My Last Duchess Analysis

FERRARA.



That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,

Looking as if she were alive.I call

That piece a wonder, now: Fr<a`> Pandolf's hands

Worked busily a day, and there she stands.

Will't please you sit and look at her? I said

``Fr<a`> Pandolf'' by design, for never read

Strangers like you that pictured countenance,

The depth and passion of its earnest glance,

But to myself they turned (since none puts by

The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)

And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,

How such a glance came there; so, not the first

Are you to turn and ask thus.Sir, 'twas not

Her husband's presence only, called that spot

Of joy into the Duchess' cheek: perhaps

Fr<a`> Pandolf chanced to say ``Her mantle laps

``Over my lady's wrist too much,'' or ``Paint

``Must never hope to reproduce the faint

``Half-flush that dies along her throat:'' such stuff

Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough

For calling up that spot of joy.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.

Sir, 'twas all one! My favour at her breast,

The dropping of the daylight in the West,

The bough of cherries some officious fool

Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule

She rode with round the terrace---all and each

Would draw from her alike the approving speech,

Or blush, at least.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.Who'd stoop to blame

This sort of trifling? Even had you skill

In speech---(which I have not)---to make your will

Quite clear to such an one, and say, ``Just this

``Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,

``Or there exceed the mark''---and if she let

Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set

Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse,

---E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose

Never to stoop.Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,

Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without

Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;

Then all smiles stopped together.There she stands

As if alive.Will't please you rise? We'll meet

The company below, then.I repeat,

The Count your master's known munificence

Is ample warrant that no just pretence

Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;

Though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed

At starting, is my object.Nay, we'll go

Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,

Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,

Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!

.: :.

Thanks alot guys, because i didn't understand a thing and yall all just helped me understand now i can write my paper and even help my friend THANK YOU!
-Mary

| Posted on 2009-09-14 | by a guest

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this is one of the many of browning's greates poems of all time. It gives the reader, insight into the duke's mind and how he thinks and also goes into depth about the duke's perception of women; how he just objectifies them.

| Posted on 2009-08-03 | by a guest

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i'm not sure if anyone realized when reading this, but many people are saying that, in the poem, he doesn't say that the duchess was killed but he does. Near the end it says "Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands' Then all smiles stopped together." He's saying, he didn't feel as special to her as he'd like, she didn't treat him like he meant EVERYTHING to her, it grew on him, so he gave commands for her to be killed, she then stopped smiling altogether.

| Posted on 2009-07-31 | by a guest

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Hi, I had to analyse this text for English and I had no idea what it was about. I just wanted to thank all you guys for putting up your opinions on this poem. After reading it all, I finally understand it and I'm starting to really appreciate the depth it has. THANKS SO MUCH!

| Posted on 2009-06-16 | by a guest

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MY LAST DUCHESS..
THE POEM CLEARLY TALKS ABOUT THE ARISTOCRATIC AS WELL AS CRUEL CHARACTER OF THE DUKE,HE WAS POWER LOVING,HE WAS UNABLE TO APPRECIATE THE SIMPLICITY OF HIS LATE DUCHESS,HE COULD NOT STOOP TO EXPLAIN HER THE CAUSES OF HIS DISGUST AND MAKE HER DISCIPLINED, BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT TO BE BELOW HIS DIGNITY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, HE WS NOT AT ALL SHAMEFULL TO TALK ABT THE MONEY WHICH HE WOULD BE GETTING AS DOWRY FOR HIS MARRIAGE WITH THE COUNT'S DAUGHTER..IT DOSNT AFFECT HIS DIGINITY..HE IS A CONNOISSIEUR OF ART AS WELL AS AN ADMIRER OF TAMING OTHERS ACORDIN TO HIS WILL

