Analysis of the poem 'My Last Duchess', by Robert Browning In his dramatic monologue 'My Last Duchess', written in 1842, RobertBrowning gives us a glimpse into the world of Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, in the sixteenth century. Ferrara is a city in what is now northern Italy. Alfonso was a real person, but the situation described in this poem is fictional. The Duke is addressing an envoy from a Count and is showing him a portrait of his former wife. In the opening line, the Duke states plainly that the pain ting is of his 'last Duchess'. His comment in the second line that she is 'looking as if she were alive' gives the impression that this is a masterpiece, but as we read on we realize that there is a more sinister meaning to this phrase. The artist referred to, Fra Pandolf, is a fictional one. The Duke explains that he is the only one who shows off the portrait by drawing back the curtains that normally cover it. Everyone who sees it comments on the 'depth and passion' in the facial expression of the Duchess, and wonders what the reason for it was. The Duke refers to her expression as a 'spot of joy', and we begin to understand his attitude as he tells the envoy that he was not the cause of it: the artist was. The Duke imagines the compliments that Fra Pandol f might have paid to the Duchess as he was painting: 'Paint/Must never hope to reproduce the faint/Half -flush that dies along her throat.' It i cs clear that the Duke disapproved of his wife's reactions to such remarks, as he says that she was 'too soon mad e glad'. The Duke's comment that 'her looks went everywhere' (line 24) suggests that he could not tolerate the fact that the Duchess delighted in beauty and appreciated gifts from others. He recalls that she considered his 'favour at her breast' no more i mportant than the setting of the sun or a present of cherries from the orchard. He admits that she was right to thank people for gifts, but resents the fact that she did not seem value his gift to her, his 'nine-hundred-years-old name' above anything else. On two occasions the Duke mentions the idea of stooping to explain to his former wife what it was that displeased him about her (lines 34 and 42 -43). This clearly shows that he considered himself to be far above her. His language is very direct when he t ells the envoy that he might have said to her 'Just this/or that in you disgusts me'. Again, in lines 39 40, the Duke refers to how the Duchess might 'let/herself be lessoned', leaving us in no doubt as to his attitude towards her. She is seen as an inferi or being that would need to be taught how to behave, almost like an unruly child. He admits that she smiled when she saw him, but comments that she did the same to everyone she saw. As this went on, the Duke could no longer bear her behavior and 'gave comm ands;/Then all smiles stopped together' (lines 45-46). It soon becomes obvious that the Duchess did not merely cease to smile, but ceased to live: the Duke's orders had been to kill her. Once more he says 'There she stands/As if alive', and we are in no do ubt this time that she is no longer alive. The Duke's comments on his former wife are over and he asks the envoy to come downstairs with him. Only at this point is the purpose of the envoy's visit made clear: the Duke wishes to marry the Count's daughter, and the dowry is being discussed. Before they leave the upstairs room, however, the Duke draws the envoy's attention to another painting. This one, again by a fictional artist (Claus of Innsbruck) depicts Neptune 'Taming a sea horse'. There seems to be a clear parallel here with the concept of the Duke 'taming' his last Duchess. Browning's use of the dramatic monologue is of course ideal for emphasizing the Duke's dominant role in this situation. His is the only voice we hear, and his view of his relationship with his former wife is the one we are given. Our impression of the Duke is one of arrogance, intolerance, jealousy and cruelty. Does a wife who has looked at others and been generous with her thanks deserve to die? We are told (line 31) that on some occasions she merely blushed on meeting people when she went out for a ride; this would seem to suggest shyness and modesty. She appears to have been a lady who felt it right to express and whether there was hope for a little more tolerance. The narrator directs it to her smile in death.gratitude or smile in a friendly way. ³I gave commands´. friendly an d polite manner. with stressed and unstressed syllables alternating). The setting of this astounding monologue by Robert Browning takes place in Italy during the renaissance period. The Duchess was a flirt and would please a man when she was praised. gives a more natural. in 'My Last Duchess'. in the Duke. where one line flows into the next without a period. and we are left with the feeling that the Duke was a proud and ruthless man who over -reacted to his wife's charming manner. The use of the word 'you' throughout the poem may make us feel that