My Last Duchess Essay

The speaker of the “My Last Duchess” was a Duke of Ferrara in Italy, and he is ready to get married again. In order to determine the number of dowry, the fiancée’s family sent a representative to negotiate with the Duke. Duke let the envoy that visited art collection in his palace, where he had the portrait of the “last Duchess” – his last wife, now dead. Throughout the poem, the Duke talks about the woman’s imperfections and failure, but it turns out this woman’s “faults” were the qualities like compassion, humility, modesty and treat the best to those to served her.

In “My Last Duchess, the Duke has the intention of dislike his last wife, but from the accusation the reader can produce a very different impression towards this Duchess.

“13 Sir, 'twas not 
14 Her husband's

Note the Duke tried to depict himself as a “frank” person; one does not do “techniques” in his speech. At this point the poem, the reader may aware of the Duke’s techniques he used in his speech. Duke explained that even though he has the ability to tell how much the Duchess dislikes him, he would not have to explain to her how and why her behavior offend him. In his word, explain his feeling to her is the compromise to his dominance. This reveals the Dutch’s hubris, obsessed with all his power in the hierarchical society other than to share his own feelings with his own wife. Near the end of the poem, the Duke redirects the attention to the upcoming marriage. He told the envoy that he was convinced that his future father-in-law will provide him a generous dowry. However the duke want to be seen as a person who more interested in the future alignment than the money his fiancée would bring in the future. At this point the reader has the sense of the feeling to this young woman’s future well being will not as peaceful as the Duke