My last duchess Flashcards
Form and structure
“My Last Duchess” is a dramatic monologue written by Victorian poet Robert Browning in 1842
Dramatic monologue
The poem is a single, continuous narrative spoken by the Duke to an unnamed envoy. The Duke dominates the conversation, and the envoy does not speak.
One long stanza
The poem is structured as one long stanza, or continuous form, that is 56 lines long.
In My Last Duchess, enjambment is used to create a sense of acceleration and to mimic a conversation between the Duke and the envoy.
-This technique gives the poem a conversational quality
” Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf’s hands “
suggests that the Duke of Ferrara views his late wife as a possession rather than a person:
The phrase “as if she were alive”
This phrase implies that the Duchess is dead, and the Duke is proud to display her painting to guests as if she were still alive.
The Duke’s use of the word “wonder”
The Duke’s use of the word “wonder” suggests that he views his late wife as a piece of art to be owned.
The Duke’s mention of the artist, Fra Pandolf
The Duke mentions the artist’s name to imply that the painting is valuable and to show off his wealth and status.
The Duke’s placement of the painting
The Duke places the painting in a public area of his palace so he can display it to guests.
she liked whate’er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.
Sir, ’twas all one!
- Pronouns: The use of “she” and “her” may suggest the Duke’s lack of respect for her.
Adverb: The use of “everywhere” may suggest that the Duchess was frequently unfaithful in the Duke’s eyes.
He also claims that she liked everything and everyone she saw, although his description suggests that she was ogling everyone who crossed her path. The duke objects that, to his former duchess, everything was the same and made her equally happy,
“She thanked men—good! but thanked - enjabment here
Somehow—I know not how—as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody’s gift.”
The duke also objects to her manner of thanking men, although he struggles to describe his concerns. Specifically, he complains that she values his pedigree and social position (his 900-year-old name) as equally important to anyone else’s gifts to her.
“I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands -
As if alive.”
a key moment that reveal the Duke’s responsibility for his late wife’s murder:
“I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together”
The Duke’s short, pointed sentences indicate that he’s trying to regain control of his emotions. He’s also using a euphemism to describe his order to kill the Duchess.
“There she stands As if alive”
The Duke juxtaposes the line with the revelation of the Duchess’s death. He looks at her portrait and feels guilty, which is why he quickly ends the viewing and steers the emissary away.
The Duke’s actions show that he’s materialistic, valuing wealth and status over natural beauty and pleasures. He’s also disdainful of the Duchess, not because of anything she did wrong, but because she’s socially beneath him. He doesn’t want to engage with her in a real dialogue, so he kills her and turns her into property.
context
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
was an English poet and playwright whose position
as one of the foremost Victorian poets was
characterised by his success with the dramatic
monologue. Many of his poems utilise satire and dark
humour, coupled with his extensive knowledge of historical
settings. Browning had a love of history and European
culture, and it is said that he could read, write, and converse
in Latin, Greek, and French by the age of 14!
by Robert Browning, a dramatic monologue, explores themes of power, control, and gender roles through the perspective of the Duke of Ferrara, who is showing a painting of his late wife to a visitor, revealing his possessive nature and the circumstances of her death.
The poem is set in Renaissance Italy, specifically the court of the Duke of Ferrara, a period known for its artistic and political intrigue.
Historical Inspiration:
The poem is loosely based on the real-life Duke Alfonso II d’Este, who ruled Ferrara in the 16th century, and his wife, Lucrezia de’ Medici, who died under suspicious circumstances.
