Robert browings my last duches
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,
Not wishing to show weakness by displaying his true emotions, he kept his words fairly passive and polite. While expecting a generous dowry, he promises that the "fair daughter's self, as I (he) avowed/At starting, is my(his) object"(l. One learns that, like all human beings, he possesses both strengths and weaknesses. He was powerful, he had status, and he could not continue to tolerate what he perceived as lack of respect from his wife. He constantly reminds the listener that he holds a great amount of authority and control. The Duke, of course, does not allow this, exercising his authority once more, and on their way down, makes note of his bronze statue. It turns out that he is marrying the master's daughter, and the listener was sent perhaps to get some kind of impression of the Duke's character before the deal was confirmed. However, the true nature of the man behind this rhetorical facade cannot be truly hidden. He also seems very conscious of what others think of him, and this is why he reacts in such an extreme fashion to his wife's friendly behaviour. Yet, in defining her as an object, he also conveys that he demands control over her, as he did with his last Duchess. As further display of his absolute authority, the Duke, although never openly admitting it, strongly implies that he had the Duchess killed. He "gave commands;/Then all smiles stopped together"(l. The reader learns, in the last part of the monologue, what the Duke's true purpose is in recalling his last marriage: to warn the listener that his next wife must obey his commands, or she will end up like his last Duchess, as just another painting on the wall. the Duke shows her as being contained and subject to his control.
Common topics in this essay:
Browning's Duchess,
true nature,
duke goes,
question listener,
previous wife,
duke's true,
implied listener,
amount power,
dramatic monologue,
monologue reader,
duchess painting,
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Acceptance Essays
