The Victorian Era

“My Last Duchess”

By: Robert Browning
Poem Analysis

FERRARA

That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,

Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf’s hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said
“Fra 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
Fra 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 pretense
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!

Robert Browning, a Victorian poet, and playwright wrote a poem entitled "My Last Duchess" It
was first published in Browning’s Dramatic Lyrics in 1842. It is a famous dramatic monologue in
continuous form. Browning used a literary device called enjambment, the continuation of a
sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next. The poem is an iambic pentameter
composed of couplets having rhyming scheme, AA-BB-CC-DD. In this poem, Browning uses
compelling psychological portrait of a contemptible character to critique the objectification,
dehumanizing, and disavowing women and abuses of power.
The poem is about the duke, who has supposedly and heinously murdered his first wife and is
now planning another wedding to another woman. He utilizes a portrait of the duchess as an
object to stimulates conversation with an envoy of his new wife-to-be's family, who is made to
sit and admire it. He talks about his former wife's perceived shortcomings and his obsession and
controlling traits in the process. The poem reveals the duke's vicious, psychotic, and controlling
mind. At first, he gave acknowledgement to the excellence of the painter for creating a
masterpiece life-looking painting of his mistress. Then, accuses his mistress of being easy to
please, “too soon made glad” and “too easily impressed.” He is not happy for her mistress being
soft, impartial, and having a polite manner, blaming her for her gentleness and kindness.
•Frà Pandolf’s Painting of the Duchess

The fact that the duke spends the most of his time in "My Last Duchess" is the most evident
symbol. Chatting for a while about the Duchess's painting on the wall of his personal gallery.
Interestingly, the Duke says only this about the picture itself. It appears to convey the Duchess's
emotional state and is realistic. We don’t get any sense of what pose the Duchess is in, what she’s
wearing, or what the color scheme or brushstrokes. What we do learn about the painting is that
it’s painted directly on the gallery wall, and so the duke must keep it covered by a curtain so that
he can control who views it.

Lines 1-2: The duke gestures towards the duchess's portrait while utilizing the vocabulary of
"That" and "painted on the wall" in the opening sentence begin establishing the peruser.

Lines 3–4: The Duke details the labor-intensive process that went into painting, using a
synecdoche, the duchess makes Frà Pandolf's hands—rather than Frà Pandolf himself—look like
the sentence's subject. The painter's body is reduced to the portion that does in the work; he
reduces Frà Pandolf to the status of a tool rather than a human being.

Line 8: It's a tough call on this one, but you might consider the painting of the Duchess in human
form. Paintings are ultimately just paint on a surface, yet this painting appears to be experiencing
"depth and passion" as it directs its "earnest glance" at the observer. Nevertheless, because the
painting is an alternative, you may read the duke’s remarks as being concerning the
personification if the focus is on the topic of the painting rather than the painting itself.

Lines 17–19: The Duke used complex imagery to speculate about how the painter could have
praised the Duchess.

•That Spot of Joy

When the Duchess is content with anything—and by anything, we genuinely mean
anything—her marriage, she smiles and blushes at everything—her dinner, the weather, anything
at all—and the duke calls her blush a "spot of joy" (21) that manifests in her cheek. The
Duchess's uncontrollably joyful spot is an indication of her feelings, something she can't help but
feel the globe. The duke views it as a "spot"—a stain, a representation of her corrupt character.

Lines 13–15, the duke emphasizes how The Duchess's cheek's "spot of joy" appears for a variety
of reasons.

The phrase "spot of joy" itself is a startling juxtaposition of images that makes the
the reader thinks differently about the kind of blush that crosses the face of the Duchess.
The fact that her blushing is referred to as a "spot" makes it sound blameworthy.

Lines 21–22: The Duke uses these words to indicate that he thinks the Duchess is flirty, finds a
euphemism, "too soon made glad," which is a sarcastic method of expressing "easily pleased" or
simply "easy."
Of course, that may not be an accurate characterization of the Duchess – but that’s
how the duke perceives her. Since the Duchess isn’t here to defend herself, all we
have to go on is the duke’s claim.

•Smile
In addition to blushing, the Duchess gives congrats to everyone and everything that makes her
happy. The duke views these smiles in a similar light to that of collector's items: because she
distributes so many of them, their value is diminished, if not completely eliminated. Indeed, it
appears that the duke believes the Duchess should only be happy when he is. Enjoying life to the
fullest, let alone its little nuances, just doesn't mesh with his philosophy of power and prestige.

Lines 23–24: The Duke keeps employing figures of speech and oblique language to without
explicitly stating it, insinuate that the Duchess is overly flirty.

He employs metonymy and innuendo in these lines: "Her looks went "everywhere" implies that
she "goes everywhere" as well. (An insinuation is an ostensibly harmless remark that conveys a
lewd, seductive, or risqué message. Anything that may be followed up with "that's what she said"
or "nudge, nudge" qualifies as an implication.)

Lines 31–34: Not only is the Duchess reduced to an ethereal object connected with her, but the
duke also uses metonymy to characterize his marriage to her as the "gift" to his "nine-hundred-
years-old name."

Lines 43–45: The duke poses a hypothetical query, suggesting that the Duchess grants everyone
in her vicinity was grinning the same.

Line 46: When the Duke acknowledges killing the Duchess, he employs synecdoche; instead of
saying that he killed her he mentions that all her smiles have stopped.

•Stooping
It's crucial to note that when the duke explains what he believes to be, he describes it as
"stooping" and says it's improper or base for him to do. He views himself as to be highly
esteemed by society due to his wealth and "nine-hundred-year-old name." He cannot even
"lower" himself to express his anger at someone. Typical For him, behavior and communication
are unacceptable since they fall within the grouping under "stooping."

Lines 34–35: The duke coerces his audience to concur with him by asking a rhetorical question
that discussing her with the Duchess directly would be "stooping" unsuitable actions.

Line 36: Conundrum: the duke says he lacks "skill in speech," even though he's using his
brilliant speech to convey this!

Lines 42–43: Here, the Duke restates his conviction that speaking with the Duchess would be
"stooping," according to Browning, who employs assonance—vowel repetition sounds, in order
to highlight the lines.
•Neptune Taming a seahorse

The bronze figure of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, taming a seahorse, is the last piece of
art that the duke shows the Count's servant as they exit his gallery. The sculptor, Claus of
Innsbruck, is named by the duke, who highlights that the monument was made especially for
him. This suggests that the sculptor is well-known. As readers, we've should view this statute as
a counterpoint to the Duchess's picture, the only other piece of art in the gallery.

Lines 54-56: Browning uses alliteration and consonance to unify and structure the lines
describing the statue of Neptune.

The major themes of the poem are Jealousy, Hatred, and Power. The character of Duke was
represented as a violent man who wants to rule his woman with an iron fist. He explained the
details and why he hates his late wife. He could not condone seeing his wife was easily attracted
towards strangers and responding to them joyfully. This is why the late wife died. He seems to be
a jealous psychopathic self-centered person, who wants to control not only his life, but also the
lives of his dear duchess around him. This poem is set in 1564 and it is based on the real-life
Duke Alfonso II who ruled Ferrara, Italy in the latter half of the 16th century. Although the death
of duchess is suspicious, the duke gets away with the murder of his wife. We can see the
appearance vs reality here too, the duke having the thoughts and expectations that his late wife
had everything he could possibly fancy in a woman, being smart, young, pretty, and have lovely
smile, he expected a perfect bride. We can see the sad truth about the jealousy and
possessiveness, treatment of women as man's belongings and property, and the gendered
expectations of women. Lastly, the poem is a discourse on power, control, and gender roles.