Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" is a dramatic monologue; it is told from the point of view of one character. Readers are left to infer the character development, the situation, and the action from the speaker's language. One comes to discover the presence and identity of the speaker through what the speaker implies. This speaker never directly addresses readers; rather, it is as if they are overhearing the conversation between the speaker and the inferred listener. It is from this vantage point that the life and true nature of the speaker is revealed.
             The title of the monologue, "My Last Duchess", is the first clue in determining the speaker's identity and purpose. By using the word "last", the speaker indicates that the Duchess is no longer his wife, but a part of the past. She was his previous spouse, and he is now ready to move on to the next one. By identifying her as a Duchess, the speaker reveals his own position as a Duke. He has some amount of power, which he constantly displays throughout the monologue. In the first line, he shows a painting of his previous wife, to the implied listener. By consecrating her to paint, as a framed image on the wall, the Duke shows her as being contained and subject to his control. She is objectified and is to be examined by the Duke. He defines who the Duchess was and is to the listener. He comments that she looks "as if she were alive" (l.2), conveying that he is somewhat haunted by the image. It is almost as if her ghost has come to life, reminding him of some guilty deed he has committed.
             The Duke then goes on to pose a question to the listener in line 5, asking him to look at the image of the Duchess. Although the question is simple and non-aggressive in its language, it conveys certain amount of power in its tone. It is more an order rather than a question. The listener has no choice but to obey the Duk...