My Last Duchess

• Vowed


  Pledged or promised solemnly
• Nay, we'll go together down, sir
• The metaphor of Neptune suggests he sees himself as god-like


  Men are gods that must tame their wives
• The title "My Last Duchess"


  Persona poem where the speaker has taken on the persona of the Duke of Ferra
• First person, present tense narrative

  • Gives the speaker a great deal of power over the text as he can control what he tells the reader
  • Reflects the power the Duke holds over women and his subjects, and this could be extended to the readers too
  • The content could be biased, exaggerated or untrue
• Dramatic Monologue


  • Shows the domineering presence of the Duke, who dominates a conversation and won't let anyone else talk, because he tends to take control of everything
  • Readers are exclusively exposed to his perspective
  • Provides an immediate warning of bias and means the reader is immediately aware of the need to read between the lines
  • There is no female side to the story, we never get to know exactly what happened to his ex wife
• Iambic Pentameter


  • Classic meter for English poetry, especially love poetry
  • Reflects how the Duke holds traditional and conservative views of women
  • Demonstrates the Duke's sense of pride and superiority, because the meter has a very tight control of rhythm and rhyme
  • Used by Shakespeare to show nobility, and it was thought to be the most natural meter for English language
• Single Verse / No Stanzas

  • Makes it feel overwhelming and tiring
  • Mirrors the Duke's power and control in his relationships, suggesting his presence is overwhelming as he dominates the room and the poem
  • Shows there is no importance placed on needing to cover up his mistreatment of his past wife as he is so powerful it won't impact him
  • It makes it very obvious that it is only his view that is ever given in any situation or decision, and that the woman is given no say or chance to defend herself
  • Relates to the context of the poem as both set and written in a patriarchal society by a man meaning women were only being viewed through the eyes and perspective of men
  • Gives it a sense of being like a stream of consciousness of the Duke's unadulterated thoughts and feelings
• Enjambment


  • Allows the poem to flow and seem more like a natural conversation
  • Reinforces the natural narration
  • Presents him as weak and unbalanced, as he is getting carried away and rambling
  • Lack of control over what he says and he keeps getting sidetracked
• Caesura


  • Shows his speech as poorly planned or formed as he keeps interrupting himself
  • Makes the poem seem rambling and breaks up rhythm, so that it is not pleasant to listen to
  • Highlights how his speech is too much and can be seen as a sign of too much pride and self-obsession
  • Suggests that the Duke lacks natural confidence so has to make up for it with the artificial, authoritarian control he directs towards women
• The opening lines


  • Invokes the reader's interest by raising questions about why it is his "last Duchess"
  • Suggests the Duchess has died
  • The line "I call that piece a wonder" is ominous as it suggests the Duke viewing the subject of his dead wife as a piece of art rather than sentimentally as his wife
  • Immediately suggests she was only ever a possession to him
  • The speaker establishes control from the very start, from the possessive pronoun "my"
  • The rhetorical question "will't please you sit and look at her?" implies that the Duke is in sole control of who sees her
  • The opening immediately sets up a sinister tone for the piece
• Possessive pronouns


  • Show that he has ownership of the Duchess, and shows that she is a possession not an individual
  • Furthers the image that she is an accessory not a partner, as well as showing his jealousy and suggests he feels a wife should be seen and enjoyed only by her husband
• Simplistic Language


  • Makes it seem like a normal conversation, not decorated or rich in imagery
  • The Duke is wanting to give a clear message about not challenging his power
  • Draws more emphasis to the places in which he does decide to use literary devices
• The poem is about an Italian Duke, who has supposedly killed his first wife and is now planning another wedding to another woman
• Duke is showing a painting of his dead wife to a visitor


  1. Has it hidden behind a curtain

  2. Makes the visitor sit down to admire it
• The poem explores the Duke's obsessive love
• Robert Browning


  • Born in London, but spent most of life in Italy and eventually died in Venice
  • Disliked school so was homeschooled
  • Fluent in many languages and started writing poetry when he was a child
  • In 1845 he married Elizabeth Barret against her father's permission, keeping the wedding secret from her domineering father
  • Had visited Italy shortly before writing the poem "My Last Duchess"
• Italian Renaissance


  The poem was set in another era and country, but contains a political message and a criticism of society
• Duke of Ferrara


  • Widely considered to be the inspiration for the poem, as it is set in Ferrara and Browning was fascinated and obsessed with the story of his life
  • Alfronzo II's first wife died under suspicious circumstances, and the duke was believed to have murdered her
• Industrial Revolution and Victorian Britain

  • The poem was written during this time, when society was starting to see social mobility in terms of class as well as gender
  • Women were starting to demand equality and saw the beginning of the suffrage movement
  • Beforehand, views of women were very backwards and women would become property of their husbands upon marriage, they never had rights to property and possessions
  • They also had no legal rights / no access to divorce, and would be married off by brothers and fathers as they were seen as a financial burden and as incapable of 'rational thought'
  • There was also a very high focus on morality, manners and modesty in the Victorian era, especially seeing as a large majority of society identified as Christians
  • Sex was taboo, especially female sexuality, and the only way for a woman to gain status/influence was through her husband
• The love displayed in the poem is intensely obsessive and destructive, as well as controlling
• Dramatic monologue


  The poem is set against the narrative backdrop of the Duke choosing a new wife, or arranging his next wedding
• The poem will be read by a contemporary audience as sinister as the they become gradually aware of the fate of his ex-wife, and the allusions to murder
• There is a change of tone mid-way through the poem, reflecting the power-struggle within his relationships
• The opening immediately sets up a sinister tone for the piece, as the phrase "as if she were alive" shows that the Duchess has died
• The Duke forces his visitor to sit down with the rhetorical question, which implied that the Duke is in sole control of who sees her
• The Duke boasts about his wealth, with reference the famous artists that painted for him – "Fra Pandolf" / "Claus of Innsbruck" to demonstrate his influence and wealth
• The Duke expects the Duchess to only gain joy from him, and presents him as paranoid
• The Duke won't lower himself to talk to his wife and confront her about what he fears, as it would show him as paranoid and weak
• The metaphor of Neptune suggests he sees himself as god-like – men are gods that must tame their wives
• The Duke is extremely materialistic, as he condemns her finding nature beautiful but places a lot of value, in a statue "thought a rarity"
• The Duke believes his status and wealth should be seen as more valuable than anything available to the common man
• The poem is an example of a persona poem, where Browning has taken on the persona of the Duke of Ferrara
• Vowed


  At starting, is my object
• Neptune


  Taming a sea-horse
• Neptune


  • Thought a rarity
  • Cast in bronze for me
• The metaphor of Neptune suggests he sees himself as god-like - men are gods that must tame their wives
• Shows the excessive hubris and pride of the duke
• Shows the Duke is extremely materialistic, as he condemns her finding nature beautiful but places a lot of value, in a statue "thought a rarity"
• Clearly, he believes his status and wealth should be seen as more valuable than anything available to the common man