My Last Duchess by Robert Browning
Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" is a chilling dramatic monologue that explores themes of power, jealousy, and control within a Renaissance Italian setting. This Power and Conflict poem is narrated by the Duke of Ferrara as he shows a portrait of his late wife to an emissary.
The poem begins with the Duke drawing attention to the portrait:
"That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf's hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands."
Highlight: The possessive tone in "my last Duchess" immediately establishes the Duke's sense of ownership over his wife, even after her death.
Browning uses enjambment throughout the poem, creating a conversational flow that mimics natural speech:
"Will't please you sit and look at her? I said
'Frà Pandolf' by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)"
Vocabulary: Enjambment - the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next without a pause.
The Duke's character is gradually revealed through his words, showing him to be controlling, jealous, and possibly murderous:
"She had
A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad,
Too easily impressed; she liked whate'er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere."
Example: The Duke's displeasure at his wife's friendly nature suggests his extreme possessiveness and inability to tolerate her independence.
Browning's use of caesura (pauses within lines) adds to the Duke's hesitant, calculating tone:
"Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile?"
The poem builds to a chilling climax as the Duke hints at the Duchess's fate:
"I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive."
Quote: "Then all smiles stopped together" - This ominous line strongly implies that the Duke had his wife killed for her perceived transgressions.
The poem concludes with the Duke smoothly transitioning back to business, demonstrating his cold, calculating nature:
"Will't please you rise? We'll meet
The company below, then. I repeat,
The Count your master's known munificence
Is ample warrant that no just pretense
Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;"
This GCSE Power and Conflict Poetry analysis reveals Browning's masterful use of dramatic monologue to explore themes of power, control, and the dangerous consequences of unchecked authority. "My Last Duchess" is a key text in the Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology PDF, offering rich material for comparison with other poems in the collection.