Analysis Of Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess'

1. The first example that exposes the ego and self-centeredness of the Duke was in his introduction of the Duchess to the envoy. He describes her as a prized possession that can only be revealed to whomever he chooses. The Duke reiterates the name Fra Pandolf as the painter, so that the envoy will recognize his affluence, making it safe for the audience conclude that Fra Pandolf could not have been just an ordinary artist, but a well-known and expensive artist. The Duke’s admiration for the prized painting rather than the subject of the painting, also proves to show that he is more interested in what will boost his self-worth.
a. Author Domhnall Mitchell states in his article, “Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess”, “"I call / That piece a wonder, now: …show more content…
The author also reveals to the audience that the Duke’s pride was provoked by the Duchess’s nonchalant attitude. Unlike the Duke, the Duchess was loveable, courteous and respectful towards everyone whether of an upper or lower class in the society. A charisma the Duke obviously does not possess. The feeling of not being able to possess or be in total control of this charm hurt his ego, and spurred his feeling of jealousy towards the Duchess.
a. According to the article "My Last Duchess." Merriam Webster 's Encyclopedia of Literature, “The poem 's narrator is the Duke of Ferrara, who comments dispassionately on the portrait of his late wife hanging on the wall, remarking on the duchess 's innocence and character. He reveals that the duchess had incurred his displeasure by her expansive friendliness and her refusal to acknowledge his superiority in all things.”
4. The Duke’s inability to control his emotions, unwittingly made him a victim of his pride. By his act of marriage, the Duke thinks of his gift of his heritage as enough motivation to command absolute devotion from the Duchess. Or make the Duchess vain and proud as he is. Nonetheless, the Duke being unwilling to talk about his feelings with his wife, that is if he loved her at all, gave into the dark nature of …show more content…
Author Laurence Perrine states in his article, "Browning 's Shrewd Duke", “I shall contend, quite otherwise, that the Duke, vain and proud as he assuredly is, is also a shrewd bargainer and master diplomat who, while exposing himself fully to the reader, not improbably obtains high commendation from the emissary in his report to the Count. Inordinate egotism and intellect frequently cohabit…and vanity, though it puffs a man up, by no means necessarily blinds him in matters of self-interest…The Duke is compounded of egotism and astuteness, cruelty and politeness, pride of possession and love of art, all at once… Our reactions to the Duchess are controlled by the warmth of her response to compliments, by her graciousness to inferiors, and especially by the things she takes delight in: the beauty of a sunset, the gift of a bough of cherries, a ride round the terrace on a white mule. Her response to these things indicates a genuine and sensitive nature, which takes joy in simple, natural things rather than in gauds and baubles or the pomp of position and power which attract the Duke. To the Duke, who seldom smiles, the Duchess may seem to smile excessively… The Duke thinks his Duchess should be proud and unbending, like himself; she should give commands to her inferiors, not stoop to thank them for small favors. The Duke 's response to her, therefore, is to do away with her. But the response of others in the poem is to bring her a bough of cherries or to remark on "the faint