the Duke is addressing us personally as we read. since it does not become clear until the final few lines that he is talking to an envoy. as the familiar form 'thee or 'thou' was also in use. The excuse for having his wife murdered is exceptionally eccentric if he possessed half an ounce of intelligence he would have confronted his wife and told her about her so-called flaws. and there she stands. We should remember that at this time 'you' was actually a polite form of address. ³Fra Pandolph¶s hands worked busily a day. conversational feel to the poem. In this dramatic monologue authored by Robert Browning the author begins by addressing his last Duchess to the Counts messenger he states how striking she was and all the diverse things about her. The poem is virtually devoid of metaphors and similes: as the Duke tells the envoy. Browning has composed his poem in rhyming couplets with iambic pentameter (ten syllables to a line. I am left wondering how the next Duchess was to fare. full of his own self-importance. Without this. Strangers glancing at her cadaver appeared to be traumatized. ³That¶s my last duchess painted on the wall. ³She thanked men good! But thanked somehow I know not how as if she ranked my gift of a nine hundred years old name with anybody¶s gift´. he has no 'skill in speech'. The use of enjambement. skilfully portrayed a domineering character. the use of rhyme might have seemed a little too contrived. The dashes in particular give the impression that thoughts are occurring to the Duke spontaneously as he speaks. My last Duchess is founded on events in Alfonso the second¶s life Alfonso was the Duke of Ferrara in Italy for a fraction of the renaissance period. The Count invites the courier to sit down and hear the story about his diseased wife. The last duchess adored the environment around her and was content with the small things in life. Fra Pandolf is an artist that works with the dead he dresses dead people and takes their picture. She had a heart how shall I say? Too soon made glad´ I believe the duke is angry because the duchess was a flirt and thanks everyone excessively as if she is extraordinary and has a nine hundred year old name. The duke enjoys the duchess smiling but then he contradicts himself and states that he only likes the duchess smiling at him. The narrator considers himself to be a general and he uses being a general as an excuse because general¶s orders should not be taken lightly and should be abided by the out come is the same in war if you don¶t accept the orders given you are shot for deserting. It is hard to read the poem without feeling compassion for the Duchess who died at his hand. Browning has. ³I choose never to stoop´. He boasts that he had enough with her jolly and positive attitude towards others so he gave commands to halt her smiling forever. ³For calling up that spot of joy. Looking as if she were alive ³. Like . apparently for having a warm. The last few lines about Neptune taming a sea horse is about male dominance Neptune control the sea horse as the duke control the duchess no that she is dead. jealousy. who married Lucrezia. In my outlook the duke owns the duchess like an object the duke demonstrates this by the way he opens and closes the curtain he has power over her now just like Porphyria¶s lover they both wanted control and they both killed to get it they both probably have the inherited illness called Porphyria the only difference is Porphyria¶s lover killed for control of love the duke killed for control of the person. Friedland. a critic who published an article on "My Last Duchess" in 1936. "Ferrara. we know something about how young Browning found the story. after a very long time and was trying to understand what had happened. unable to speak or to act. having selected a frequency. attentively." Yet these are transfixing clues to a drama that we observe. Fascinated with the Renaissance period. into several lives about which we know nothing. The duchess is put forward in the poem as a flirt but we have to remember this is in the view of the duke I believe the duke is covering his own envy. when Browning still lived.the duchess she is assassinated for not doing what she is told. "You say what? there's nothing in the poem about him killing her! where do you find that?" A century and more ago. He answered them cautiously. The poem both begins and ends with the descriptions of works of art at the beginning it is the picture of the duchess and at the climax of the poem it is a bronze statue of Neptune crafted by Claus of Innsbruck." a speech prefix. no doubt. he visited Italy in 1838 and clearly had done considerable reading about its history. resentment and covetousness to put the blame on her for him having the duchess killed. Many miss the point and are astonished. ³Notice Neptune.Taming a sea horse´. readers presented him with questions about this poem. though . ³The half-flush that dies along her throat´ she might have been blushing over the painter who was painting her features