"My Last Duchess" is a dramatic monologue written by Robert Browning in 1842. It tells the story of a Duke who is showing a portrait of his deceased wife, the Duchess, to a messenger from a noble family. The Duke is describing the painting to the messenger, and in doing so, reveals a great deal about his own character and his relationship with the Duchess.
The Duke is an arrogant and controlling man, who sees the Duchess as a possession rather than a person. He speaks of her as if she were a object that he owns, saying that she had a "nine-hundred-years-old name" and that she was "too soon made glad" by the attentions of others. He is jealous and possessive of her, and when she died, he had her portrait painted so that he could "call back" her spirit.
Throughout the monologue, the Duke gives glimpses into his own personality and the way he treated the Duchess. He describes how she would blush when someone paid her a compliment, and how he would have to reprimand her for it. He also tells the messenger about a time when the Duchess refused to sit for the Duke's favorite artist, and how he had to reprimand her for that as well. It is clear that the Duke was a controlling and demanding husband, and that the Duchess had little agency in their relationship.
The monologue ends with the Duke revealing that he had the Duchess killed, saying "I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together." This shocking revelation is a reflection of the Duke's ruthless and manipulative nature. He is willing to go to any lengths to maintain control and ownership over the people in his life, even if it means killing them.
In summary, "My Last Duchess" is a powerful and disturbing portrayal of a man's possessive and controlling relationship with his wife. Through the Duke's words and actions, Browning reveals the dangers of treating people as objects rather than human beings, and the destructive consequences that can result from such a mindset.