my last duchess

• My last duchess


  The poem is about the duke's previous wife
• Dramatic monologue


  • The poem is written as one whole stanza with the duke confessing to killing his last duchess
• The duke referred to is Duke Alfonso of Ferrara, whose first wife Lucrazia de Medici died under suspicious circumstances
• Possessive pronoun 'my'


  Shows the duke sees the duchess as his possession that he owns and controls
• The duchess looking as if she were alive


  Suggests she may be dead
• Enjambment and jump lines

  • Speed up the pace of the poem, showing the duke speaking rapidly without pause
• Frau Pandolf


  • The fictional painter who painted the duchess
• Rhetorical question


  The duke's command for the guest to sit and look at the duchess, not a real question
• The duke's control over who can see the duchess

  Shown by the reference to the curtain he can draw
• The duchess's blushing and showing joy

  Irritates the duke as it was not reserved only for him