they could have been having an affair like Porphyria and her lover the duke could of found out and that was the final nail in the coffin so the duke ordered some one to murder the duchess if the story was told by the painter this could have been the outcome. whene¶er I passed her. . The duke continues to court the Counts daughter for a large dowry he does not care about love he only cares about getting rich. He must have come across a biography of Alfonso II (1533-1598). already in process and. overhear a very private conversation. but who passed without much the same smile. Browning's readers have only a title and. helplessly. Readers familiar with Browning's writing and sensitive to nuance perceive the speaker's pride and coldbloodedness. as we may come very gradually to appreciate. about a murder and the maybe-killer's search for the next victim. Thanks to Louis S. Commentary by Ian Lancashire (2002/9/9) We always drop unprepared into a Browning dramatic monologue. Soliloquies or speeches in a play have a context that orients the audience. ³Oh sir she smiled. fifth duke of Ferrara. in "My Last Duchess. as if we turned on a radio and. almost as if he had not written the poem but was seeing it himself. what we see today. havi ng become obsolescent.. The painter Frà Pandolf and the sculptor Claus of Innsbruck are fictitious.". almost vulgar. Is "That piece" a portrait or a sl-t. The poem's duke of Ferrara. if necessary. are to be replaced. one Nikolaus Mardruz. "Applied to a woman or girl. tells us two things. the "Count" with whose servant (Mardruz) Ferrara is here discussing re-marriage and a dowry.for two years. and still means now." is archaic now and may have been so when Browning wrote the poem (OED "piece" sb." The phrase "That piece" must mean "that portrait." as "portrait.or maybe we infer -that he acquires. also sounding peculiar. as far as we know. That sense of "piece. a man speaking of pictures of women. and that Duchesses are no different from paintings.Italy. and the new "fair daughter" are historical. it sounds odd.. a thing on a wall. I wonder what happened . come in sequence. The Duchess looks out at us. the viewers. but the interpretation of what actually took place among them is Browning's own. the Duchess herself (rather than her image in the painting). he implies -. Pause over "last" and we might infer that duchesses. connotes something quite different. "How odd he didn't say her name. not just works of art.. a b-tch. we might be looking at a living person rather than a work of art." he says. 17b). 9b). not the Duchess (so possibly we are being silly): "I call / That piece a wonder. mostly depreciatory. However a reader utters this line. Al fonso began negotiating for a new wife with a servant of the then count of Tyrol. describing the painting. The line suggests self-satisfaction." if that was simply what he meant? His choice of words may suggest that. four years after his visit to Italy. -.. but Browning must have meant his readers to associate the poem with these shadowy historical figures because he changed the title in 1849. now. In recent use. that is. Do we know for sure? Does "she" mean the Duchess or her painting? Ferrara continues. and people talked. Yet wouldn't Ferrara say "life-like" or "true to life." to . a c-nt? . like collectibles that." how would we react? We might think. in his expression.the 14-year-old daughter of the upstart merchant princes. but persons. she may be dead. his last duchess. cheerfully. The title evidently refers to a wall painting that Ferrara reveals to someone yet unidentified in the first fourteen words of the poem. I. and four years later in Innsbruck. "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall. to him. "That's my last wife painted on the wall. looks alive. and being told." surely. of a woman or girl regarded as a sexual object" (OED sb. the Medici. This context. or at least we might wonder until he finished his sentence with "Looking as if she were alive. Alfonso left her -. in 1558. He first published the poem in 1842. Emphasize "my" and Ferrara reveals his sense of owning her. She died barely 17 years old. directly from the painting. what the term has meant for centuries. while she. If "Duchess" gets the stress. Stress "That's" and Ferrara reduces a woman. from "Italy and France. and the phrase "last Duchess" echoes in our working memory. and her depiction there is life like. Three days after the wedding. once his spouse. to something he casually points out. by the owner himself. though there is something intangibly common. Finding ourselves being given a tour of a grand home for the first time." This clause. Was she looking at a lover." that "blush" (31). Ferrara has not yet done with us. giving him the honorific. "Frà" ('brother'). as her sexual partner." No. ought to arouse her." The painting cannot stand because it is on the wall. not someone contemptible -. more. Mid-way through line 5. or he might have complained that his art was not up to capturing the "faint / Half-flush that dies along" her throat.her "pictured countenance. for Frà Pandolf.Ferrara's next remark keeps us off-balance. The Duchess's look -. a painting. the stateliness and majesty that a duke confers. and that "glance" (again) -. and there she stands. though he may look as if he would like to ask. and yet Ferrara continues. that "spot of joy. a colouring in a small patch ("a spot") as blood flows to the face. has disappeared behind this character. "Sir. We have to "read" (6) her face. its skin being attractive. we must be told (and Ferrara will explain) why he named. the way he. due a member of religious orders and a celibate man. to colour in this way. it would be redundant here. but of course that is impossibl e. not a person. and only he can pull back the curtain to reveal it. to sit down "and look at her." spreading downwards from her cheeks (15) as he was painting her. but not at all displeased. at being looked at approvingly. being just as silent as the "you" to whom Ferrara refers. Is he speaking about the woman? Ferrara then invites his listener. a celibate religious.a relief. as a gif t. Ferrara also speaks to us. aroused that look. That. for example. on anyone by just turning up./ The depth and passion of its earnest glance". called that spot / Of joy in to the Duchess' cheek. 't was not / Her husband's presence only. Frà Pandolf. through his words. He just sits where he is told to sit and hears what others. standing beside him. Ferrara implies. but from a more general emotion. where did it live? Frà Pandolf alludes here to the "spot of joy. a wondrous good one. from sexual passion. and add to that. if they dare (11). reveals a "joy" felt by the Duchess in herself. because (as he tells us pointedly) the portrait is curtained off. Her embarrassed. His listener does not ask this question." Ferrara asserts." As readers. just what elicited that "passion" in her. at being herself. If it died in the throat.causes ignorant observers. knowing nothing about this place and its people. would sometimes want to ask (but in fact seldom do ask) and. who as a lyric poet would address us directly. as if we too were there. As "Strangers" (7). could never bring forth that "passion." Obviously the "piece" is something hand -made." If "presence" meant just "the state of being in the same place". Ferrara uses the term to allude to the importance of his decision to be with her. awareness that someone likes her reveals itself in a blush. no . nature being what it is. "Frà Pandolf's hands / Worked busily a day. because Browning. any court compliment owing to the Duchess merely by virtue of her position." the painter. Yet any "courtesy. her look did not rise. at sometime who desired her? That is one question her look suggests. Ferrara says. might have observed that the Duchess should shift her mantle up her arm somewhat to show more of her wrist. possibly. We have to look at the Duchess. "by design. to look as if they would ask Ferrara. hears what Ferrara would say in answer to that rare question. We may want to sit down. of his type. "there she stands. and only Ferrara. to flatter Ferrara.as if the poem somehow lived independent from him -. as if she was one of his soldiers. she was made happy by it.Ferrara killed the joy that defined the "depth and passion" of her being. a place in a noble family 900 years old. He finally controlled before whom she could "blush. and her looks went everywhere. For all his obsession with his noble lineage. that is. however. instead of following him and so maintaining symbolically a duke's superior level and rank." A sprig of flowers from the duke for her bosom (25) and his ancestral name itself (33) meant joy to her. Lacking the cunning to discriminate publicly. by the side of a listener made to sit. and the white mule whom she rode "round the terrace" (29). an excuse that the poem itself disproves. Ferrara bargains with it openly. could her smiles be stopped by anything short of death by execution? What Ferrara's commands were. whenever he "passed" her (44). but "As if alive". 43). Ferrara could ind eed be speaking mainly about the "life-like" portrait. Ferrara "stoops. standing before her portrait." a contaminant that should not have been on his last Duchess' cheek. Now." This elliptical chain of four curt. At the beginning. When he describes her as missing or exceeding the "mark" (38 -39). the second time he uses the phrase. the more his contempt and self-justifying anger show. If the Duchess smiled everywhere. side by side. in her face. he shifted to the Duchess herself. He attributes this silence to his lack of "skill / In speech". lowering himself to her level.whether a celibate painter. Ferrara develops his metaphor from archery. or understate the value of his own gift. She smiled on him. and he said nothing to her about what he felt. rather than a Duchess who was herself the prize. "This grew. She cannot be "life-like. bleak sentences brings Ferrara back to where he started. she also could not detect his