Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning

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, comes across as being very controlling, especially in

conversation. For example, he seems jealous that he was not able to

monopolize his former duchess' smile for himself. He also seems to

direct the actions of the person he is addressing with comments such

as "Will't please you rise?"

The title of the poem evidently refers to a wall painting that Ferrarareveals

to someone yet unidentified in the first fourteen words of the poem.

"That's my last Duchess painted on the wall." He says. The line

suggests self-satisfaction. The emphasis in the title is on last, as

the ending of the poem makes clear; the Duke is now negotiating for

his next Duchess. Fra Pandolf and Claus of Innsbruck are artists of

Browning's own invention. Emphasizing the word Last as the ending of

the poem implies; the Duke, identified as "Ferrara" in the poem's

speech prefix, is negotiating for his next Duchess.

Finding ourselves being given a tour of a grand home for the first

time, by the owner himself, and be...

... middle of paper ...

...ssiveness of the prospective

son-in-law.

I think that another positive aspect of the poem was the fact that

Browning allows the reader to asses the Duke for themselves. I as the

reader could see that such powerful Renaissance rulers were ruthless

and greedy. I also saw how jealousy and possessiveness can destroy

things that we love the most.

I think that framing his former wife is a way for the Duke to prevent

the count's daughter from misinterpreting him. His absolute rule will

allow him to prescribe her behavior, but he depends on the count's

representative to convey his indelicate hints about propriety better

than he could verbally respond to the last duchess's miscues.

I feel that in the poem there is pain, jealousy, rejection and

happiness. The majority of the spectrum of emotions associated with

love and marriage is contained by this piece.