On the Entrapment and Incarceration of the Victorian Woman Essay

Historically feminine rights activists have constantly fought for social change. Nevertheless it wasn’t until the 1800s that widespread awareness began to stir for women’s rights. So it was little wonder that the rapidly growing controversy embedded itself into much of the Victorian literature. Writer Lord Alfred Tennyson used a romanticized time in history to highlight a political issue of his era. Chivalry and knights are commonly associated with this time by modern readers, creating the ideal contrast for Tennyson’s literary work.

The poem “My Last Duchess” is a historical event that involves the Duke of Ferrara and Alfonso who lived in the 16th century. Robert Browning "My Last Duchess" presents a narrative about a recently widowed Duke who talks with an emissary had come to an arranged marriage with another lady from a powerful and wealthy family. In the perspective of Duke, power and wealth were integral in marriage and was determined to be married to a wealthy lady from a famous family. As the Duke orients the emissary through the palace, he stops and shows a portrait of the late Duchess who was a lovely and young girl. The Duke then begins by stating information about the picture and then to the Duchess. Duke claims that the Duchess flirted with everyone and did not appreciate the history of the family: “gift of a nine hundred years old name.”(33) However, when an individual continues to read the poem, it is evident that the Duke played an important role in killing the lady. Duke states that “he gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together”(45-46) he used these words to define the death of his beloved Duchess. The aim of the essay is to analyze literary devices that emphasize the content of the poem, which includes rhetorical questions, exclamation mark, and em dash.

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.

“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.

In Robert Browning’s poem, My Last Duchess, is about a conversation surrounding a portrait. The focus swirls around the untimely death of the duchess, Alfonso II last wife, because of some impropriety. She looks alive, and the duke attributes this to the skill of the painter, Frà Pandolf. This serves to remind the reader that the duke does not approve of the way the duchess handled herself. Evidently, the duke does not approve of the zest for life that the duchess exhibited. He of course compliments her beauty,

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.

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.

look at but he feels as if the Duchess takes him for granted and she

In My Last Duchess, however, love appears to be concerned with the extent to which the Duke loves himself, “I choose/never stoop”. This infers that the Duke views himself in a

Most of the time he will present a reaction that she has to him or something that he does, and then go into actions of other people that produce the same reaction. By saying she was “too soon made glad”, he changes every smile, kind word or “spot of joy” into something wrong. One generally thinks upon these things as good and desirable, but the Duke looks down upon them, and consequently looks down upon his wife for possessing them. When he repeats example and example of similar things, the Duke drives home his ill thoughts of his wife. His tone when describing her is mocking and condescending, when her only fault is being happy. The contrast with this light, carefree soul makes his own seem all the darker. Browning presents the Duke as an emotionless monster, and the Duke does not even seem to

He calls the painting of her “a wonder” and does not elaborate upon this, suggesting that while he was fond of his wife, their love was quite subdued. This allows him to remain calm and present a dignified front. However, as the poem continues, he becomes more obsessive over her and speaks quite aggressively of what he deems to be promiscuous behaviour. The “bough of cherries some officious fool broke in the orchard for her” seems to be a major part of his outrage, as he is offended that “she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody’s gift”. By telling his companion of this in a conversation that merely started with mention of a painting, the Duke reveals that he is very much not in control of himself. These constant tests of his patience – which seem very much unintentional on the Duchess’ part – seem to weigh heavily on the Duke’s mind as he says “here you miss, or there exceed the mark” showing heavy criticism on the Duchess. He wanted her to “let herself be lessoned so”, which shows the extent to which her behaviour troubles him. It also creates the air of superiority in that he sees himself as a sort of teacher, and her as the student. The loss of control comes where “all smiles stopped together”, suggesting a macabre end to the story. Both Medusa and the Duke seem to cause destruction and chaos around them as a direct result of being emotionally impacted by those they love. This weakness

The two Browning poems, ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ were written to convey to the reader how women were treated in that era; as possession, as assets. Both of these poems can be read from different points of view and they also both are what is

As a statewide organisation, our work to improve the sexual and reproductive health of all Victorian women is directed at achieving systemic change for population-wide health improvements. In doing this, we collaborate with individuals and organisations whose work impacts on the sexual and reproductive health of Victorian women. These include:

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.

The poet uses dramatic monologue, where the readers and the messenger are almost one person. From the description that the Duke uses to describe the Duchess, one feels as if he/she is the messenger that the Duke is addressing. The persona remarks about the innocence of the Duchess, which irks him. She finds delight in things such as riding a mule or the setting of the sun. The Duke uses symbology to connote his anger, which gets the better of him that he kills her. Her substitute is the piece of art, reflected at the beginning at the end of the poem. The use of both simple and archaic language styles creates the symbolic image that he uses to explain to the