Browning’s poem, “My Last Duchess” is about a powerful Duke and his late wife. He is showing a portrait painted on the wall of his duchess and describing her to someone. The portrait seems to be full-length and highly realistic because the duke remarks that “there she stands” (4). The duke immediately seems somewhat sinister. He even speaks of the duchess as if she were a possession referring to her as “[his] last duchess” throughout the poem.
The poem both begins and ends with the Duke mourning his deceased bride. However, the manner in which he speaks leads me to believe he may have been behind her death. He chooses his words carefully remaining vague about the cause of death. He drops only the smallest hints to his visitor.
The Duke initially …show more content…
The Duke explains that his wife was “too easily impressed; she liked whate’er she looked on, and her looks went everywhere” (23-24). The Duchess seems to be extremely flirtatious or even having many affairs without much effort to conceal it from her husband. Whether or not this is true remains unclear.
The Duke further asserts that she receives gifts from him with the same pleasure as receiving a gift from some other “officious fool” (27). He then laments on the fact that he gave to her his “nine-hundred-years-old name” to her (33). It seems to me that he sees this longstanding familial heritage as making him superior; that his wife should be most thankful to him and him alone. The Duke even refuses to address the problems he has mentioned. He says, “ E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose Never to stoop” (42-43).
After reading this poem a few times, I decided the Duke is simply overly jealous. He continuously makes statements hinting that he was unhappy with the marriage; however, he seems to be immensely arrogant, self-absorbed, and egotistical. It is likely he had her killed out of illegitimate jealousy, and the inability to discuss his concerns for fear of feeling
The poem both begins and ends with the Duke mourning his deceased bride. However, the manner in which he speaks leads me to believe he may have been behind her death. He chooses his words carefully remaining vague about the cause of death. He drops only the smallest hints to his visitor.
The Duke initially …show more content…
The Duke explains that his wife was “too easily impressed; she liked whate’er she looked on, and her looks went everywhere” (23-24). The Duchess seems to be extremely flirtatious or even having many affairs without much effort to conceal it from her husband. Whether or not this is true remains unclear.
The Duke further asserts that she receives gifts from him with the same pleasure as receiving a gift from some other “officious fool” (27). He then laments on the fact that he gave to her his “nine-hundred-years-old name” to her (33). It seems to me that he sees this longstanding familial heritage as making him superior; that his wife should be most thankful to him and him alone. The Duke even refuses to address the problems he has mentioned. He says, “ E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose Never to stoop” (42-43).
After reading this poem a few times, I decided the Duke is simply overly jealous. He continuously makes statements hinting that he was unhappy with the marriage; however, he seems to be immensely arrogant, self-absorbed, and egotistical. It is likely he had her killed out of illegitimate jealousy, and the inability to discuss his concerns for fear of feeling