| Posted on 2009-06-12 | by a guest

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MY LAST DUCHESS..
THE POEM CLEARLY TALKS ABOUT THE ARISTOCRATIC AS WELL AS CRUEL CHARACTER OF THE DUKE,HE WAS POWER LOVING,HE WAS UNABLE TO APPRECIATE THE SIMPLICITY OF HIS LATE DUCHESS,HE COULD NOT STOOP TO EXPLAIN HER THE CAUSES OF HIS DISGUST AND MAKE HER DISCIPLINED, BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT TO BE BELOW HIS DIGNITY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, HE WS NOT AT ALL SHAMEFULL TO TALK ABT THE MONEY WHICH HE WOULD BE GETTING AS DOWRY FOR HIS MARRIAGE WITH THE COUNT'S DAUGHTER..IT DOSNT AFFECT HIS DIGINITY..HE IS A CONNOISSIEUR OF ART AS WELL AS AN ADMIRER OF TAMING OTHERS ACORDIN TO HIS WILL

| Posted on 2009-06-12 | by a guest

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Point Proof Comment Guid to My Last Dutchess
Point - the duke gove the same value of the statue of neptune to his last duchess
Proof - At the start he asks the visator ( marrage aranger) to admire his portrait and the at the end he asks the visator to admire the statue of neptune.
Comment - Use of personal prounouns My Me
Point - She liked lots of other men
Proof - To easily impressed she liked what ever she look on, and he looks went everywhere
Comment - The dutchess liked to flurt alot ?
Point - Duchess is a thank full peron
Proof - Too soon made glad
Comment - She was thanks full of ever little gift given to her
Point Duke is jelous
Proof - my gift of a nin-hundred-year-old name
Comment - the duke thought that his gift was the best and was jelous that lesser gift got the same reewards for the duchess
Point - Duke lacks in confidents
Proof - ( Havent found evidence yet )
Coomment - he is afrade he will lose his wife to anouther man
Point - The duke is very power consius (controling)
Proof - My last duchess
Comment - Possesive words My

| Posted on 2009-06-07 | by a guest

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Point Proof Comment Guid to My Last Dutchess
Point - the duke gove the same value of the statue of neptune to his last duchess
Proof - At the start he asks the visator ( marrage aranger) to admire his portrait and the at the end he asks the visator to admire the statue of neptune.
Comment - Use of personal prounouns My Me
Point - She liked lots of other men
Proof - To easily impressed she liked what ever she look on, and he looks went everywhere
Comment - The dutchess liked to flurt alot ?
Point - Duchess is a thank full peron
Proof - Too soon made glad
Comment - She was thanks full of ever little gift given to her
Point Duke is jelous
Proof - my gift of a nin-hundred-year-old name
Comment - the duke thought that his gift was the best and was jelous that lesser gift got the same reewards for the duchess
Point - Duke lacks in confidents
Proof - ( Havent found evidence yet )
Coomment - he is afrade he will lose his wife to anouther man
Point - The duke is very power consius (controling)
Proof - My last duchess
Comment - Possesive words My

| Posted on 2009-06-07 | by a guest

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Point Proof Comment Guid to My Last Dutchess
Point - the duke gove the same value of the statue of neptune to his last duchess
Proof - At the start he asks the visator ( marrage aranger) to admire his portrait and the at the end he asks the visator to admire the statue of neptune.
Comment - Use of personal prounouns My Me
Point - She liked lots of other men
Proof - To easily impressed she liked what ever she look on, and he looks went everywhere
Comment - The dutchess liked to flurt alot ?
Point - Duchess is a thank full peron
Proof - Too soon made glad
Comment - She was thanks full of ever little gift given to her
Point Duke is jelous
Proof - my gift of a nin-hundred-year-old name
Comment - the duke thought that his gift was the best and was jelous that lesser gift got the same reewards for the duchess
Point - Duke lacks in confidents
Proof - ( Havent found evidence yet )
Coomment - he is afrade he will lose his wife to anouther man
Point - The duke is very power consius (controling)
Proof - My last duchess
Comment - Possesive words My

