Browning my last duchess summary. My Last Duchess Robert Browning Summary & Analysis 2022-10-31

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"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.

My Last Duchess Summary, Themes, and Literary Analysis

browning my last duchess summary

The duke suspects that the duchess falsely interpreted these comments as compliments, provoking the depicted blush. The Duke does not shy away from asking for dowry and commands his visitor time and again in the poem. He talks about his late wife and details the reasons why he did not like her. He considers it equivalent to stooping and his pride never allowed him to stoop so, in his pride and power he gave commands to kill his Duchess. Now it is clear that why duke has shown the Neptune taming sea horse. The brilliant conclusion by Robert Browning clears the fog about the true nature of the Duke.

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What is the poem My Last Duchess by Robert Browning about?

browning my last duchess summary

Summary of My last Duchess The beginning itself, there are two persons seen on the stage. Their identities were just like the objects that men could possess and control according to their wishes. How is arrogance presented in My Last Duchess? The Duchess was not happy because the Duke was around. Ans- The poem My Last Duchess was written in the Victorian period, which was a time when women were viewed more as an item of property in marriages than a real human capable of love. Furthermore, the only way that the present audience gets to understand the character of the Duke is through his own words and speech pattern, which is another sign of a dramatic monologue. He rules with an iron fist.

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Robert Browning

browning my last duchess summary

The bronze statue was made by Claus of Innsbruck. Browning has presented the character of a duke who wants to rule his woman with an iron fist. Few assume that it is out of his general behavior to show off; he might have shown the statue to show his artistic supremacy in containing them. The Duke explains that she thanked men for whatever they did for her but he had no problem with it. As he shows the visitor through his palace, he stops before a portrait of the late Duchess, apparently a young and lovely girl. Objectively, it's easy to identify him as a monster, since he had his wife murdered for what comes across as fairly innocuous crimes. He further tells the listener about the nature of his former wife.

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"My Last Duchess" Poem by Robert Browning

browning my last duchess summary

The desperate need to do this mirrors the efforts of Victorian society to mold the behavior—gsexual and otherwise—gof individuals. Ans- The poem is loosely inspired by historical events involving Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, who lived in the sixteenth century. Murder and Sadness The character of Duchess is viewed as an innocent and kind soul who is killed by the cruel psychopath Duke. The painting hangs on the wall of his private art gallery. She was simply a possession and one that he was not happy with. In the poem, the Duke comes across as a callous and selfish man who cares only for himself. The Duke then ends his story and again points towards the beautiful portrait saying that now there she stands and it looks like she is alive.

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My Last Duchess Robert Browning Summary & Analysis

browning my last duchess summary

The most obvious is his marriage — the use of the word "last" in the title implies that there are several others, perhaps with curtain-covered paintings along the same hallway where this one stands.  the primary contradiction to think about is how charming the duke actually is. The duke seems controlled by certain forces: his own aristocratic bearing; his relationship to women; and lastly, this particular duchess who confounded him. Greed The theme of Greed is also found in the end of the poem when the Duke tells the servant of the Count that he is not worried about the dowry. He shows him a bronze statue of God Neptune taming the sea-horse that was a rare piece of the art and he tells the servant that Claus of Innsbruck made it especially for him. They were not considered equal as men and were not allowed to stand as independent beings and were controlled by men.

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Robert Browning: Poems “My Last Duchess” Summary and Analysis

browning my last duchess summary

They want to ask something but they dare not to speak in front of their Duke. There she stands As if alive At the same time, the Duke was extremely proud of his nine hundred year old legacy and family stature. Summary This poem is loosely based on historical events involving Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, who lived in the 16th century. Rather, the specific historical setting of the poem harbors much significance: the Italian Renaissance held a particular fascination for Browning and his contemporaries, for it represented the flowering of the aesthetic and the human alongside, or in some cases in the place of, the religious and the moral. He even became jealous seeing her smiling while watching the sunset or riding on her white mule. This may have some intention to show or as a matter of making him stay for more time to know his further intentions. So, he is saying that your sculptor only has made and given this especially for me.

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My Last Duchess by Robert Browning

browning my last duchess summary

If he says her not to smile at all, it may lower his dignity before her. She was a kind and courteous woman who was easily pleased. The duke remains enamored with the lady he has had killed, though his affection now rests on a representation of her. But the lens of aristocracy undercuts the wonderful psychological nature of the poem, which is overall more concerned with human contradictions than with social or economic criticism. Communication gap The lack of communication between the Duke and Duchess become the reason behind their problems. The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material.


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Robert Browning’s Poetry “My Last Duchess” Summary & Analysis

browning my last duchess summary

Even though she brought good amount of dowry, she could not live happily at the Duke. Women were often seen as disposable both in literary media and in real-life settings, being used as an accessory for men and the subject of their control. He presents himself as a lover of art and admires the work done by Fra Pandolf. In the poem, the Duke is obsessed with controlling his Duchess, and he ultimately has her killed when she does not conform to his expectations. The only solution that he came up with was taking her life. Lines 31-35 The Duke then says that she used to thank men. One of them is a clue to say that this is related to a true incident.

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Summary of Robert Browning's My Last Duchess

browning my last duchess summary

Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. After her death, the duke got married to the niece of the Count of Tyrol. And indeed, the question of cash is revealed at the top during a way that colors the whole poem. To make his point clear, the Duke used the story of Duchess to create a pitiful aura around himself and at the same highlight the name of his family. The Duke murdered her because of her nice behaviour to everyone.

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