Analysis of My Last Duchess Essay

use of rhyme and rhythm, the very heart of the poem. The poet’s use of

In the story “My last Duchess,” the Duke is speaking to the envoy of another nobleman of his second bride to be. The Duke describes the circumstances of his last duchess in which it was painted and boasted how Fra Pandolf the painter made her “look as if she was alive”. The Duke continues speaking about the unfortunate fate of his former wife. It is evident that a crime has been committed; He was jealous and annoyed of his easily impressed wife so he murdered her. His tone and demeanor is one of extreme arrogance and it is clear he is a dangerous man who poses a threat to any and all women he claims to love.

Different Forms of Power Presented in My Last Duchess, A Woman to Her Lover and La Belle Dame Sans Merci

the personality of his duchess, he is shown to be a heartless, arrogant man. His complete

none puts by / The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)' He acts like

Throughout history, gender roles have been an important barrier in society. Women are forced to satisfy expectations established by men and society. “My Last Duchess,” by Robert Browning, focuses on the powerful Duke establishing certain expectations of the Duchess, and attempting to control her. Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, concentrates on Laertes establishing certain expectations of Ophelia, and seeking to control her. A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf, centers on societal expectations of Judith, and her father trying to control her. In all three texts, men have the ability to control women and have the freedom to do as they please. Women must conform to the expectations of faithfulness, attentiveness, and chastity.

This paper compares works of art by three different artists created at different periods throughout the 20th century. The first painting, created in 1906 by artist Mary Cassatt is titled “Young Mother Nursing Her Child”. The second is a photograph, titled “Self-Portrait/Nursing”, by Catherine Opie, taken in 2004. The third, titled “Tiara and Eva Marie”, was created in 2011 by Canadian artist Kate Hansen. Each of these artistic renderings celebrate the tender and intimate bond shared between a mother and child, through images of partially-dressed and fully nude mothers nursing, or holding their infant children in various maternal poses. This paper will also compare how each of these works of art depict as well as represent motherhood. As well as exploring how the sexualizing of female breasts has objectified and minimized their functionality, making images of nursing women a contentious social construct of modern day society and American culture, viewed by many as obscene or distasteful rather than a natural element of motherhood.

Thus the Duchess is bound to the Duke and has become imprisoned within his art collection as nothing more than a possession. The Duke exemplifies this view when he makes reference to another piece of his art collection, as if the current and previous subjects of his monologue were completely analogous, “Notice Neptune, though/ Taming a sea horse, thought a rarity/ Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me! (Browning 54-56), he truly appreciates both pieces with similar enthusiasm. Although the Duchess is allocated no space to give her side of the story, through the Duke’s depiction the reader can infer that she was killed for having her own free will and as such there is zero doubt that she is a victim of imprisonment of the Duke’s egocentric ideals. While he puts an adulterous spin on her actions, by declaring:

Duke is portrayed as being a very controlling gentleman. He thinks that no one but himself has the authority to

superior way and would not lower himself to intervene in small annoyances. This is an indication that the Duke is also a selfish man lacking in humility, who puts his own needs and desire for happiness above that of others, including those closest

As famed author and motivational speaker Eric Thomas once said, “Don't make a habit out of choosing what feels good over what's actually good for you.” (Thomas, Eric D. “Chapter 4: Change Starts With You.” The Secrets to Success.) This quote depicts the idea that doing things for enjoyment may not always be the best choice. Sometimes, the best, or “right” decision is the one that’s really beneficial. Disillusionment can be a cause of people not being able to make reasonable decisions, and the characters in short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” and the poem “My Last Duchess,” are examples of one disillusionment can get in the way of reason. Although it is perceived that mankind can distinguish between right and wrong, through their use of character and conflict, Richard Connell and Robert Browning convey the idea that disillusionment can cause people to lose the ability to differentiate between the two. In “The Most Dangerous Game,” the character of General Zaroff is utilized to display this theme of disillusionment, and the conflict between Zaroff and Rainsford serves the same purpose. The character of the duke and the conflict between him and his late wife in “My Last Duchess” also present a theme of disillusionment, and how it can cause one to lose the ability to have a clear sense of judgement.

The way I see things is that the Semi-Barbaric Princess led her lover to the door where the tiger is behind. The story quotes “She loved him with an ardor that had enough of barbarism in it to make it exceedingly warm and strong” but the story also quotes “This love affair moved on happily for many months.” owing to the fact that the relationship has only been going on for a few months I don’t think that the princess would do anything for her lover, especially if that means giving him up so that he can live happily with someone she deceives. The princess knew which door was which and she was jealous of the lady behind one of the doors. The story says this about the lady “It was one of the fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court who had been selected as the reward of the accused youth… And the princess hated her.” The princess disliked the girl behind the door, so if she led her lover to her and watched them get married, it would hurt her. The story also quotes, “Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned. Now she had seen them talking together.” This quote shows that the princess was a little jealous of the lady because she believes that her lover and the lady had been exchanging glances back and

Love, death, and infidelity were weaved through the readings this week. In “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning, the speaker is a Duke who is looking at a painting of his last (now deceased) Duchess and remembering her. His memories are not fond; he was jealous and possessive, and frankly, a bit of a drama queen. His suspicion is evident repeatedly, starting in line 13 where he states, “Sir, ‘twas not/ Her husband’s presence only, called that spot/ Of joy into the duchess’ cheek”. Lines 21-24 boldly say what he was alluding to earlier on, “She had/ A heart—how shall I say? —too soon made glad,/ Too easily impressed: she liked whate’er/ She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.” She blushed easily and enjoyed looking at things, so in his mind she was a bit promiscuous. He thought his wife unfaithful basically because she was polite. This, as well as his uppity attitude, are both made clear in lines 31-34, “She thanked men, —good! but thanked/ Somehow—I know not how— as if she ranked/ My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name/ With anybody’s gift.” He thinks that his name alone is a better gift than anything else; he’s conceited and entitled.

As a result of these last few lines, we are reminded that the poet shows the Duke in a light of negative connotations. He is the type of person you should not be like in any way. He is a manipulator and an all around terrible person because of how he treats people especially his wives. This poem is a reflection on the poet’s belief about abusive relationships and people. This work of literature treats the theme of abusive partners in a negative light to show the reader that this is not an acceptable way to behave and that you should treat your partner with respect and

The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton was recently reported to have plans of launching her own organic food range with the help of Pippa, her sister. Vanity Fair featured Prince William's wife in her advocacy in growing organic food in her hometown.