| Posted on 2009-06-07 | by a guest

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Ferrarra isn't the narrator, he's the envoy's master.
As with most of Brownings poetry, the sub-title generally gives the reader some more information on what the poem and title are about. Like The Patriot- 'An old story' and My Last Duchess-'ferarra'
It immediately tells the reader that any events that have happened in the poem are in the past, not present because the subtitle serves as a 'recount'.
The wife is described as being 'too soon made glad' meaning she wasn't flirtatious at all. She was thankful for anything and everything in her life. She appreciated every little gift equally. She was one of those really nice types of folk (you know the kind? REALLY good hearted)
This annoyed the egotistical Duke quite a bit because he gave her a gift of a 9 hundred yr old name (note how he doesn't think of it as his wife inheriting his name. He acts as if it was a magnificant gift that he CHOSE to bestow upon her) and she treated it the same as the cherries some guy brought for her. He was jealous of this so had her killed.

| Posted on 2009-05-19 | by a guest

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Perhaps one of my favorite Victorian Poems--Browning deftly weaves a combination of showiness with a warning--that he is not to be trifled with and that he must be taken seriously.
One might think it bad form to seek to marry the daughter of the Count by purveying the information that he had his previous wife murdered, but it shows such a strength of character that it seems to slide by almost unnoticed.
The closing of the monologue is absolutely brilliant--that a statue of Neptune takes on the same reverence as his late wife--she was merely a possession and not rated any higher.

| Posted on 2009-04-06 | by a guest

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My last dutchess is a very interesting poem showing the jealousy of a man for a women. i think throughout the poem browning is showing us that the duke cared for her i.e. he writes that he bought her things but she didnt thank him enough which made him angry. it's similar to the Duffy poem Mrs.midas.. men go mad due to their obsession for wealth

| Posted on 2009-03-28 | by a guest

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How does Browning convey the theme of obsessive love in two or more of his dramatic monologues?
In “The Last Duchess” and “Porphyria’s Lover” Robert Browning conveys the theme of obsessive love through the killings in the two dramatic monologues. Obsessive love is shown as a very unhealthy thing in the two dramatic monologues, as it leads to jealousy, control and murder.
In “the Last Duchess” by Robert Browning this poem shows Browning's obsession with the mind and personality disorders and how it can affect people. The duke is an example of this as it seems he suffers from megalomania due to his complete obsession with control which results in the death of a woman who was innocent. shows the Duke of Ferrara as an obsessive, controlling and egotistical man who brags about his wealth “ Fra Pandolfs hands worked busily all day” Fra Pandolf is a very famous painter and the Duke probably only hired him to paint her because he could show how wealthy he is to afford to pay for the costs of a famous artists.
this poem was written in the 1800's where arranged marriages were the norm. I also think its obvious they werent in love as at the end of the poem he is trying to secure another mistress with the ensign of the family. I think that the opening of the poem 'looking as if she were alive' and the 'my' in the first line not only gives a sinister tone but also an insight to his controlling an possesive behaviour 'my' means something belonging to you. This is how he describes his dutchess.

| Posted on 2009-03-25 | by a guest

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If you could describe the Duke in one word, what word might you use to define his character

| Posted on 2009-03-06 | by a guest

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Im studyin this play this year for english literature, and I think this poem shows Browning's obession with the mind and personality disorders and how it can affect people. The duke is an example of this as it seems he suffers from megalomania due to his complete obsseion with control results in the death of a women who was innocent. I disagree with previous statements that the Duke and his wife were in love, this poem was written in the 1800's where arranged marriages were the norm. I also think its obvious they werent in love as at the end of the poem he is trying to secure another mistress with the ensign of the family. I think that the opening of the poem 'looking as if she were alive' and the 'my' in the first line not only gives a sinister tone but also an insight to his controlling an possesive behaviour 'my' means something belonging to you. This is how he describes his dutchess. Overall the poem is a powerful and meaningful poem as it delves into the mind without uses words such as paranioa, or madness us the readers gather this impression of the duke by Browing's punctuation and speech pattern.

