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Learn More. “My Last Duchess” is a dramatic monologue written by Victorian poet Robert Browning in 1842. In the poem, the Duke of Ferrara uses a painting of his former wife as a conversation piece. The Duke speaks about his former wife's perceived inadequacies to a representative of the family of his bride-to-be, revealing his obsession ...
Start Free Trial. My Last Duchess Summary. I n Robert Browning's poem “My Last Duchess,” the duke of Ferrara addresses an emissary of the count whose daughter the duke intends to marry. The ...
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In the case of “My Last Duchess,” the speaker is a historical figure: Alfonso II, the duke of Ferrara. Alfonso’s first wife, Lucrezia, was a young woman who died just three years into their marriage, after which Alfonso negotiated a new marriage. In Browning’s poem, the Duke addresses an emissary who has been sent to his palace in Italy ...
Jun 7, 2020 · A Summary and Analysis of Robert Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’. By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Probably Robert Browning’s most famous (and widely studied) dramatic monologue, ‘My Last Duchess’ is spoken by the Duke of Ferrara, chatting away to an acquaintance (for whom we, the reader, are the stand-in) and revealing a ...
- Introduction
- My Last Duchess Summary
- Themes in My Last Duchess
- My Last Duchess Literary Analysis
“My Last Duchess” is a famous poem written by Robert Browning. It was published in a book of poems named “Dramatic Lyrics” in 1842. As the name “Dramatic Lyrics” suggests, Browning tried to produce new trends in poetry after some experiments. He tried to combine some features of stage plays with some Romantic verses to produce the new type of poetr...
In this poem, the Duke of Ferrara talks to a silent listener who is one of his guests. He draws his attention towards the painting of his former Duchess who is now dead. The painting hangs on the wall of his private art gallery. The Duke tells the listener that its artist “Fra pandolf” worked hard to make it a piece of wonder and now it is in front...
Power
This poem is all about power. The Duke of Ferrara is shown exercising his tyrannical power not only in his political and social affairs but also in his marital life. He rules with an iron fist. As he was a duke so he even wanted to control his wife’s smile and when he couldn’t, he gave orders to kill her.
Art
A beautiful piece of art is presented in the poem. The Duke shows the portrait of her former Duchess to his guest that is so beautifully painted that the Duchess seems alive, smiling and standing in front of them. The Artist of the painting “Fra Pandolf” worked hard to put the depth and passion in the painting and he made it a masterpiece. Everyone gets surprised to see this art of wonder and admires it. Apart from that painting, the Duke also draws the attention of his guest towards another...
Objectification of women
Throughout the poem, the Duke praises the art and painting of his wife. He shows that he loves his Duchess more in painting as compared to when she was alive. He values the art more than his wife. His point of view shows that the women are the objects that are supposed to be controlled and possessed. It also reflects the thinking of Browning’s time when people used to treat women badly in the Victorian era. They were not considered equal as men and were not allowed to stand as independent bei...
Lines 1-5
In the opening lines of the poem, the speaker talks about “his last duchess”. It gives the idea that the speaker is a Duke and he is addressing an unknown or silent listener. The Duke points towards the painting of his Duchess on the wall who is dead now. The picture of the Duchess is so beautifully painted that the speaker says it seems that she is standing alive in front of him. The Duke praises the painting and calls it a masterpiece. He also tells the mysterious listener about the artist...
Lines 5-13
The Duke tells the listener that he told him the name of the painter deliberately because everyone who looks at this painting, wants to know about the person who produced this piece of art. The people or the strangers who see this painting, also want to question how the painter portrayed so much depth and passion on the face of the Duchess and gave her the expressions that look absolutely real. The Duke also tells the listener that only he is allowed to draw the curtain back that hangs over t...
Lines 13-21
The Duke keeps on addressing his silent listener and this time he calls him “Sir”. He explains the expressions of the Duchess in the painting and tells the listener that the smile and the blush that he can see on her cheeks was not because of her husband’s presence. The Duchess was not happy because the Duke was around. It gives the idea that something else was the reason behind the Duchess’ joy and the Duke seems jealous of this thing because he always wanted her to have these expressions of...
My Last Duchess Summary. Back. More. The Duke of Ferrara is negotiating with a servant for the hand of a count’s daughter in marriage. (We don’t know anything about the Count except that he is a count. And that he’s not the Count from Sesame Street – different guy.) During the negotiations, the Duke takes the servant upstairs into his ...
The short story "My Last Girlfriend" by Robert Barnard is a take-off on "My Last Duchess" with a new twist. Science fiction author Eric Flint uses portions of "My Last Duchess" in his book 1634: The Galileo Affair (2004). Canadian author Margaret Atwood's short story "My Last Duchess" appears in her short story anthology Moral Disorder (2006 ...
