Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning :: Robert Browning, My Last Duchess

A dramatic monologue is a poem in which a single verbaliser who is notthe poet recites the entire poem at a critical moment. The speakerhas a listener within the poem, but the reader of the poem is also oneof the speakers listeners. In a dramatic monologue, the reader learnsabout the speakers character from what the speaker says. RobertBrowning is said to have perfected this form of writing. wholeness of hismost famous dramatic monologues is My Last Duchess. The speaker in the poem is an Italian duke who ordered the murder ofhis wife and is at the offset of the poem covering off the portrait tohis future son-in-law. Browning lets the reader know in a roundaboutway that the duke only shows the portrait of his late wife to choosestrangers. In doing this, the speaker is able to show off his wealth tothe stranger and he seems to enjoy telling these people the story ofhow he ordered her to death. The speaker tries to convey to thepeople that he shows the portrait to that he is in con trol ofeverything that takes place in his household. In lines 8-9, the speakerinterjects since none puts by The curtain I have drawn for you Inthis line, the speaker is saying that he doesnt draw the curtain forjust anyone. He has drawn the curtain particularly for his futureson-in-law and he should feel privileged because the portrait can onlybe seen under the speakers complete control. The Duke believes that he should be shown complete respect and bethe center of attending while in his home. The Duke thought his wifeshould be for him and his pleasures only. He did not like it when FraPandolf, the artist who painted the portrait said Fra Pandolf chanced to say Her mantle laps oer my ladys wrist too much, or, Paint Must never hope to reproduce the faint Half-flush that dies along her throat.to the duchess in lines 16-18. And then again in lines 27-28, the duketells about how some engaged fool brought her cherries from theorchard. The duke also could not stand the fact that the duc hess treatedeveryone and every gift equally all and each / Would draw from heralike the approving speech, / Or blush, at least (lines 29-31). Theduke thought of his wife as one of his possessions and she couldnever be treated as his equal Een then would be some stoopingand I choose / Never to stoop (lines 42-43).