Along with the frequent use of rhyming couplets and enjambment, this makes it clear that the Duke was a suspicious and dominant man to his dead wife and also shows his control. The first evidence in the poem to support this is “Will’t please you sit and look at her?” and also “Sir, twas not her husband’s presence only, called that spot of joy into the Duchess’ cheek!” Both are said in reference to his wife to the Count’s envoy. These are effective as we are presented with the subjective viewpoint of the Duke. Like Shakespeare, Browning wrote plays as well as poetry which is evident as we see how he combined the techniques of play writing and poetry. Again, as the Duke talks about the Duchess
Is there evidence that she has unfaithful? Or is she just made happy very easily, and the Duke is prone to jealous irritation because of his inflated status? During the speech about her and her portrait, he makes himself look arrogant and selfish as well as jealous. This is shown through the quotation ‘never to stoop, oh sir she smiled, no doubt, whene’ver I passed her, but
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.
Robert Browning’s poetry - “My last duchess” Introduction His poem is based on historical events involving Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, who lived in the 16th century. The Duke is the speaker of the poem, and tells us he is entertaining an emissary who has come to negotiate the Duke’s marriage to the daughter of another powerful family. As he shows the visitor through his palace, he stops before a portrait of the late Duchess. The Duke begins reminiscing about the portrait sessions, then about the Duchess herself .He begins to act disgraceful: he claims she flirted with everyone and did not appreciate his “gift of a nine-hundred-years- old name.” As his monologue continues, the reader realizes with ever-more certainty that the Duke in fact caused the Duchess’s early demise: when her behavior escalated. Having made this disclosure, the Duke returns to the business at hand: arranging for another marriage, with another young girl.
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.
To go along with this, the tone of his speech conveys his pride and haughtiness towards the woman in the picture. This is clearly shown when he says, “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,” When the Duke says this, it proves his arrogant and possessive attitude towards her, though she is dead. When he is listing her beautiful qualities and attributes, he is inadvertently taking credit for her them, as if to say that without him, she would not be as beautiful or wouldn’t be
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” .
Catherine is invited to the Tilney's home, the Northanger Abbey of the title, where she imagines numerous gruesome secrets surrounding the General and his house. Henry proves that her suspicions have no substance by, while she is still recovering from the humiliation, she finds herself ordered out of the house by the General. She returns home and is followed by Henry. He explains that the General, mistakenly believing her to be penniless, had been anxious to keep her away from his son. Restored to a sensible humour by the truth, the General finally gives his blessing to Henry's marriage to Catherine.
Then all smiles stopped together.” What sort of commands did he give? Why did everybody’s smile turn upside down? This is the most revealing line in the poem. He might not have said he killed her but, as the reader, this line without a doubt, brings us to the thought of him having to do something with the murder of his wife. And the fact that everybody’s smile