A Comparison Of Emily Grierson And The Duke Of Ferrara

Ruth Nunez

Professor Stewart

Enc 1102

2 April 2014

Emily Grierson vs. The Duke of Ferrara

In “My Last Duchess” there is a duke informing the father and his daughter about who his duchess was and what had happened to her. Emily Grierson who was a total outcast in her town had her problems and astonished her townspeople with her eccentric actions. Emily and the duke of Ferrara are similar because they both were involved with their lovers’ death. The duke of Ferrara and Emily Grierson share a few qualities but they had different motives for killing their lovers and but played different roles.

Emily is different from the duke in how she personally killed Homer by giving him arsenic. While the duke gave commands to have his duchess killed. They both had motives for the death of their lovers. She did it because she was afraid to lose him since the only person she loved was her father and he died. Emily felt like she had to kill Homer or else she would be lonely. The duke gave commands to have his duchess killed because he was jealous and he wanted to be in control of her life. He got tired of how she acted and how she disrespected his name and social status. The duke complains about how his duchess treated his gifts and anyone else gift equally, he wanted her to appreciate his gift with respect and not treat his gift like it was nothing, “She thanked men, ---good! But thanked....Somehow---I know now how---as if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody's gift” (stanza 31-34). Emily and the duke both had to do with their lovers' death but their motives were different.

The theme for “A Rose for Emily” has to deal with death, traditions versus change, and it kind is man vs. society. Emily Grierson was considered an e...

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...e Browning’s poem is about a duke simply annoyed by his duchess enjoying everything and disrespecting his nine hundred name. In Faulkner’s short story theme is the decline of the old south. However, they are similar in how they both sort of involve obsession, control, jealousy, pride, and death. Emily Grierson and the duke of Ferrara are not too different. Perhaps one could say they would make a perfect couple since Emily’s life has always be controlled by her father. In addition, the duke would be happy to control her life. They’re both obsessed over different things, jealous of their lover, prideful in different ways. Furthermore, they had secrets and their secrets was that they were involved in their lovers’ death. Emily Grierson did not change and ended up dying. While the duke is focusing on his next victim which foreshadows another death that could take place.