MY LAST DUCHESS

My Last Duchess - Context

Robert Browning (1812-1889)

Browning grew up in London and moved to Italy when he was 24 years old.

He was married the poet Elizabeth Barrett in 1846 and they eloped to Italy. This was because her father was extremely possessive and authoritarian (he cut her out of his will because she married!). They had to meet in secret.

Browning is best known for writing dramatic monologues. These are speeches spoken by a single character to a specific audience (who doesn't speak!). They usually reveal something about the character of the speaker. My Last Duchess is a dramatic monologue.

Just as with Ozymandias, there are two contexts operating here.: The time when the poem is set - Italy in the middle ages. When the Duke was alive. And the time when the poem was written, Victorian England.

Wikipedia says: "The poem is preceded by the epigraph "Ferrara:", indicating that the speaker is most likely Alfonso II d'Este, the fifth Duke of Ferrara (1533-1598), who, at the age of 25, married Lucrezia di Cosimo de' Medici, the 14-year-old daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany..."

My Last Duchess - Anaylsis

That's my last duchess painted on the wall...

The duke points to the painting of the woman that he had tried to posses and objectify in life. He now has her literally objectified in the form of a painting. He goes on to say that he is the only person who can reveal the painting, demonstrating his complete control over her in death that he failed to achieve in life.

I gave commands; the all smiles stopped together

The euphemistic admission that he had her killed is blatant and subtle at the same time. He uses the metonymy of 'smiles' to represent his late wife, seemingly obsessed with her smiling at others.

Notice Neptune, though, taming a sea-horse.

The duke points the envoy to his sculpture as they descend to meet the other guests. Neptune may represent his power and dominance over his late wife.