| Posted on 2009-01-20 | by a guest

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"My Last Duchess"
thoughts..
This is written as a dramatic monologue.
I completely agree with all the above comments of the Duke. He was a jealous, controlling, and possessive man. It's very likely that he killed her, because she couldn't become his. Browning wrote the poem in such a way that while the Duke was trying to make himself look favourable, it actually showed the opposite. (irony)
Heres a thought to consider
Slightly, very slightly, the Duke isn't completely evil, well he's evil but I think some parts are understandable.It's not strange to want the person you love to treat you specially in some way.The late Duchess probably was a caring, compassionate, and sheltered person.She wasn't able to express love for him that would make him secure, since she treated everyone the same. I think she was a little ..clueless, unknowning, dense, about her actions and how they affected people around her.
But the Duke definitely didn't handle the issue in the best way.

| Posted on 2009-01-19 | by a guest

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The original inspiration of the poem probably came from Browning's first visit to Italy, in search of material for 'Sordello'. In 1842 Browning was reviewing a book about Tasso, and in looking up the life of Tasso he came upon a brief account of Alfonso II, the fifth Duke of Ferrara, the patron of Tasso. The Duke married Lucrezia, the fourteen year old daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Duke of Florence, who later died of poisoning. The Duke of Ferrara probably inspired the speaker of this poem.
~ BHAVIKA SICKA

| Posted on 2008-12-17 | by a guest

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My Last Duchess is one dramatic monologue that leaves its readers with the question "huh?". The first time I read this, I was not getting a single thing. I mean, my interpretation was not coherent and I can't seem to patch everything; just pieces of the puzzle. But now, having read some ideas and interpretations, I was able to appreciate the wonder and beauty of this x dramatic monologue. Anyway, I hope the next time I find pieces of art like this, I won't bother surfing the net to understand it, rather, have my own interpretation and share it to the world....
-covertface-

| Posted on 2008-12-12 | by a guest

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i'm doing this poem as part of eng literature and think it's very powerful with many deep meaning.
he obviously did kill his wife, even if it doesn't directly say so.
to the ones who don't like it or don't bother trying to understand it, you obviously don't own a brain. buy a goddamn dictionary.

| Posted on 2008-11-17 | by a guest

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thanks everyone :)
keep it up...you guys are awesome!

| Posted on 2008-10-20 | by a guest

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`This is about a duke, who when talking to a rep. of a count whos daughter he wantes to mary, gives the wrong impression probly leaving him wifeless.

| Posted on 2008-10-09 | by a guest

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For great lulz. The poem is about mudkips. Proof is here-
"Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,
Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,
Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!
-ANON

| Posted on 2008-09-15 | by a guest

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this poems too long and i dont like it
to his coy mistress is better

| Posted on 2008-08-27 | by a guest

.: 2 the bastard whos curiou :.

u think ur 2 smart jus coz some real pepl express their views on poetry...this lil ass bastard thinks he's smarty pant's??..i'll prove he wears panties

| Posted on 2008-05-20 | by a guest

.: dat last bitch :.

yall r all rong i killed dat dum bitch coz she waz cheaten on me flurting wit all dem dum knites lyk da dum slut dat she iz

| Posted on 2008-05-13 | by a guest

.: Interesting Poem :.

My last Duchess is a very interesting dramatic monologue.It makes every reader wonder abt the suspicious death of the late duchess,even though from the poem one can figure out that the Duke has a hand in her death eithr directly or indirectly as he tells us that he gave commands and all the smiles stoped.
The poem reveals the Duke's character.he is too jealous and is full of pride and i also feel that he lacks confidence in himself because he is afraid that he would lose his wife to other men whom she keeps smiling to and therefore decided to get rid of her.He is arranging to marry another wife and i wonder if he would be able to control his jealousy,so i fear for her life.
Noreen

| Posted on 2008-03-11 | by a guest

.: Lust for power :.

I think this is a poem about lust for power and sense of jeolousy toward those people who are happy in this world.am i right?

| Posted on 2008-03-08 | by a guest

.: My Last Duchess :.

