Robert
Browning's "My Last Duchess," first published in Dramatic Lyrics in
1842, is one of the best of his many dramatic monologues. It was titled "Italy" but
later changed to "My Last Duchess" in 1849. This poem reflects the
characters of the selfish and power-loving Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso, all of
Italy, and his late Duchess Lucrezia de Medici, who died at 17.
In "My Last Duchess," the
character of the Duke is portrayed as having controlling, possessive, jealous
and arrogant traits. These traits are not all mentioned verbally but mainly
through his actions. Browning reveals the Duke's character through the man's
words to describe his late wife. It seems he is speaking about an object rather
than someone he loved. He reveals his jealousy as he mentions that she appeared
to catch other men's eyes. He says she was" too easily impressed; she
liked whatever she looked on, and her looks went everywhere."
The Duke reveals his arrogance by
stating, "as if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-year-old name with
anybody's gift." He says that she loved the Cherry Blossoms and the
setting sun as much as "the gift of [the Duke's] nine-hundred-years-old
name. His vanity and pride are obvious as he speaks of his noble heritage and
how the duchess does not seem to respect his "gift" he has given her.
He expected her to be proud of the name she acquired through him and to flaunt
it.
These lines show that she was a very
beautiful woman, and he feared losing her. He could not stand how the Duchess
treated him like everyone else. This shows his possessive nature. He is not
only afraid of losing her, but also he is more concerned over his loss of
control over her. The Duke enjoys the power he has over the painting. He could
not control his wife in life, but now he can when she is dead.
Throughout the monologue, the Duke also
gives the impression that he admires the artwork and appears to have more of a
relationship with the painting than his former wife "I call that piece a
wonder now."
While showing off a portrait of his last
Duchess, the Duke begins to remember their lives together, and although he
chooses his words carefully as he speaks, he ends up telling the visitor more
than he realizes. By doing so, he not only reveals information about his former
wife but also hints that he ordered someone to murder his last duchess
"This grew, I gave commands" .here, he implies that he became annoyed
with her for ignoring him so gave orders for her to be killed "Then all
smiles stopped together." He did this so that he would not have to watch
her befriending others.
The Duke then shows the messenger
the statue of Neptune, taming the sea horse made for him. Neptune, the god, is
a reflection of the Duke. Just as Neptune tames the sea horse, the Duke also
wishes to tame and control his Duchess as he believes the universe revolves
around him.
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The Duke reveals his pride, vanity, and need for control throughout the dramatic monologue. His arrogance and jealousy stem from his aristocratic ancestry. He is a shallow human unable ever to show true love to his Duchess.
