My last duchess

• my last duchess painted on the wall'


  'my' is a possessive pronoun sounds like he owns the duchess herself, not just the painting
• looking as if she were alive'


  sets a sinister tone

  foreshadowing the fact that he did kill her
• will't please you sit and look at her'


  sounds like he is being polite but he is being forceful
• none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you'


  he controls who looks at the painting, but he couldn't control who looked at his wife when she was alive

  metaphorical- he drew the curtains on her life when he wanted to. he has absolute power
• her husbands presence only, called that spot of joy into the duchess' cheek'


  sexual jealousy- jealous that other men can make her look like she does in the photo
• flush that dies along her throat'

  reference to death is out of place, suspicious, hints at the Duchess' fate
• too soon made glad, too easily Impressed'


  annoyed that she was cheery and friendly
• her looks went everywhere'


  the duke thinks that she was promiscuous and that she flirted a lot
• she thanked men- good...if she ranked my gift of a nine hundred year old name with anybody's gift'


  annoyed that she doesn't thank him more and if she does its the same way she thanks anyone else

  suggesting that she should have worshipped him for the gift he gave her
• then would be some stooping; and I choose never to stoop'


  he is too proud to be criticising his wife, he shouldn't have to tell her what is annoying him, she should know
• she smiled whenever I passed her; but who passed much the same smile


  pivotal verb 'but' shows his annoyance at the duchess for smiling at people the same why she smiled at him

  he thinks that its bad to show affection to anyone but him
• I gave commands then all smiles stopped together'


  sibilance

  repeated hint that he has killed her

  he is too powerful to kill her himself and get his hands dirty, has to give orders to someone else
• though his fair daughters self as I avowed at starting, is my object'

  'my' possessive pronoun, his new duchess is an object to add to his collection

  he wants his duchess to be an obedient object, he objectified his last duchess as a painting
• notice Neptune taming a sea horse'


  returns focus on art collection to show his wealth and power.

  metaphor- I am Neptune and she is the sea horse, she must be tamed. showing how he expects his duchess to behave