My Last Duchess

The poem is in the form of a dramatic monologue, with the speaker describing what he found to be his dead wifeÆs lascivious behavior. He speaks of his deceased wife as a woman whose smiles were granted too generously to others than him, ôSir, ætwas not / Her husbandÆs presence only, called that spot / Of joy into the DuchessÆ cheekö (Browning 1842, 13-15). Browning uses irony through having the speaker act as if he were a wronged husband, when he is a materialistic, manipulative and controlling murderer. We see this clearly in the use of language and imagery. The

. . .
mpany of another. Further, the structure of the poem illustrates the speakerÆs controlling nature. He often directs or gives orders to the person to whom he is speaking like ôWillÆt please you sitö, ôWillÆt please you riseö, and ôNay, weÆll go / Together down, sirö (Browning 1842, 5, 47, 53-54). The structure of the poem also is used to show that the speaker may have feelings of anxiety over the knowledge that he murdered his former wife. Browning uses a technique known as enjambment, in which the lines run over each other. He uses this most notably when the speaker is referring to his dead wife, as if such talk makes him quite nervous, ôLooking as if she were alive. I call / That piece a wonder, now: Fra PandolfÆs hands / Worked busily a day, and there she standsö (Browning 1842, 2-4). The speaker against demonstrates his controlling and manipulative behavior when, near the end of the poem, the person to whom he is speaking attempts to go down the stairs but the speaker insists he will accompany him. The Duke does his best to portray himself in a positive light in the poem, but such poetics belie such a personality. All the while speaking to the other person, the Duke focuses on what a great job was done by the painter in c
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ghibellines Guelphsö, Written AABB, Fra PandolfÆs, Duke Ferraraö, Fra Pandolf, Viewed Apr, Duchess Introduction, browning 1842, viewed apr 12, Company Orlandini, apr 12 2004, 12 2004, apr 12, viewed apr, poem speaker, structure poem, speaker poem, controlling manipulative, word choice, Introduction Poetry, Brace Jovanovich, referring dead wife, dead wifeÆs, browning variety poetic,
Approximate Word count = 1591
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

More Essays on My Last Duchess