Analyzing Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess'

“Art is an expression of human creative skill and imagination” (google) Paintings are works of art created to express or let out a person’s creativity or feelings towards a certain subject. In Robert Browning’s dramatic monologue, “The Last Duchess”, he uses the painting as a symbolism of the Duke’s relationship with his former wife. Therefore, as the Duke tries to impress people with his wealth through the painting of Fra Pandolf, he instead unintentionally displays his true personality to others. Initially, the painting is used to reveal Duke’s jealous nature as he mistakes his wife’s friendless as flirting which later reveals his controlling nature. Ultimately, the Duke’s selfishness and greed for power is slowly revealed through abusing art to control his wife and others.

The song “Stan” by rap artist Eminem fits the dramatic monologue format popularized by Robert Browning, because in Eminem’s song, Stan fits all of the characteristics of the Duke in My last Douches. Stan is extremely obsessive; in the beginning of the song he dies his hair and is trying to actually become Slim Shady, even his outfit and style are the same as Slim and is screaming in his girlfriend’s face because she keeps calling him Stanly when I would imagine he would want to be called Slim, or Eminem, or Marshal, and just the fact that you would write not one but multiple letters, as he mentions in the song, to a celebrity in the first place is just a bit weird and obsessive in a way because he is so obsessed with just wanting to talk

In literature, when reading two or more poems for a poet, they often share some similarities in terms of themes, feelings, or concepts that the poet tries to express and deliver to the reader. The two poems “Porphyria’s Lover” and “My Last Duchess,” are written by Robert Browning in 1842. In "Porphyria’s Lover”, the narrator sits alone in his house in a cold and stormy night. Then, his lover, Porphyria, comes to his house and make it warm by starting a fire. She starts to cuddle with him and puts his head over her shoulder, the narrator feels her love towards him.

“My Last Duchess” also written by Robert Browning is similar to “The Laboratory” as both are written in the form of dramatic monologues. “My Last Duchess” tells the story of a Duke who is arranging with a servant plans to gain the hand of a count’s daughter in marriage. The Duke takes the servant upstairs into his private quarters and shows him several possessions the first of which is a portrait of his "last" duchess. The Duke keeps this portrait hidden behind a curtain that only he may draw. The Duchess was apparently easily pleased: she smiled at everything, and seemed equally as impressed when given a branch of cherries as when the Duke married her.

Dramatic Monologue in Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess and The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed’s Church

In "My Last Duchess," the speaker describes a specific painting to the reader. It is a portrait of the Duke's late wife. The speaker directs the reader's attention to the Duchess's passionate responses given not only to the Duke, but also to many other men who admire her beauty. The artist conveys this lady's charming and flirtatious personality. The Duchess had many admirers that competed for her attention. Her rare beauty and flirtatious manner attracted many admirers. Her facial features express her passion and gratitude towards the men that competed for her attention. She had a teasing and playful quality, which she used to make the Duke jealous of the men attracted to her beauty. The Duke spoke communicated his displeasure about her improper behavior. She continued to smile and attract the attention of

says, and how he says it. In “My Last Duchess”, the speaker of the monologue addresses

Margaret Atwood’s short story My Last Duchess aptly employs ideas from Robert Brownings poem My Last Duchess to highlight themes of importance in communication, The relationship between judgement and inadequacy. The author narrates a story of the trials of being a high school student from the point of view of a young woman who not only has to cope with the stress of an upcoming examination and the pressure her teacher puts on her to excel, but also the added trepidation of what the future holds for her relationship. Many aspects of her relationship with her boyfriend, Billy, and her teacher, Miss Bessie, parallel to the relationship illustrated by the Duke about his relationship with the Duchess in Robert Brownings poem. Similarly, many of the themes found in Robert Brownings poems also apply to Margaret Atwood’s work.

“My Last Duchess,” written by Robert Browning, is simply about a male who was not specially treasured by his, now dead, spouse. The parody of Browning’s poem, “My Ex-Husband,” written by Gabriel Spera, is in a woman’s point of view pondering on a past relationship where she felt she was not properly respected. In both poems, the speakers are reflecting on past relationship conflicts pertaining to the importance they had in their spouse's lives. The speakers' in “My Last Duchess” and “My Ex-Husband” each have different personalities and values, which prompts each individual to react in different ways.

The dramatic monologue “My Last Duchess” was penned down by Robert Browning. In this poem, the narrator is the Duke of Ferrara, and the listener is the count’s agent, through whom the Duke is arranging the proposed marriage to a second duchess. The poem is ironical and reveals its rhetorical sense, gradually. In the later part of the poem, the Duke claims that he does not have a skill in speech, but his monologue is a masterpiece of subtle rhetoric. While supposedly entertaining the listener by showing his wife’s portrait, he clearly reveals his character. Through his formalized tone of rhyme, he reveals his egoistic and jealous attitude.

In the song, Eminem’s anger and emotions is used as a premise in the music lyrics, which

In "My Last Duchess", by Robert Browning, the character of Duke is portrayed as having controlling, jealous, and arrogant traits. These traits are not all mentioned verbally, but mainly through his actions. In the beginning of the poem the painting of the Dukes wife is introduced to us: "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,/ looking as of she were still alive" (1-2). These lines leave us with the suspicion that the Duchess is no longer alive, but at this point were are not totally sure. In this essay I will discuss the Dukes controlling, jealous and arrogant traits he possesses through out the poem.

“My Last Duchess,” by Robert Browning, depicts powerful husbands attempting to control the actions of their wives as they are free to do as they please. In contrast, women are expected to be faithful and attentive only to their husbands. The power and control of the Duke is conveyed by a painting of the Duchess. It belongs to the Duke and is referred to as “my last Duchess” (1). The use of “my” demonstrates the possessive nature of the Duke and his claim of the Duchess as his own personal possession, much like the painting itself. As the Duke persists on forcing domination upon the Duchess, he is greatly displeased to find that she treats and considers him as the same value as nearly any other man.

Written by Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess” is a poem about an egocentric Duke who has a painting of his last wife upon the wall and is trying to impress an ambassador who is negotiating his next marriage. Although it is obvious that the Duke is trying to persuade this ambassador, however, this is where the first mystery is created. It is almost as if he is trying to persuade no one more than himself.

The poem “My Last Duchess” is a masterful example of a dramatic monologue written by Robert Browning. In this poem the narrator is a duke who is discussing his murder of his last duchess with a man with whom he is arranging his marriage to a count’s daughter. As it is a monologue, the man being spoken to does not say a word. It is believed by many that this character is based on the Italian Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso II, who sought out the marriage of a count’s daughter following the poisoning of his wife (Bender 5). The theme of this poem is the blatant and unapologetic corruption of power (Marchino 3). The duke uses the resources available to him to force others to conform to his wishes. Three prevalent aspects of the Dukes personality that are instrumental in the meaning behind this poem are his need of control, his arrogance, and his jealousy.