A Male's Perspective on "My Last Duchess"
             Robert Browning's poem, "My Last Duchess" literally portrays a Duke speaking about his late wife, while showing her painting on the wall. While on the surface its intent may be innocent, most believe that the story has a much darker meaning. The Duke is believed to be a dominating male, who could have committed some atrocity against his wife. While this may be what Browning was attempting to capture in his writing, there may be other factors in the Duke's defense.
             With his wife's painting on the wall behind a curtain, most would believe that his reluctance to look at her face is a sign of guilt. Right off the bat, there is evidence that something is wrong, a notion that is further proven as the Duke begins to tell a tale of his late wife, and how un-appreciative she was of him. Jealousy pours out of the Duke as he complains how she would appreciate everything else just as much as anything he would do for her. The Duke wraps it up, saying that he eventually started commanding her because of it, and she became unappreciative of everything. The Duke then vows, "Never to stoop."
             Now, the obvious opinion is to say that the Duke is a dominating male control freak. This may be true, but consider the period of time that the Duke is living in; the medieval era was a time when fathers chose who their daughter's husband would be. At this point in history, the Duke's complaints about being unappreciated were probably a normal reaction. How dare the girl not put her husband above the rest? After all, he provided her with anything she wanted, he made her part of a nine hundred year old family name, and she would treat the slaves with the same gratitude as her husband. Wouldn't that make any man jealous?
             Perhaps the Duke killed his wife and for that reason he couldn't bear to look at her picture. Or maybe she did ...