outrage. I gave commands." Even had he just divorced her and put her in a convent. Unable to recognize "courtesy" as insincere. Then Ferrara invites his listener and us to rise from being seated and "meet / The company below" (47-48). She wore her feelings openly. has a much more ominous sound.did the looking. / Then all smiles stopped together. When negotiating with the listener's master the Count for a dowry. though sharing the same smile with anyone else. Her humility and general good nature. he does not say. as Browning thought possible late in his life -." He not only lowers himself to the level of a mere count but generously offers to "go / Together down" with the listener.matter who -. Ferrara obsessively reviews the reasons why that joy was "a spot. no less than a sunset. There she stands / As if alive. . a servant. or her husband the duke -. took joy in "whate'er /She looked on. in fact. a courtier's gi ft of some cherries from the tree. The more he talks. and the more he endears the Duchess to us. but to the standing Duke any outward expression of his concern would have meant "stooping" (34." He alone draws back the curtain on the portrait. but as his anger grew. where she stands. disgusted (38) Ferrara for the way they seemed to trifle (35) with. competing in a competition for prizes (his name). Will Ferrara "repeat" (48) in marriage as he does in his speech? He claims the Count's "fair daughter's self" is his "object." He tells his listener to look at her and to "Notice Neptune... `thanked' (31). alive" (2. become a thing. by echoing the work of other poets. as he reaches the staircase." Will she too." . `Will 't please you' (5. 24). Browning does not write as himself. an objective achieved. `look. He takes pride in saying. that spot of joy' (14 -15. 5. He abhors stooping because he would lose face. 45-46). 47). found on a wall like his last Duchess? Ferrara hints at his intentions by pointing out a second work of art. "I repeat" (48). is "Taming a sea-horse" (55). `gift' (33 -34). and he requires his listener to sit. 21). In this poem Browning develops an idiolect for Ferrara. These tics define his idiolect but also his mind. circling back to the same topic again and again. because to do so would be untrue to the Duke's character. Unlike poets like Gray and Keats. He stands because the Duchess stands on the wall. relative to others. and to walk downstairs with him side-by-side. 12). He also obsesses about his height. Ferrara betrays his obsessions by nervous mannerisms.. 47). for example. and `pass' (44). the sea-god. `glance' (8. and `called/calling . He curtains off the Duchess' portrait to prevent her from looking "everywhere. Neptune. to rise. He repeats words associated with the Duchess: the phrases `as if . 46). Ferrara needs to control the eyes of others.' variously inflected (2. this time a sculpture. `stoop' (34. 42-43). `smile' (43. `there she stands' (4. Last. as Ferrara tamed his last Duchess.. this provides the reader with location (Italy) and class environment (aristocratic). the emissary is now in a subordinate position. Line 5: The use of the word "you" informs the reader that there is an immediate addressee within the fiction of the poem. The central premise of the poem is put in place: the dead wife will appear to come back to life only throu gh the artistry of the picture. the Duke appears more taken with the pain ting . Through this. then the subsequent "reasons" given by the Duke concerning her "imperfections" will seem all the more outrageous. The Duke also stresses that all of the painting's viewers² "strangers like you"²remark upon the painting's lifelike look. Fra Pandolf ²and later. not historical. These words seem to be heavy with ridicule and scorn for both woman and artist. asking him to sit and gaze upon picture of the dead woman. the Duke. and b) an introduction to the Duke's subtle. "Fra Pandolf.My Last Duchess Lines 1-2: The beginning note is meant to explain that the speaker of the poem is the Duke of Ferrara. ultimately created ²not a masterpiece²but just a portion of one. figure. The reader may imagine the emissary sitting in a chair while the Duke stands and delivers his speech. and initiates a "relationship" between the dead woman and the reader. the speaker is not addressing the reader. Browning allows the reader to begin to think of the woman as a real person. In effect. It should be noted that." who created a work of art that makes the dead woman seem so animated. Lines 3-4: Here. but another character. Browning accomplishes two things: a) an emphasis on the mastery of the artist. mocking tone with the phrases "piece of wonder" and "busily a day". In the opening lines Browning sets the scene for the poem. it indicates that the speaker of the poem. More specifically. Lines 6-9: The words "by design" imply that the artist is well -known and has some prestige attached to his name. Claus of Innsbruck²is an imaginary. In addition. At this poi nt the reader might begin to think the Duke was jealous