My Last Duchess Flashcards
What are five quotes from ‘My Last Duchess’?
- “That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall”
- “Looking as if she were alive”
- “The curtain I have drawn for you”
- “My gift of a nine-hundred-year-old name”
- “At starting, is my object”
What is the analysis for “That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall”?
The word “last” makes us wonder how many wives he’s had and whether he is planning to have more in the future. This phrase makes it clear to the reader that women are seen as possessions to the Duke. He collects both art pieces and women. The possessive pronoun “my” hints at the possessive nature of the Duke and his misogynistic view of women.
What is the analysis for “Looking as if she were alive”?
This quote is an example of ekphrasis. The Duchess is seen more and valued higher as a painting than when she was alive. This suggests he is happier with his wife now, when she is dead, than before, when she was alive. The Duchess has been reduced to a piece of art, and the Duke becomes the curator of her legacy. He objectifies her, turning her into something beautiful and passive, no longer able to speak or act on her own.
What is the analysis for “The curtain I have drawn for you”?
The painting of the Duchess is covered by a curtain that only the Duke may draw. This is a literal curtain that covers the portrait of the Duchess. But symbolically, it represents the Duke’s control over access, not just to her image, but to her memory and legacy. The Duchess can no longer be seen freely, her presence is meditated through him. The use of the first-person pronoun, “I”, empathises the Duke’s authority and self-importance. It’s a deliberate, obsessive act. he alone chooses when and to whom the painting is revealed.
Earlier in the poem, the Duke complains that the Duchess was too easily pleased. This small line, about something as simple as drawing a curtain, hints at how deeply rooted his jealousy was. He couldn’t handle her free spirit, so now he’s the only one who decides when she is seen.
What is the analysis for “My gift of a nine-hundred-year-old name”?
The Duke believes that he’s raising the Duchess’s status by marrying her, and he takes pride in his name, disregarding any love and affection that comes with marriage, but simply believing that she should be “tamed” by him. This is ironic as the Duchess was actually the daughter of the Great Duke of Tuscany and therefore the transfer of power would be from her to him, not the other way round, again placing the Duke at a loss of power. Although the Duchess’s family was ‘new rich’, the Duke has ‘old money’ and therefore may have seen himself as prestigious and noble.
What is the analysis for “At starting, is my object”?
The speaker’s “last Duchess” isn’t his last but his ‘most recent’. He intends to remarry and most likely treat his new wife just like he did his late wife. The dead Duchess of the poem may just be a part of a series of wives he has treated cruelly or even murderously. This makes the reader question whether this is a warning to the counts servant, does he want the count to understand his nature before allowing him to marry his daughter, or has he just gone physiologically mad?
What are three key structural elements within the poem?
- ‘My Last Duchess’ is a dramatic monologue, a long, single-stanza poem delivered in iambic pentameter. The iambic pentameter adds a sense of formality and control to the Duke’s speech. The lack of stanzas creates a sense of overwhelming dominance, mirroring the Duke’s control.
- The poem features rhyming couplets, adding to the structured and controlled nature of the Duke’s speech.
- Browning uses punctuation strategically, like commas, dashes and full stops to create a sense of natural speech and highlight the flow of the Duke’s thoughts. Dashes are used to break up the poem and showcase the strength of the Duke’s anger.
What is the context surrounding ‘My Last Duchess’ - Relating to female expectations
- During the Renaissance period, women, particularly those of an upper-class status, had extremely high expectations. It was considered socially acceptable and even expected of women of a high status to be polite, charming and receptive in public interactions. Smiling, blushing and acknowledging compliments weren’t seen as flirtatious but instead signs of a good upbringing. However, the Duke, who narrates the poem, interprets this behaviour very differently. He views her smiles and blushes not as signs of courtesy but as threats to his authority and uniqueness in her life. His possessive and jealous nature leads him to resent her natural friendliness despite the fact that, by social norms, she was doing nothing wrong. In this way, Browning critiques the misogynistic mindset of men like the Duke, who perceive any form of emotional openness as a challenge to their control.
What is the context surrounding ‘My Last Duchess’ - Relating to the inspiration behind the poem
‘My Last Duchess’ is widely believed to be inspired by the real-life figure of Duke Alfonso II of Ferrara, a 16th-century Italian nobleman. Duke Alfonso II of Ferrara was suspected of killing his wife in 1561. Lucrezia de Medici was 14 years old when she married the Duke, a common practice among the aristocracy to form political alliances, and 17 years old when she died under suspicious circumstances, leading to rumours that she had been poisoned or killed by the Duke possibly due to dissatisfaction or jealousy. The Duke later goes on to court and marry the niece of the Count of Tyrol, which mirrors the conclusion of the poem where the Duke is speaking to a servant about arranging another marriage.
How does ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ relate to ‘My Last Duchess’?
The line, “The curtain I have drawn for you”, shows the Duke controlling who sees the painting of his deceased wife. It hints at possessiveness and control, given that the Duchess is no longer alive and the Duke seems to treat her more like an object than a person. The Duke controls even the image of his wife after her death. He couldn’t control her behaviours in life, so he murdered her and kept a painting that he could control. In Porphyria’s Lover, the speaker kills Porphyria to freeze a perfect moment; she is his completely, just like the Duchess becomes the Duke’s when she is in the painting. In both Browning’s poems, death is used to “fix” a situation; the speaker in Porphyria’s Lover wants to preserve their love, and the Duke wants to stop the Duchess from being too friendly or ‘easily impressed’.
How does ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde relate to ‘My Last Duchess’?
‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ shares parallels with ‘My Last Duchess’, particularly in its exploration of art, beauty and control. In Wilde’s novel, Dorian becomes obsessed with preserving his youthful appearance while his true self, including his sins, guilt and corruption, is hidden away in a portrait that ages in his place. Similarly, in Browning’s poem, the Duke keeps a painting of his late wife behind a curtain, where only he can look at her. In both texts, the female figure or image becomes an object of control, existing solely for the male gaze. Wilde critiques the moral decay that comes from elevating appearance over substance, just as Browning subtly criticises the Duke’s desire to possess rather than truly love his Duchess.
How does ‘A Doll House’ by Henrik Ibsen relate to ‘My Last Duchess’?
‘A Doll’s House’ offers a powerful contrast to ‘My Last Duchess’, particularly in its portrayal of gender roles. While Browning’s Duchess is silenced, objectified and ultimately killed for not conforming to her husband’s expectations, Ibseen’s protagonist, Nora, breaks free from her oppressive, domestic role. She chooses to leave her husband and children in order to find her own identity, challenging the traditional 19th-century ideals of womanhood. The Duke in Browning’s poem treats his wife as a possession, controlling even who gets to see her portrait, just as Torvald in Ibsen’s play treats Nora as a doll or a child, meant to be admired and controlled. These texts reveal two sides of the same coin: one where the woman is destroyed by power and one where the woman breaks free and walks away.
What are two critical interpretations of ‘My Last Duchess’?
- “We do not believe the Duke, and yet we see the world through his eyes” - Robert Langbaum
- “Browning’s Duke is the perfect dramatic monologue speaker - chillingly unaware of how much he reveals” - Harold Bloom
