my last duchess

• Robert Browning was born in London and spent most of his life in italy and eventually died in venice
• The speaker uses possessive pronouns such as "my" to show he has ownership of the duchess and shows that she is a possession not an individual . The speaker refers to her as "my duchess" , "my wife" and "my love" showing the lack of affection the duke has for the duchess. This further shows the duchess is an accessory not a partner , as well as showing his power over her he shows jealousy and suggests he feels a wife should only be seen and enjoyed by their husband
• first person perspective - gives the speaker a great deal of power over the poem as he can control what he tells the reader. This reflects the power the duke holds over women and his subjects.
• Dramatic monologue - means the reader is exclusively exposed to his perspective. However there is no female perspective , this mirrors how there was no female side in the victorian society as women had no right to power and were politically silenced
• "bough of cherries some officious fool // broke in the orchard for her" - the enjambment used here shows that when he sees her being happy and liking other things he gets insecure. The duke expects her to reserve her joy for him. The enjambment shows he gets carried away with his thoughts and anger , this further shows he is an unstable character
• The poem was written during the industrial revolution where women started to demand equality. Before women would become property to their husbands , losing all their rights and freedom. Women had no access to divorce and were married of by their brothers and husbands
• The Duke of ferrar was also known as Alfonzo ll and served as the fifth duke of ferrar. He is widely considered to be an inspiration for " My last Duchess " as Browning was very fascinated with his life . Alfonzo ll's first wife died under suspicious circumstances , Alfonzo ll was believed to be the murder, there were rumours going around that he poisoned her which may of inspired Browning.
• "none puts by the curtains i have drawn for you but i " - The duke needed to have power and control over the duchess and see her as another one of his possessions to be collected and admired at. He controls who looks at the painting but when she existed he could not control that , this gives strong hints that he murdered her