My Last Duchess

             The first line of Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess", presents us, the reader, with the essence of the poem, "That's my last Duchess painted on the Wall". With these first words we see that the narrator is telling a story to someone about his deceased love. However, we must continue to read and analyze the writing to answer some key questions, such as, who is the narrator, is the narrator reliable, why is the speaker telling the story, and what is the setting of the story? We will take a closer look at the answers to these questions and more throughout this essay.
             The narrator of "My Last Duchess" is Browning presenting himself as Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, who lived in 16th century Italy. Due to the fact that we know when and where Alfonso II lived we can also deduce the general time frame and location of the poem. The narrator is describing not only the shortcomings of his deceased wife, but also her beauty.
             Alfonso is telling this story to an agent who is negotiating the Duke's second marriage to the niece of the Count of Tyrol. They are walking through the duke's home when the Duke pulls back the curtain revealing the picture of his "Last Duchess" (Lines 9 and 10). By keeping the curtain drawn on the painting of the Duchess, Alfonso limits her scope to himself and a few privileged others. Upon seeing the Duchess the agent comments on the interesting expression on her face; the duke says he is not the first to mention the joyous blush (Lines 11 through 13). Alfonso explains to the agent that the woman in the painting was his "Last Duchess".
             The Duke, in an attempt to allude the reader into feeling sorry for him, recounts a list of criticisms about the former duchess. The duke criticizes the Duchess for the lovely smile she bestowed on everyone (Lines 13 through 15), her courtesy to others (Lines 20 and 21), and for the way she was easily impressed with the simpl...

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My Last Duchess. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 01:03, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/78467.html