My last duchess poem summary. Analysis of the Robert Browning Poem 'My Last Duchess' 2022-10-11

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"My Last Duchess" is a dramatic monologue written by Robert Browning in 1842. The speaker in the poem is the Duke of Ferrara, who is giving a tour of his palace to an envoy from another noble family. As they walk through the palace, the Duke stops in front of a portrait of his last wife, the Duchess.

The Duke begins to speak about the Duchess, saying that she had a "spotless mind" and a "heart as soft" as a baby's. However, he also reveals that she had a tendency to smile too much and too freely, which he found irritating. He implies that he had her killed because of this, saying that she "smiled" one too many times.

Throughout the poem, the Duke's pride and arrogance are evident in his words and actions. He is extremely possessive of the Duchess and sees her as a possession rather than a person. He is also jealous of anyone who might have received her attention or affection, including the courtiers who admired her beauty.

The Duke's actions and attitudes towards the Duchess are disturbing and show a lack of empathy and understanding towards her as a person. He is more concerned with maintaining his own reputation and social standing than with the happiness or well-being of his wife.

In the final lines of the poem, the Duke hints that he is planning to marry again and that he expects his new wife to be more obedient and submissive. This reveals the Duke's shallow and selfish nature, as he is willing to discard one wife for another simply because she does not meet his expectations.

Overall, "My Last Duchess" is a thought-provoking and disturbing poem that explores the themes of power, possession, and control in relationships. It serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of selfishness and a lack of empathy towards others.

My Last Duchess Short Summary

my last duchess poem summary

Advertisements In the parenthesis, the Duke explains that they turn to him to ask it because none other than him is allowed to draw the curtain that covers the portrait. Through the use of symbols, the Duke reveals himself to be a man who desires total and complete power and submission from those around him. He is the speaker of the poem. She praised all in the same way. The irony which Browning provides in this poem is crystal clear.

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My Last Duchess Summary, Themes, and Literary Analysis

my last duchess poem summary

The portrait is so beautifully painted that she looks alive. The duke would not condescend to correct her attitude. He is showing the emissary around his palace when he arrives at the portrait of his last Duchess. One of the most famous poems in this collection is My Last Duchess. He complains about her showing the same amount of appreciation to others as she does to him, which makes the Duke considerably jealous. She had A heart—how shall I say? That is why the Duke considers it a piece of wonderful art now. The poem deals with the theme of male and female relationships and their contrasting powers or lack of it.

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My Last Duchess Poem Summary And Line By Line Analysis By Robert Browning In English • English Summary

my last duchess poem summary

He starts to discuss the artwork of his past spouse the duchess. After that, he casually gets back to the business at hand. He is in total control of the situation, however casual he may pretend to be. Works Cited Meyer, Michael, and D. The Duke starts recalling the portrait sessions and the Duchess.

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What is the poem My Last Duchess by Robert Browning about?

my last duchess poem summary

He further said that she had a big heart, but it was too big because she used to smile at everyone that she encounters. The monolog is planned so that it uncovers the genuine character of the duke who is having a casual chitchat with a guest; the pursuers need to investigate the story behind his bragging. Who is the speaker in the poem My Last Duchess? Alfonso was married three times but had no children. He claims she had a disgraceful My Last Duchess Summary in English My last Duchess summary about the poem by Robert Browning digs deeper for better comprehension. The Duke then asks his listener who would lower himself to ask her about this strange behaviour or to have an argument with her over this matter? What are the main themes of My Last Duchess? Lines 21-24 The Duke further explains the nature of his late Duchess to the listener.

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My Last Duchess Summary & Analysis

my last duchess poem summary

He appears confident his demands will be met, both the ample dowry and the subservient wife. Irony When the intended meaning of the writer is different from the actual meaning of the words, it is known as irony. He further tells the listener about the nature of his former wife. Before the poem even begins, the courtier has been escorted through the Duke's palace—probably through an art gallery filled with paintings and sculptures. The Duke in this poem uses his power to control a woman, his duchess. Though literary polite, the request seems rather like a command from the Duke. My favour at her breast, The dropping of the daylight in the West, The bough of cherries some officious fool Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule She rode with round the terrace—all and each Would draw from her alike the approving speech, Or blush, at least.

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My Last Duchess Summary

my last duchess poem summary

The enjambment works against the otherwise orderly meter to remind us that the duke will control his world, including the rhyme scheme of his monologue. If seen this way, then the diplomat is a character that breaks the 4 th wall. The duke remains enamored with the woman he has had killed, though his affection now rests on a representation of her. It looks like our guest is trying to get away from the Duke as quickly as he can. The use of first-person and the fixed perspective of the piece are prime examples of a dramatic monologue. To some extent, the duke's amorality can be understood in terms of aristocracy. Greed The theme of Greed is also found in the end of the poem when the Duke tells the servant of the Count that he is not worried about the dowry.


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My Last Duchess Poem Summary and Analysis

my last duchess poem summary

The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. He shows that he loves his Duchess more in painting as compared to when she was alive. Twice the agent starts to question or interrupt, but the duke smoothly deflects the interruptions and continues speaking. He indicates a statue and tells his visitor that it is his own statue as god Neptune preparing the ocean horse. The lyric resembles a bit of casual conversation, however it is intended to uncover an account of persecution, desire, pride, defilement, kill and the covetousness for share. In these latter considerations Browning prefigures writers like Charles Baudelaire and Oscar Wilde. Literature of the era, in circles both journalistic and literary, portrayed women as fragile creatures in need of a husband.

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My Last Duchess Style, Form, and Literary Elements

my last duchess poem summary

The Duke of Ferrara is shown exercising his tyrannical power not only in his political and social affairs but also in his marital life. The context of the poem is a marriage settlement where we see the envoy of the count comes to the Duke of Ferrara with a marriage proposal. So, now we know who painted the portrait of the Duchess. Even if he could tell her what she could change, she might give excuses or might not agree with the Duke to change herself. Coupled with the way that the man refers to her as dead right after that strongly implies that he had something to do with her passing, and might have orchestrated her death as a way to punish her for inappropriate behavior. After ending his story, the Duke invites the man to get up and go downstairs to meet others. Robert Browning is considered one of the best poets of the Victorian Era and his popularity is rested mostly on his 1842 collection of poems- Dramatic Lyrics.

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My Last Duchess by Robert Browning

my last duchess poem summary

He regarded his late wife as a mere object that existed only to please him and do his bidding. The emissary is there on the behalf of quite a powerful family. The apparent pauses, shown by dashes, purportedly indicate a hesitation as the duke considers what to say, but actually they suggest his consummate arrogance and manipulative control of the situation. She thanked everyone and the Duke had no problem with that. Rather, the specific historical setting of the poem harbors much significance: the Italian Renaissance held a particular fascination for Browning and his contemporaries, for it represented the flowering of the aesthetic and the human alongside, or in some cases in the place of, the religious and the moral. He expected her to be lovely to seem at, however very little a lot of.

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