Essay On My Last Duchess - 797 Words

The poem: â€Å"My Last Duchess† by Robert Browning gives a haunting look into the thoughts of a possible murderer. From the first reading one can deduce that the â€Å"Last Duchess† was murdered by the Duke. While the motive for the murder is not blatantly expressed, a deeper reading reveals that the Duke became aware of his wife’s rampant infidelity. This betrayal drove the Duke into a fit of jealous rage in which he murdered his wife in cold blood. So, â€Å"...twas not/ Her husband’s presence only, called that spot/ Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek...† (lines 13-15) is not an innocent expression describing a coy Duchess, brother a suggestive use of language that is employed by the Duke throughout the poem to allude to his his former wifes lack of†¦show more content†¦He states that he had difficulty discussing his worries about the Duchess’ fidelity with his wife. He sees discussing such things as â€Å"stooping† for which he refuses to do â€Å"--Een then would be some stooping, and I choose/Never to stoop† (lines 41-42). Perhaps this is a consequence of his noble upbringing. He admits however that if not for his wifes loose morals he would otherwise be sexually satisfied in his relationship. Yet as the Duchess’ flirtatious nature grew the ever more extreme. The Duke felt jealous, threatened, and that his wife was out of his Victorian era rule. He had enough, he had her ability to â€Å"smile† at other men put to an end â€Å"I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together.†(lines 45-46). Presumably through having her die in some way, or by having the Duchess be put away. We do not know which due to such details being omitted by Browning for the sake of mystery. The Duke shows the wedding negotiator (the reader) a new piece of art, one of Neptune taming a sea-horse †Notice Neptune, though,/Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity...†(lines 54-55). The Duke, unlike Neptune, could not tame his wife’s promiscuity as Neptune tames his sea-horse. Just as the gods of Rome dealt with infidelity in their own relationships so too does man no matter his noble status. In this metaphor Neptune is serving as the Duke and the Seahorse is hisShow MoreRelatedEssay On My Last Duchess789 Words   |  4 PagesI compared and contrasted the attitudes the women give toward the speaker in the poems â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† and â€Å"My Last Duchess.† I was able to do this by using elements like speaker, figurative language, and tone. To show how the poets reveal the attitudes that the women give off. In the poems â€Å"My Last Duchess† and â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† the speaker expresses throughout their poem that they exclusively only want to use women for pleasure and convenience. This was inferred based on their tone andRead MoreEssay on my last duchess684 Words   |  3 Pagesliterary techniques to clearly convey the personalities of their speakers. 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In â€Å"My Last Duchess† the speaker is an Italian Duke who is speaking to the ambassador of a count, whose daughter he hopes, to marry. The Duke is trying to impress the counts representative by showing him around his gallery and the painting of his last Duchess. He openly speaks about having his last Duchess murdered, because she did notRead More My Last Duchess by Robert Browning Essay2275 Words   |  10 PagesMy Last Duchess by Robert Browning In his poem â€Å"My Last Duchess†, Robert Browning gives his readers a complex picture of his two main characters. The Duke, who narrates the poem, is the most immediately present but Browning sets him up to ultimately lose the reader’s trust. The Duchess becomes the sympathetic character, a victim of foul play. It is through the various representations of the Duchess within the poem that we come to know both characters. The representations of the Duchess,Read MoreEssay on Murder, Mystery and Intrigue in My Last Duchess909 Words   |  4 PagesMurder, mystery and intrigue all describe Robert Brownings poem, My Last Duchess. From the speakers indirect allusions to the death of his wife the reader is easily lead to think that the speaker committed a vengeful crime out of jealousy. His elaborate speech confuses and disguises any possible motives, and the mystery is left unsolved. Even if he did not kill his wife, he certainly has something to hide. Based on the poem s historical references, style and structure, the Dukes controlling