ENG 1080
"My Last Duchess"
Ocotber 10th 2014
Nickolas Locher
Student ID: 0886371
After reading Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess", I must say that I found it both enjoyable and intriguing.One of the technique's the author uses that I really liked was the use of "Dramatic Monologue" by the narrator.
This poem is based on the life of Alfonso the II, the Duke of Ferrara and his late wife. The setting of the poem is his private art gallery which resides in his palace. The monologue is designed by the author to reveal the Dukes' true character. When the Duke is meeting with an envoy for Count Ferdinand the I, the envoy notices a painting of a beautiful woman with a red spot on her cheek, she was Dukes' last Duchess. The Duke want's to be percieved as a culturally sophisticated individual,making reference to "Fra Pandolf" , which means brother Pandolf (an imaginary painter).
Photogravure of Robert Browning, 1865, printed c. ...
English: Portraits of Elizabeth Barrett Browning a...
English: 1881 caricature of Robert Browning: scann...The use of the expression implies that the Duke is part of that cultural group of artists. The Duke is also being portayed as a powerful and respected authority figure, even though the envoy noticed the red spot upon the Duchess's cheek, he did not dare to mention it. This proves that the Duke is respected and feared by people because of his power. If readers continue to analyse the text we notice that he is an evil and jealous indvidual. The Duke can be percieved as evil and jealous because he began to despise her when she was socially outgoing with other men, while enjoying there company. The Duchess started showing signs of arrousal in those situations. There is another point to this argument, where after three years of marriage the Duchess had yet provided an heir for the Duke.