My last Duchess Flashcards
Describe the form of the poem
‘My Last Duchess‘ by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue written in five sections and made up of rhyming couplets. The poem is written mostly in iambic pentameter.
Which literary devices are used?
Alliteration: occurs when the poet uses the same consonant sound at the beginning of words.
Caesura: seen through pauses the poet uses in the middle of lines.
Enjambment: seen through line breaks.
When was it written?
“My Last Duchess” is a dramatic monologue written by Victorian poet Robert Browning in 1842. In the poem, the Duke of Ferrara uses a painting of his former wife as a conversation piece. The Duke speaks about his former wife’s perceived inadequacies, revealing his obsession with controlling others in the process.
Browning uses this compelling psychological portrait of a despicable character to critique the objectification of women and abuses of power.
Explain the main themes of the poem
The objectification of women
The Duke uses the painting of that former duchess as a conversation piece, he describes what he saw as her unfaithfulness, frivolity, and stubbornness, and implies that he prefers her as a painting rather than as a living woman. Women, in the duke’s mind, are simply ornamental objects for men rather than actual people in their own right.
The poem thus implies that the duke finds his former wife’s actions unforgivable because they reflected her status as an independent person rather than an inanimate possession. Her crimes appear to be not sexual or romantic infidelity, but rather being happy, appreciative of others, self-confident and willing to stand up for herself. The duke, however, appears to believe that a husband owns his wife, and therefore has the right to dictate her feelings and to be the sole recipient of her happiness, kindness, and respect; any indication that she has thoughts or feelings of her own are unacceptable.
Through this portrayal of the duke, Browning critiques such a viewpoint, presenting sexism and objectification as dehumanizing processes that rob women of their full humanity.
Arrogance
The poem suggests that the Duke is a brutish figure whose social status is in no way a reflection of any sort of moral worth. He repeatedly draws his guest’s attention to his wealth and power, and issues veiled threats about what happens to those who don’t put a high enough price on his social standing.
The duke repeatedly reminds the messenger of the power in his title. He does this in part by mentioning the famous artists who created works especially for him, but also by mentioning his “nine-hundred-years-old name.” The duke then moves quickly from intimidation to intimated threats when he hints that he had his former wife killed for not valuing his status sufficiently.
Immediately before beginning negotiations with the prospective in-laws, the duke also tells the emissary to admire a statue of Neptune “taming a sea-horse,” made by a famous sculptor. The duke emphasis the statue’s “rarity” and how it was created just for him.
CONTROL AND POWER
“My Last Duchess” is all about power: the political and social power wielded by the speaker (the Duke) and his attempt to control the domestic sphere (his marriage) in the same way that he rules his lands. He rules with an iron fist. The Duke views everything that he possesses and everyone with whom he interacts as an opportunity to expand his power base. Wives need to be dominated; servants need to understand his authority; and fancy objects in his art gallery display his influence to the world.