I agree, he does kill her, but the narrator is not Ferrara - that's the place that he is Duke of.

| Posted on 2008-03-03 | by a guest

.: -+=My Last Duches=+- :.

For what i understand from our class, the narrator(ferrara) is jealous to his wife. His wife is fliriticious, she is easily impressed seeing her invironment, in this reason the duke hated her wife, at first he kept it as a secret, but as it goes, he couldn't hide his feelings, so he killed the duchess, as what in the poem is now telling us.
The DUKE KILLED HIS WIFE COZ OF JEALOUSY!!!!, Is he right to kill his wife? maybe yes, for he is a crazy man.. heheheh

| Posted on 2008-02-06 | by a guest

.: Modernisation :.

What this peom is showing is what many view to be an old time contract killing. The Duke has wanted to tame the Duchess and subject her to total domination and over powering control; however she has continually defied him by simply smiling. In my opinion the Duke is a very sick man and he tries to justify what he has done throughout the poem. This shows us what a moderm poet Robert Browing (1812 1889)was.

| Posted on 2008-01-20 | by a guest

.: My last duchess :.


Though “My Last Duchess” shows the Duke’s love for his last wife it also shows his love for power and control; The Duke is arrogant, he has a exaggerated sense of his own importance and feels he name holds power “My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name”. he feels that the actions of his wife reflect on him and that her flirtatiousness was not acceptable. He wanted to be treated differently than other men, he wanted her to preserve her smile for him, he wanted control over her. However he would not tell her as “Even then would be some stooping; and I choose
Never to stoop”, it seems that the Duke valued his pride above the life of his wife and felt that only in death would she be only his.

rosy









| Posted on 2007-12-11 | by a guest

.: My Last Duchess :.

My Last Duchess is use by dramtic monologue by Robert Browning. The backgroun is that the speaker in "My Last Duchess" is not named, but browning identified himas Alfonso II, the fifth Duke of Ferrara, who was a poerful noblema in Renaissance Italy. The first i=of the Duke's three wives was a young girl. Shortly afterhis marriage, the Duke left for two years =. His wife died in 1561, about a year after his return. Many beleved that she had been poisoned. In "My Last Duchess," the Duke is making plans to marry thye daughter of a count, and he is making arrangement with the Count's representative.

posted by Cyrille Villena Domaoal

| Posted on 2007-10-29 | by a guest

.: My Last Duchess :.

My Last Duchess is use by dramtic monologue by Robert Browning. The backgroun is that the speaker in "My Last Duchess" is not named, but browning identified himas Alfonso II, the fifth Duke of Ferrara, who was a poerful noblema in Renaissance Italy. The first i=of the Duke's three wives was a young girl. Shortly afterhis marriage, the Duke left for two years =. His wife died in 1561, about a year after his return. Many beleved that she had been poisoned. In "My Last Duchess," the Duke is making plans to marry thye daughter of a count, and he is making arrangement with the Count's representative.

| Posted on 2007-10-29 | by a guest

.: My Last Duchess :.

My Last Duchess is use by dramtic monologue by Robert Browning. The backgroun is that the speaker in "My Last Duchess" is not named, but browning identified himas Alfonso II, the fifth Duke of Ferrara, who was a poerful noblema in Renaissance Italy. The first i=of the Duke's three wives was a young girl. Shortly afterhis marriage, the Duke left for two years =. His wife died in 1561, about a year after his return. Many beleved that she had been poisoned. In "My Last Duchess," the Duke is making plans to marry thye daughter of a count, and he is making arrangement with the Count's representative.

| Posted on 2007-10-29 | by a guest

.: :.

an anlysis we came up in class with is that fra pandolf might have been michaelangelo himself. Lucrezia and michealangelo were lovers before her marriange to the duke of ferrarra, alfonso II, and at that time he was the best known painter in italy. hr might have been commissioned to paint lucrecia's portrait and might have brought along her blush.

in addition to this i do not consider lucrezia to be a flirt. She was a normal, bubbly teenager, full of life and charms in the wrong circumstances, married to the wrong guy for her. she believed in humanism as opposed to ferrarra's feudalism. And it was this mistake of being dissimilar to har husband dat brough about her death.

| Posted on 2007-09-07 | by a guest

.: My Last Duchess :.

