My Last Dutchess

My Last Dutchess

There are many things to look at when one tries to analyze a poem. Once he/she knows what the story is about, they could look at the speaker's point of view, along with many other things. For Example: setting, language, figures of speech, symbols, atmosphere and mood, characterization, theme and conflicts are just some of the other methods that could be used. Finally, the analyzer should say what the whole poem's underlying meaning is.

The poem, "My Last Duchess," is about a Duke who is describing his last duchess to a messenger of the Count. He says how beautiful she was and all the different things about her. She was a flirt, who would please a man whenever she was complimented. This behavior eventually caused the Duke to have her killed because he could not put up with her anymore. In the end, it looks like the Duke is trying to sway the messenger to convince the Count to let him marry the Count's daughter.

The speaker in poetry is very important. He/She tells the reader what is going on and what meanings can be taken from the poem. Certain things can have different meanings, depending on who the reader thinks the speaker is. In "My Last Duchess," the speaker is the Duke. He provides the reader with his side of the story of why his last duchess is dead. In the beginning of the poem, the reader thinks that his duchess is still alive, because of the comments that are made. "This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands as if alive." This is the line where he tells the readers that her behavior worsened to the point that he could not take anymore. He gave the commands to kill her. All of her smiles at different guys compliments stopped at once. There she is, in this painting, standing as she did when she was still alive.

The setting is also influential to the reader, because it gives them a background as to why the characters are acting the way they do. This poem is set in 19th century London, England. The setting is needed to understand the last section of the poem:

"The Count your master's known munificence

Is ample warrant that no just pretense