In Robert Browning’s poem--“My Last Duchess”--the speaker (presumably the Duke) is giving a servant of his prospective wife’s family a tour of his home. He draws a back a curtain to reveal a concealed painting of a woman by Frà Pandolf‚ explaining that it is a portrait of his late wife. The Duke invites his guest to sit and look at the painting‚ and as they look at the portrait of the late Duchess the Duke describes her. Throughout the whole explanation of his late wife’s actions‚ one may get the
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I. Author ROBERT BROWNING Robert Browning is the author of the poem “my last duchess”. He is a son of Robert Browning‚ a Bank of England clerk‚ and Sarah Anna Wiedemann‚ of Scottish-German descent‚ Browning received little formal education. His learning was gleaned mainly from his Father’s library at home in Camberwell‚ South London‚ where he learnt something‚ with his Father’s help‚ of Latin and Greek. Though he attended lectures at the University of London in 1828‚ Browning
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The poem "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is often anthologized as an illustration of dramatic monologue. It initially appeared in the year 1842 in the Dramatic Lyrics of Browning. The verse is written in the 28 rhymed couplets of the iambic pentameter. This verse is loosely supported on historical incidents relating Alfonso‚ the Duke of Ferrara‚ who used to live in 16th century. Theme The central themes are influence‚ power‚ marriage‚ egotism and aristocracy. It is likely to utilize blanket
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“My Last Duchess” When reading “My Last Duchess” at first it was quite confusing. The narrator doesn’t finish his thoughts at the ending of every line which kept me guessing and trying to piece it all together. After reading it the third time I finally came to understand exactly what he was trying to say. The narrator was a troubled powerful man who was showing off a piece of art to another man‚ but little did he know at first what exactly that painting meant. First‚ I would like to describe a little
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The poem My Last Duchess utilizes strong imagery of the speaker’s last wife in order to warn his new future wife the expectations and need that he needs‚ for his last marriage did not meet his expectations. From the description of his last wife and her flaws‚ the speaker evokes to his future wife what he expects in his new marriage‚ which further reveals the speaker’s attitude. The speaker enjoys and compliments the last duchess’ “depth and passion” of her earnest glance. However‚ it is revealed
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is mainly talking to a specific person(s). Summary This poem is loosely 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 (he has recently been widowed) to the daughter of another powerful family. As he shows the visitor through his palace‚ he stops before a portrait of the late Duchess‚ apparently a young and lovely girl. The
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My Last Duchess Analysis “My Last Duchess” is a poem loosely based on historic events and historic figures written by Robert Browning. We are to gather that the figure speaking in “My Last Duchess” is Alfonso‚ the Duke of Ferrara who lived in the 16th century. “My Last Duchess” is written as a dramatic lyric or monologue because the whole work involves fictional characters that act out a scene. The title “My Last Duchess” gives the reader a breadth of information to work with. We know that the
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Through “My Last Duchess”‚ Browning exposes the innermost characteristics of the Duke of Ferrara. The Duke is the speaker of the poem and is hashing out the details of another marriage with an emissary from a Count when he draws a curtain to reveal a magnificent fresco of the Duke’s Last Duchess. The emissary voices a question about the expression on her face‚ an “earnest glance” of “depth and passion” (line 8)‚ prompting the Duke’s monologue. Looking upon the artwork‚ the Duke praises “Fra Pandolf’s
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Katie Parham Dr. Rosenbaum ENGL 1050H 20 February 2012 Villain or Aesthete-Judgment or Sympathy The speaker can be seen as both a villain and lover of great art‚ but which is his true identity? In “My Last Duchess”‚ the duke’s deplorable wickedness makes the split between moral judgment and our actual feeling for him especially apparent. The effect created by the tension between sympathy and judgment is a striking characteristic of dramatic monologues. Throughout the poem‚ the Duke’s poise and
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In Robert Browning ’s "My Last Duchess‚" a portrait of the egocentric and power loving Duke of Ferrara is painted for us. Although the duke ’s monologue appears on the surface to be about his late wife‚ a close reading will show that the mention of his last duchess is merely a side note in his self-important speech. Browning uses the dramatic monologue form very skillfully to show us the controlling‚ jealous‚ and arrogant traits the duke possessed without ever mentioning them explicitly. The
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