The messenger wasn’t the first person to talk about the duchesses face and whenever people ask about the face he replies in a very intimidating manner. The duke is also seen as a possessive person as seen in the quote “the curtain I have drawn for you”. This shows that he wants to be possessive over the duchess' lasting remains by keeping it behind a curtain where he can open and close as he pleases. In the quote “sir twas not her husband's presence only that created the spot of joy” The spot of joy represents blushing which the duchess always did. This made the duke irate as he thought he should be the only one to make the duchess blush.
In this poem, the Duke states that he is entertaining an emissary who has come to negotiate his marriage to the daughter of another powerful family. As he guides the visitor through his palace, the Duke shows the Count of Tyrol a portrait of his late wife, who died in 1564 he says to him “Will’t please you sit and look at her? (5). While discussing the portrait with his visitor, the duke also discusses his relationship with his deceased wife reminiscing about her disgraceful, unappreciative, and flirty behavior. The Duke explained to his guest “she like whate’er / she looked on, and her looks went everywhere.
I will be analyzing the monologue/poem “My last Duchess” by Robert Lowry. The purpose of this monologue is to convey to the reader the Dukes sense of arrogance, spite and possessiveness towards his estranged wife, which is referred to in the title as his “Last Duchess”. In the first line, it says “That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall”. This line gives the reader an idea that the setting of the monologue is taking place within the main characters quarters or house. It appears as if he is speaking to a person who is visiting his house for the first time.
In ‘My last duchess’ love is shown as a very strong emotion because of the Duke’s possessive love for his ‘last duchess’. He showed disapproval when she smiled at other men or when her ‘looks went everywhere’. The Duke felt that as he had gifted her ‘his nine-hundred-years-old name’, she was his possession and that her smiles and her beauty should only be for himself. This shows how the Duke’s love was very selfish and arrogant as he thought of her as a trophy to show off as if he did not truly love her. This may have been the case as in the 14th to 16th century when the poem was set, women were treated like this and a man would choose his wife taking great consideration into the wealth of her and her family.
Davaris Brown Professor Johnson English 1102 18 April 2012 Explication of “My Last Duchess” This narrative poem is about a Duke who is looking at a picture of his dead Duchess. He talks about the portrait on the wall of her, which he admires. The Duke thinks about how the Duchess compares everything to him. The death of the Duchess shows another side of the Duke which started to show while he’s talking and is unrevealed at the end. The Duke thinks he is bigger than God and also a jealous and possessive man.
My Last Duchess is written by Robert Browning in 1842. A dramatic monologue of the Duke of Ferrara presents his best side to the agent of the count of Tyrol when he tries to talk about his previous wife. Set in iambic pentameter, AABB rhyme scheme along with other techniques such as enjambment and caesura, the poem reveals qualities about the speaker and his situation. The reader might be drawn to the conclusion that the speaker has something to do with his wife’s death as revealed in his confusing speech and actions throughout the poem. The dramatic monologue exposes the speaker’s true personality and his situation more than he aims to say both to the agent and the reader The Duke of Ferrara seems to be controlling in nature; he tries to control everyone he is comes to term with, like he controls the actions of the agent : “Will’t please you sit and look at her”, “Will’t please you rise?” and “Nay, we’ll go/ Together down, sir” .
And later on in the same scene he says to Barbantio, “Your son-in-law is far more fair than black.” Othello is a highly esteemed man who commands the respect of everyone he meets. He is obviously a man held in high statue, which will make for an interesting fall from grace. Othello is very much in love with his wife at the beginning of the play, and seems to treat her with love and compassion. Only after he becomes consumed with jealousy and anger by the manipulation of someone else does he start to turn on her. “It gives me wonder great as my content to see you here before me.
He cannot tolerate the fact that his niece falls in love with Rodolpho, which changes him and his character. He tries to show that he is the man of the house, “I want my respect” and tries to mock Rodolpho but fails miserably. His actions lead to his ruination. Moreover, Alfieri, the lawyer, establishes that justice and the law, which are going to be important in the play in his opening speech. .
He stops at a painting of his late wife, his ‘last Duchess’ and begins a speech of which he is recanting his thoughts of her. From this speech, his wife was popular, especially with men, and a passionate and pleasant lady (to the reader only). The Duke is telling of his intolerances of her actions, being that of flirtations with men, however innocent, and how she did not rate his ‘gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name’, but instead treated him as she did others. It is well hinted that her behaviour angered the Duke so he had his Duchess killed, ‘I gave commands;Then all the smiles stopped together.’ It would seem his speech is also for the purpose of letting the envoy know his expectations of his new wife, that being very different to the last. Because the poem is in the form of a dramatic monologue, the reader only shares the conversation of the Duke.
In the second plot, Malvolio works for Olivia and mistreats the other workers. However, he believes that he is in love with Olivia. The second plot complements the first one because of the shared interests in Olivia. In both plots, the characters are interested in Lady Olivia and attempt to win her heart. Orsino’s marriage expectations are already known across the region.