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Essay on dramatic monologues
Essay on dramatic monologues
Essay about dramatic monologue
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My Last Duchess is a dramatic monologue by Robert Browning and it describes a story of a Duke in Renaissance Italy. The Duke requests to have his ex-duchess painted on a wall in his home and he is taking his time remembering all of traits and as it seems that she was pleasant towards everyone and the duke attempts to seem like he is complementing. On a quick glance through the poem you may think that the duke is a generous and caring person, but reading through it thoroughly, it show how insecure and selfish the duke really is. The duke says “I choose
Never to stoop” but he goes on to talk about how he saw her smile when someone gave her some cherries, which means most likely he watched her moves because he was insecure. There is no hint
“Life isn’t fair, it’s just fairer than death.” (Goldman 358) That was said by William Goldman at the end of his novel The Princess Bride. The Princess Bride is a book about a girl named Buttercup who learns throughout the book, about the difficulties of life. Buttercup learns about love, adventure, and truthfulness of life, and people. Buttercup lived in a farm in Florin opposite from the land of Guilder. Her family owned a boy she called “Farm boy.” Buttercup teased Farm boy and told him what to do. One day, the Count and Countess of Florin show up at Buttercups families farm, and asks for their cows milk, which was said to be the best milk around. The Countess takes an interest in Westly, the farm boy, and Buttercup realizes her love for him. When Buttercup admitted to her love for Westly, he told her he was moving to America to build a future for the both of them. Soon, Buttercup got a call that informed her of Westly’s death, she was petrified. Later in the book, the Prince of Florin decided he needed a princess because his father, the king, was very ill. Soon, he would become king, and there must be a queen. Prince Humperdinck went to Buttercups farm to gather her so she could become his wife. Buttercup did so and the marriage was soon to be. One day, when Buttercup had been living in the Princes castle, she decided to go for a ride on her horse. Buttercup was kidnapped by three men, Inigo, Vizzini, and Fezzik. They were planning on taking Buttercup to Guilder to kill her so there could be a war between Florin and Guilder. The group was followed by a “man in black” who turned out to be Westly Buttercups love. Westly defeated each man and planned on taking Buttercup to...
My Last Duchess by Robert Browning is story of a duke recanting his story about his late wife. In this poem the author uses diction similar to conversational words as if he was speaking to someone or something, varied syntax, where he questions to engage the reader, and a vain and superficial tone where he places the value of his late wife to some simple bronze.
over his wife as he refers to her as a belonging; it also shows that
Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess is a dramatic monologue narrated by the Duke of Ferrara Even a passing gaze to this poem would paint a picture of a selfish prick of a husband and a wife whose mere fault was naivete, someone who was merely appreciative of the beauty around her, a quality that bugged her husband to the point where he accuses her of being unfaithful and gets her killed. The narrator of the poem indicates an arrogance embedded so deep in a bold sense of male superiority.
The topic of the poem in My Last Duchess is infact a painting, had it
In Robert Browning’s poem, “My Last Duchess”, power is used to demonstrate the arrogant, jealous, and controlling nature of the speaker, the Duke. The first two lines of the poem introduce the reader to the topic of the Duke’s speech, a painting of his late wife. The lines, “that’s my last Duchess painted on the wall/Looking as if she were still alive” (Browning 1-2), appear to be about his late wife on the surface but mention of the Duchess is secondary to the self-importance expressed by the Duke in his speech. Furthermore, the lines reveal that the Duchess was relatively insignificant to him. By stating that the painting of the late Duchess “looks as if she were still alive” (Browning 2), instead of noting that the painting is lifelike, the Duke appears to have only valued the Duchess for her physical experience.
In conclusion, Mr. Robert Browning depicts in ‘My Last Duchess” that the Duke is not an ideal husband by referencing how controlling he is over women and other people in his vicinity. Mr. Browning also references the Duke’s jealous and petty actions that make him seem desperate for a way to seek attention. That is why the Duke disposes of her since she was not giving him the proper care he wanted he decided that she was not worthy. The Duke is also not an ideal husband based on his views of how disposal women are to him. His jealousy and insecurity lead him to be an unhappy self-centered
if I had to pick a poem that I liked best, it would be My Last Duchess
In the poems “My Last Duchess” and “To His Coy Mistress”, several poetic and literary devices are utilized to create each speaker’s attitude toward women in different ways . Most readers will realize that in both poems, the orators view women in a pessimistic and sexist way. Imagery, figurative language, tone shifts, and words with negative connotations assist the speaker in creating this perspective. Similarly, different characteristics of the women from each poem are revealed, as well as each speaker’s negative opinions on these traits.
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.
The general incongruity in Browning's "My Last Duchess" is that it truly is not about the duchess, but rather about the controlling, jealous, and arrogant nature of the duke. In his monologue portraying an artwork of his previous wife, the duke acquaints us with his dull and evil qualities. By giving us the Duke of Ferrara as a case, Robert Browning unpretentiously censures the respectability for their poor
At first glance the pome “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning seemed stuffy to me but after a little research and rereading I realized it is anything but. This monolog could be in any modern day Italian mob movie. The Duke does intend to reveal a little about himself to the listener but I don’t believe he intends to reveal as much as he does. The things he may have intended to reveal are that he is a very particular person that likes things to be a certain way and has the power to make people bend to his will. The Duke mentions a curtain he has placed in front of the picture clearly a sign of a controlling person more or less saying I couldn’t control who saw your beautiful smile when you were alive but now I have total control over that.
Throughout "My Last Duchess," Browning uses diction to further increase the haunting effect of his dramatic monologue. His precise and scattered word choice is meant to make the reader recognize the underlying haughtiness in his speech to the Count's emissary. The Duke refers to his former wife's portraits "depth" and "passion" in order to place a cloudiness over the realism of the painting. This, along with the "faint" and "half-flush" appearance that "dies along her throat," brings about an overcast appearance to the poem. The Duke's "trifling" lack of "countenance" is evident in his jealousy of
Browning, Robert. "My Last Duchess." The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Ed. Margaret Ferguson and Mary Jo Salter, Jon Stallworthy. London: Norton & Company, 2005. 1012-1016.
The Duchess As a Very Remarkable Woman in a Man's World The Duchess is clearly the central figure in the play and manages to dominate proceedings, despite the untouchable power of her brothers and the firmly established patriarchal system in early-16th century Italy. She displays many admirably qualities, although her courageous strength and passion could be perceived as threatening in a male-dominated society. The Duchess is the sole female figure with any sort of power and respect in Webster's play. This is unusual firstly, because he based The Duchess Of Malfi on a version by William Painter in which the Duchess was portrayed as too lusty in a sternly moralistic fashion honourable as opposed to honourable. Also, although the Duchess is never referred to by her name, she is a very individual character and, having no female equals, conducts herself very well as a free spirit in a world of stifling constrictions.