This poem isn't about his love for his wife;
his poem's meaning is that the Duke is in love with power and control; but what I believe to be the greatest factor in this poem at all is the irony that on a metaphysical level, the Duke is in fact being controlled by the poet. This gives the poem even more depth, and perhaps a strange insight into Robert Browning (Could this be a manifestation of the power craving he has on the inside?). But, let's keep it simple, and look at it as just the Duke. Throughout the poem, we the reader, view this poem through the eyes of the Count's Envoy. As the Duke explains about his wife, he does reveal too much, (His references to his wife made in the semantic field of archery, [Sport which entails the use of a weapon]), and the constant plees he makes that she was always the one in the wrong; a flirtatious wife... But is it so? No. I believe that rather than being flirtatious, she may, sadly, just be a simple woman who cannot understand what she is doing. Of course, this isn't described in the poem, but it could certainly be the reason, which makes this poem a lot more sad. Upon noticing that he has sad too much to the reader (As The Count's Envoy), he begins to justify his actions, which in fact only incriminate him further. Quote, 'E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose
Never to stoop.'.
This actually elaborates on his Aristocratic manner, (another detail about the Duke and his lust for empowerment) as the enjambment used in fact exagerrates the tone he would be using; he was angry with her, which led him to have her killed. Not only this, but after looking at the picture, he brings the envoy to look at his next work of art, an effigy of complete control and tame over a beast, which implants the thought in your head (As would the Count's Envoy, upon realisation of this man's utter mental imbalance) that this man is so power mad, he will simply do the exact same thing to his next wife. It's strange that he would want another wife however, because he seems to get exactly out of what he wants from a wife on demand, including that special look she had (Which also emphasises on how psychotic he is, as this look was aimed at the painter)which ironically got her killed in the first place.

I have my GCSE English Language tomorrow. Is that an okay analysis?
- Mister Alex.

| Posted on 2007-05-21 | by a guest

.: My Last Duchess :.

What's up with "Brittany" and "G" ?? If you come onto this site, you're obviously just as desperate and sad as the other people you've described. These people were helping you so don't throw that in their face. Very narrow-minded and pitiful i say.
Regina

| Posted on 2007-05-17 | by a guest

.: wow thanks you guys :.

ok heres the deal pickles... i dont get poetry i cant really sit down and read it and understand it...but thats ok... but i do want to thank yall though cause i had to do a summary on this poem and yall helped me out alot... thanks a bunch... GIT-R-DUN!!!!!

Brittany

| Posted on 2007-04-24 | by a guest

.: :.

you guys are all freaks and shud get lives
poetry sucks and is so pointless!!!!!!
i have to do an english thingy on this poem and
i have to put it into real english!!!!!
wat the hell is the point of gay poetry
who cares bout poems they shud all be burned!!!!!
DIE POETRY DIE!!!!!!!MWAHAHAWAHMAHAAA
and u freaks who send this stuff in shud get lives
thanks for ur time and this better be posted
keep it real gangstars
your nigga
G


| Posted on 2007-04-19 | by a guest

.: my last duchess :.

The last duchess is basically a dramatic monologue,there is only one speaker but of course the presence of the listener is felt even though he doesn't actually respond.this poem is about Lucrezia de medici and the speaker is the duke of Ferrara whose probably is Alfonso 2.fra pandolf the painter and the claus of innsbruck r purely fake.
the duke is arrogant, possessive,jealous,greedy, ruthless coz he killed his own wife just becoz she smiled at every1 and treated every1 equally.he is authoritative and insaneand misunderstands the duchess.
the duchess is humane and finds happiness everywhere.

| Posted on 2007-04-18 | by a guest