of the man who "fussed" over his wife but who. The Duke may want to advertise that it was his own talent for hiring the right artist that was responsible for the "life-like quality" of the picture. once very much alive. unlike some other figures in Browning's work. focusing the reader's imagination on the painting on the wall. Once the reader begins to feel sympathy for the woman. is now addressing the emissary directly. or riding a white mule. That "passionate glance" might have been placed there by the painter. too easil y pleased and impressed.. With these details." Lines 14-15: At this point. the Duke announces that. she gave all men the kind of respect that only a man with his family's rank and distinction deserves. While he thinks it's fine to be courteous ("She thanked men. The image of emotion²the "passion" in the "glance"²seems more valuable to him than genuine emotion. whom the Duke probably sees as a rival for his dead wife's affection. He blames her for not seeing any difference between being the wife of a "great man" and: being able to see the sunset. Browning suggests more of the Duke's possessiveness." which may literally have been a blush. even though her faults were many. since apparently all previous viewers have wanted to know what excited the Duchess enough to inspire that look in her eyes.²good!"). If the painter was not the Duchess' lover. The Duke also betrays his posses siveness and desire for control when he comments that "none puts by / The curtain . he would not lower himself² "stoop"²by telling her what . First and foremost. Lines 35-43: Having recounted the Duchess's imperfections. Lines 16-21: The Duke begins to offer his guesses at what. as he tells the emissary that it wasn't his presence alone that made his wife happy or caused the "spot of joy.. The Duke insinuates that this blush must have come to her face from either being in the company of a lover or from her far too impressionable and undiscriminating nature. Lines 10-13: These lines suggest just how striking the depth and passion of the image are. turning on the reader's sense of how seriously the Duke believes in the monk's vows of celibacy. Lines 22-34: This section of the poem begins the Duke's long list of complaints against the Duchess.than with the real woman the picture represents. Two readings are possible. then her nature was simply too susceptible to flattery for the Duke's liking. but I. she was innocent. The use of the word "its" instead of "her" suggests that the Duke has more of a relationship with the painting than he did with his dead wife. receiving a bouquet from someone of status below the Duke's. Browning begins to interject the notion of the Duke's jealousy. might have caused the Duchess to blush. aside from some illicit pleasure. even if he had the skill to tell the Duchess just how much she disgusted him. The image of the powerful god taking control over a creature like a sea-horse demonstrates the relationship between the Duke (Neptune) and the last Duchess (seahorse)." taming a sea -horse. The lines "gave commands. he explains that the very process of having to explain his feelings to her would have constituted a compromise (or "stoop") to his authority." underscore her death. At best. / Then all smiles stopped together" tell us that the Duke used his power to curb his wife's friendliness. and how she never reserved her smile for him. "Neptune . he may have ordered her assassination. Note how the Duke tries to paint himself as a "plain -spoken" man. the reader may realize the Duke is well-skilled in the uses of language. At this point. one who has no "skill" in "speech. as well as his more general power in the world. he would not have explained to her how and why her actions bothered him. but also his ability to do so. with the emphasis on "as if alive. Lines 49-53: As the poem draws to a close. however. Lines 54-56: The poem concludes with the final image of a god. The Duke explains that. It is as if. The final lines emphasize another aspect of that power. the reader is unlikely to trust these declarations and is likely to fear for this young woman's welfare. he betrays a fear that she would have argued with him: "plainly set / Her wits to yours.bothered him. the Duke redirects his attention to his upcoming marriage. He tells the emissary that he is certain his future bride's father will give him a generous dowry." On the other hand. On one hand. The Duke. by pointing out this sculpture to the emissary. Lines 44-48: These lines contain the speaker's final judgement on the Duchess. but the words also leave the details ambiguous. wants to be seen as a man who is more interested in his fiancee than in any money she might bring to their union. the Duke is restating his power over his future bride. at worst. showing not just the Duke's desire to possess rare objects of beauty. The next lines. . The Duke recalls his dead wife's smile. he may have restricted her behavior in a way that dampened her ardor for life." At this point in the poem.