the Duke swears that his wife’s passionate gaze was not kept solely for him. The Duke believes that she had “A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad, / Too easily impressed: she liked whate'er”(Browning 1282). The Duke saw his wife as being too pleasant and friendly with everyone and was offended by it.
Browning composes his work through the use of the form, dramatic monologues. This helps to portray the psychotic mindset of the character to notify the reader and expand their knowledge. In addition, this enables Browning to capture the deluded aspect of the character. Robert Browning unveils his work through one long stanza; this is signified in My Last Duchess, where it illustrates the Duke’s potency and sense of mightiness. Furthermore, this demonstrates how much of a self-absorbed, narcisstic imbecile the Duke is to give the reader the characters attributes.
My Last Duchess Robert Browning wrote “My Last Duchess” in 1842 at the age of 32. This poem is the tragic tale of the Duchess’s death. The speaker is the late Duchess’s husband, the Duke. He comes across a portrait of the Duchess, lovely and young, and begins to remark upon her life.
Like Robert Browning’s poems he uses the literary device of a Dramatic Monologue to spin a tale of his characters. In Robert Browning’s poem “My last Duchess” the main character is a well-known Duke who was married to his beloved Duchess. Within the story the Duke talks to his audience about his wife and how she was his last duchess foreshadowing that she had died some time ago. The Duke talks of a painting made of his Duchess drawn by a famous painter named “Frà Pandolf” he comments saying “Strangers like you that pictured countenance, the depth and passion of its earnest glance, but to myself they turned since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but
The dramatic monologue “My Last Duchess” was penned down by Robert Browning. In this poem, the narrator is the Duke of Ferrara, and the listener is the count’s agent, through whom the Duke is arranging the proposed marriage to a second duchess. The poem is ironical and reveals its rhetorical sense, gradually. In the later part of the poem, the Duke claims that he does not have a skill in speech, but his monologue is a masterpiece of subtle rhetoric. While supposedly entertaining the listener by showing his wife’s portrait, he clearly reveals his character. Through his formalized tone of rhyme, he reveals his egoistic and jealous attitude.