My last duchess interpretation. My Last Duchess: A Reflection of Victorian Age Essay Example 2022-11-08
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"My Last Duchess" is a dramatic monologue written by Robert Browning in 1842. The speaker in the poem is the Duke of Ferrara, who is speaking to an emissary of the Count of Tyrol. The Duke is negotiating a marriage proposal for his daughter, and the Count's emissary is negotiating the terms of the marriage. As the Duke speaks, it becomes clear that he is a proud and arrogant man, and that he is deeply jealous and possessive of his wife, the last Duchess.
One interpretation of the poem is that it is a commentary on the objectification and possession of women in the Victorian era. The Duke refers to his wife as a possession, saying "My last Duchess painted on the wall, / Looking as if she were alive." This suggests that he sees her as a piece of art, rather than a living, breathing human being. He also speaks of her as if she is a possession, saying "I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together." This implies that the Duchess was expected to obey the Duke's every command, and that her happiness was entirely dependent on his approval.
Another interpretation of the poem is that it is a commentary on the power dynamics between men and women in relationships. The Duke is clearly a man of great power and influence, and he expects the same level of obedience and deference from his wife. He speaks of her as if she is a lesser being, saying "I chose / Never to stoop." This suggests that he sees himself as superior to his wife, and that he expects her to always be subservient to him. This interpretation is further supported by the fact that the Duke has complete control over the memory of the Duchess, as he says "I repeat, / The Count your master's known munificence / Is ample warrant that no just pretence / Of mine for dowry will be disallowed." This implies that the Duke can erase any memory of the Duchess that he finds inconvenient or undesirable, further illustrating the power dynamics in their relationship.
Overall, "My Last Duchess" is a deeply disturbing and unsettling poem that offers a glimpse into the toxic and possessive mindset of the Duke. It is a powerful commentary on the objectification and control of women in the Victorian era, and serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unhealthy relationships.
The Meaning and Origin of ‘That’s My Last Duchess Painted on the Wall’
The Duke speaks about his former wife's perceived inadequacies to a representative of the family of his bride-to-be, revealing his obsession with controlling others in the process. The meaning of the title Right from the title, the poet offers a glimpse of the possessiveness of the Duke. Finally, the analyzer should say what the whole poem's underlying meaning is. Even in their marital life, they were not given the place of a partner or not even thought to be worthy of love. But her words of appreciation towards all were the same. The Duke also tells him that whoever sees this painting, turns towards him with surprise.
Our speaker clears all our doubts. The Duke criticizes his Duchess saying that she thought that the courtesy or the polite comments like these are enough to make her happy. In the poem, he is having a showing of this beautiful painting on the landing on the grand staircase done by Fra Pandolf, allowing people to see his late wife, apparently a young and lovely girl. The former Duchess, according to the Duke had the habit of smiling at everybody and everything. The action of the poem is presented in a dramatic way with an abrupt beginning. Notice Neptune, though, Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me! There she stands As if alive. In this case, the author depicts a woman as a working machine that cannot just stop doing all this stuff and start fighting against such unfair treatment at work.
It shows that he is proud of his family name and social status. As Robert Browning tried to introduce a new type of poetry combining the traits of stage plays and romantic verses, this poem also has the same setup. It was such a minor matter that the duke would have embarrassed himself to criticize her for it. Instead, readers can imagine a specific setting and detect action and reaction based on the hints given within the verse. Many lines in the poem are the evidence of his jealousy as he himself says that his Duchess smiles whenever he crosses her but on the other hand he says no one crosses her without receiving the same smile.
The Duke admits that it is good to thank someone if they present you any gift or do any favour to you. The poem opens with the narrator who is most likely the Duke, addressing an emissary of the count regarding a portrait of his late wife or the last duchess. Moreover, the statue of God Neptune taming his sea-horse symbolizes the cruel character of Duke taming his own Duchess. And who would dare to disobey when he asks to do something? But it does fairly represent the status of women in Victorian Society. And the result is a marvelous piece of Art. The Duke means to say that shehad an immense happiness that could be pleased very easily. For example, in the play, Duke senior compares his life in exile to a vacation.
He draws his attention towards the painting of his former Duchess who is now dead. The Duke then explains the painting of his Duchess. A woman spends so much time among all those equipment and secretary things that she merges with them and loses her own identity. Although the duke 's monologue appears on the surface to be about his late wife, a close reading will show that the mention of his last duchess is merely a side note in his self-important speech. He says that maybe she smiled when Fra Pandolf praised her beauty. The characters of both males in 'Porphyria's Lover' and 'My Last Duchess' definitely give the impression of fitting this description, as they both commit, or at least command the committing of murders. 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.
Interpretation of Robert Browning's My Last Duchess
He, like Neptune, has been successful in taming the obdurate sea horse, his last wife. A poem is a powerful combination of words that is devoted to numerous themes, which are so important in this life, and poetry about women serve as an excellent example of the evaluation of female place and roles in this world, their duties, and their significance. Lines 21-24 The Duke further explains the nature of his late Duchess to the listener. But he was headed to kill by her refusal to spare her upbeat looks exclusively for him. Everyone is familiar with Henry the VIII and his many wives whom he accused and executed when he tired of him. He finally reveals that the silent listener is the servant of the Count, whose daughter he is going to marry soon. He admitted that she smiled at him pleasantly when he passed by, but it bothered him that everyone received that same smile from her.
This is accompished through a process called double masking, in addition to the primary creation of the character or speaker, there exists a secondary creation, a mask which the speaker uses in dealing with the dramatic situation at hand Garratt 116. Although the duke was unable to control the duchess when she was alive, after her death he is in complete control of her. In "My last Duchess" the reader only hears the Duke's story whose perverse point of view throws false accusations towards his recently deceased wife. His work turns dark once more when the relationship is over. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing.
He speaks with the intention of creating an image of his former Duchess, but instead does more to reveal his true self. After ending his story, the Duke invites the man to get up and go downstairs to meet others. In fact, his mentioning of Ferrara in the epitaph seems as if he is enlisting the scenes of play. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. The way in which the duke repeatedly mentions the name Frà Pandolf suggests a self-pride in the fact that he was able to hire such a famous painter.
Analysis of the Robert Browning Poem 'My Last Duchess'
Alfonso married his late wife, Lucrezia from the Medici family, when she was only 14 years old. In the end, it The The setting is also influential to the reader, because it gives them a background as to why the characters are acting the way they do. Andrea del Sarto, like Fra Lippo Lippi, lived and worked in Florence, albeit a little later than Lippo, and was later appointed court painter by Francis, the King of France. It was a statue of God Neptune taming his sea-horse and it was cast in Bronze. In the poem, the Duke was reluctant to talk to his wife but if he somehow managed to talk to her and explain to her what exactly he wanted from her, then maybe she could have changed herself for him.
He was annoyed that she liked everything that she looked at. Objectification of women Throughout the poem, the Duke praises the art and painting of his wife. The setting is the mid-sixteenth century in Renaissance Italy. A letter from Mrs. His duchess is now dead however he feels that he is still in complete control over her.
