my last duchess

Created by

Divya

Cards (24)

Robert Browning was a poet in the 19th century. The son of a wealthy bank clerk, he didn't fit in as
much in London society, he left the country and went to Italy to marry fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett
because of her over protective father. As a result they were both familiar with over controlling
patriarchs in the family as well as Italy itself.
The poem is loosely based on the Duke of Ferrara and is written from his perspective, talking to a
messenger about arranging his next marriage. The assumption being that he was dissatisfied with his
former wife and had her killed.
The idea of Power and Conflict is shown in the way the speaker (the Duke of Ferrara) is showing off his power and also
suggesting the control he had over the Duchess’s life.
There is also conflict between who he presents or wants himself to be
and who he really is as a character.
The poem is an example of dramatic monologue (a speech given by one character)
It uses a large number of pauses
(caesuras) in the poem along with lines that flow into one another (enjambment) in order to try and capture the tone of
the speaker talking away to the messenger and adding in tangents (small opinions and asides).
The poem uses rhyming
couplets and iambic pentameter this reflects the style of romantic poets at the time, despite how this poem is much
more sinister and dark. It is another façade for the Duke of Ferrara’s character.
-The poem is a dramatic monologue with the Duke of
Ferrara arranging his new marriage but getting swept up
talking about his former wife.
-The change in tone is used to show the sinister undertones
and power struggle in the relationship, he is the only one
truly at conflict here
-The poet ironically shows that his man is rich and educated
yet a fool in matters of love and honesty, both powerful and conflicting
key quote 1- "(since none put by
The curtain that I have drawn for you but I)"
key quote 1- the "curtain" is a symbol of secrecy, making the duke seem like he has something to hide and the line ending with the persona; pronoun "I" reveals the dukes narcissism
key quote one- all being in brackets, he is trying to disguise his possessive nature through punctuation, and is ironically trying to manipulate the messenger
key quote 1- majority of the words are monosyllabic perhaps show how the duke is trying to be simple when he is actually complex and deceptive
key quote 2- 'Sir, 'twas not/her husband's presence only,
called that spot/of joy into the Duchess' cheek"
key quote 2- he is referring to himself in the third person "her husband's" to give himself an elevated status
key quote 2- the duke is ashamed and humiliated by the duchesses behaviour, using a euphemism saying that the men she slept with brought a "spot/of joy" (made her blush).
key quote 2- the alliteration of "her husband's" sounds like heavy breathing, almost as if he is getting worked up about his wife's affairs, and how it has brought him a lot of anger and resentment towards his wife
key quote 2- his anger is contrasted by the use of "Sir" to address the person he is talking to, as if he is disguising himself as polite to get him on his side
key quote 3- "This grew; I gave commands;/
Then all smiles stopped together."
key quote 3- the ambiguous language on " this grew" could refer to his jealousy, his rage etc., but it doesn't actually specify what she did wrong, meaning that the duke may have not had any specific reason to have potentially killed his wife
key quote 3- the euphemism of "commands" implies that he gave the order for his wife to be killed, this is structurally a revelation for both envoy and reader, additionally, the advanced rhetoric and upper class etiquette may be a way of him trying to hide his crimes
key quote 3- the sibilance in "smiles stopped" creates a sinister tone as if the duke silenced his duchess, and the soft "s" sound could indicate that she was killed quietly
key quote 3- the personal pronoun of "I" perhaps conveys his obsession with status and power and how he is a megalomaniac