Robert Browning's Poem "My Last Duchess"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess"
is a dramatic monologue spoken by the Duke of Ferrara. The author points out that, given the title, the poem appears to be about the late wife of the Duke, whose portrait is being shown to a visitor, as the Duke negotiates for his next Duchess; however, the Duke reveals much more about himself and his role as a husband than he does about his late wife. The paper relates that "My Last Duchess", typical of this type of poetry, overtly is about a painting but the covert meaning is confessional. The author underscores that, in the lack of distinction between the portrait and the woman, the Duke reveals his feelings, that women are the possessions of men and are only good for their beauty.

From the Paper:

"The speaker makes a shift in the poem and goes from discussing the qualities of the painting itself, to making jealous hypotheses about why the woman in the painting is blushing. He also says to his listener "not the first / are you to turn and ask thus" (12-13), but the listener did not ask. This implies that the Duke has been suppressing this jealous rant and has been waiting for an opportunity to let the beast out for a high-spirited run. The fact that he says the listener is not the first to ask is probably more likely to mean that the listener is not the first person the Duke has revealed this to."

More papers on Robert Browning's Poem "My Last Duchess":

• Poem Review # 108853 : "Browning's "My Last Duchess"
• Poem Review # 84929 : "My Last Duchess"
• Poem Review # 73838 : "My Last Duchess"

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