My Last Duchess by Browning - Essay Example

MY LAST DUCHES Thesis: “My Last Duchess” is an allegory and dramatic irony of the frailties of power because as the Duke reveals his actions and intent for power over women and society, he distinctly exposes his own immorality and immaturity. I. Introduction A. A Duke proposes marriage to a Count’s daughter through his messenger, not by words of love, but by hidden threats and symbolism that affirm his power. B. This essay analyzes the meaning of Robert Browning’s (1842) poem, “My Last Duchess.” C. It argues that “My Last Duchess” is an allegory of the frailties of power because the Duke reveals his actions and intent for power over women and society, but not his own morality and maturity. II. The setting shows that the duke controls everything. A. The Duke has authority over famous artists. 1) He mentions Frà Pandolf, a fictional renowned painter. 2) Browning (1842) ends the poem with the Duke bragging about another fictional prominent sculptor, Claus of Innsbruck. B. The Duke uses the room of the painting to depict his control over people. 1) The Duke asks his audience to appreciate the painting, but it is more of an order than a request. 2) He controls the painting now, a control that he would have wanted for his last wife. III. Browning uses language to convey the Duke’s authoritarian attitudes and behaviors. A. He has complete power that no one questions. 1) The title is significant to the meaning of the poem. 2) The title shows his power. B. Browning employs rhyme to emphasize the Duke’s superior thinking of himself. 1) The word “wall” (Browning, 1842, 1) rhymes with “call” (Browning, 1842, 2) because the only reason that the Duchess is on the wall is due to the Duke’s decision. 2) “Rarity” (Browning, 1842, 55) rhymes with “me” because the Duke thinks that he is a rare superior male specimen (Browning, 1842, 56). IV. Browning uses dramatic irony to depict that the more the Duke hides, the more that he reveals his real self. A. Browning shows the difference in words and deeds. 1) The Duke wants to be seen as courteous, but he is impatient. 2) He wants to be perceived as generous, but he is not. 3) He is an immature, jealous husband and a power-hungry ruler. B. Browning demonstrates that the Duke is an insecure man with no morals. 1) The Duke will not accept no for an answer. 2) His object is not love, but power. V. Conclusion A. The Duke is not subtle with his authority. B. Browning shows that power corrupts people. C. But power is not enough to prove that one person is truly powerful inside. A Duke proposes marriage to a Count’s daughter through his messenger, not by words of love, but by hidden threats and symbolism that affirm his power. This essay analyzes the meaning of Robert Browning’s (1842) poem, “My Last Duchess.” Browning (1842) employs the structure of a dramatic lyric to narrate, in a conversational style, a Duke’s marriage proposal strategy. The Duke is believed to be the Duke of Ferrara. In this poem, the Duke seeks to gain a woman’s hand through a depiction of his dead duchess’s painting. “My Last Duchess” is an allegory and dramatic irony of the frailties of power because as the Duke reveals his actions and intent for power over women and society, he distinctly exposes his own immorality and immaturity. The setting shows that the duke controls everything in his land, especially his people. The Duke has authority over famous artists. He mentions Frà Pandolf, a fictional renowned painter. The artist “[w]orked busily a day,” suggesting supreme obedience out of fear (Browning, 1842, line 3). The work is so perfect that the duchess looked almost alive because if not, the Duke seemed to be the kind of person who could order a bad artist to the gallows. Browning (1842) ends the poem with the Duke bragging about another fictional prominent sculptor, Claus of Innsbruck. Claus’s sculpture is a fitting symbol for the Duke’s concealed threats. The Duke sees himself as “Neptune” taming a “sea-horse” (Browning, 1842, 55). For him, the Count is a mere sea-horse to the supreme God of the ocean, so he cannot possibly decline his marriage proposal to the latter’s daughter. Furthermore, the Duke uses the room of the painting to depict his control over people. The Duke asks the messenger to appreciate the painting, but it is more of an order than a request. He says: “Will't please you sit and look at her?...” (Browning, 1842, 5). In reality, the messenger can only follow him, understanding that this painting may have something to do with the marriage proposal. Many people want to see the painting, but only the Duke decides who can see it. He says: “And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst” (Browning, 1842, 11). He emphasizes that only he gives permission regarding viewing the painting. By this time, if the messenger is astute, he realizes that the painting is connected to the marriage proposal. Moreover, the Duke controls the painting now, a control that he would have wanted for his last wife. He discredits his wife for being a flirt, but he would not “stoop” to her level (Browning, 1842, 43). The room of the painting stands for the room of his closed authority. The Duke reminds the messenger that as the ruler of them all, he is above everyone. Browning (1842) effectively uses the setting to introduce the context of the Duke’s despotic ruling. Aside from setting, Browning (1842) uses language to convey the Duke’s authoritarian attitudes and behaviors. The Duke has complete power that no one questions. The title is significant to the meaning of the poem. The Duchess is the “last” of those who will not follow his orders. She is the last because the Duke seemed to have ordered her execution. However, she is not the last wife at all because the Duke can always marry as he pleases. “My” is also a possessive pronoun. It indicates how the Duke sees women as objects. Since the last duchess is a painting, this is another symbol that women are mere visual objects for him. Moreover, Browning (1842) employs rhyme to emphasize the Duke’s high thinking of himself. The word “wall” (Browning, 1842, 1) rhymes with “call” (Browning, 1842, 2). The only reason that the Duchess is on the wall is due to the Duke’s decision. “Rarity” (Browning, 1842, 55) rhymes with “me” (Browning, 1842, 56). The Duke thinks that he is a rare superior male specimen. The Count’s daughter should consider herself lucky to have his attention, more so, his marriage. Browning (1842) persuades his audience through the title and rhyme that the Duke is a tyrannical ruler and a misogynistic man. Language is critical to the poem’s meaning and Browning (1842) uses dramatic irony to depict that the more the Duke hides his inner demon, the more he reveals his real self. Browning (1842) shows the difference in words and deeds. The Duke wants to be seen as courteous, but he is impatient. He says the word “please” twice to the messenger, but in reality, he only wants to please himself. His main concern is his full satisfaction, without consideration for the interests of others. Furthermore, the Duke wants to be seen as generous, but he is greedy. He seems to be munificent to his wife, whom he has allowed too long to act improperly. By improperly, the Duke wants her to not smile or interact with anyone but him. He is sorely disappointed that she is “…too soon made glad” (Browning, 1842, 22), as she smiles to anyone. His generosity of love is an act. Browning emphasizes that despite being powerful; he is an immature, jealous husband. He values his “nine-hundred-years-old name” (Browning, 1842, 33), boasting of his heritage. His heritage means nothing because Browning (1842) demonstrates that the Duke is an insecure man with no morals. The Duke will not accept no for an answer. The word “object” (Browning, 1842, 53) has numerous meanings. He fully intends to marry the Count’s daughter. And he sees her as another object to be attained and used. He uses veiled threats to show that no one objects to him and lives to tell about it. He reveals that he murdered his flirtatious wife. Anyone who does not follow him will meet the same fate. Browning (1842) stresses that the Duke’s object is not love, but power. He remarries to expand his wealth. And he marries to reinforce his masculinity. The Duke wants to be seen as the ideal husband, but readers understand that he is a monster. The Duke is not subtle with his authority, though he tries to hide his beastly beliefs and attitudes. In “My Last Duchess,” Browning (1842) shows that power corrupts people. The Duke has become accustomed to his god-like status. Human lives are not matters of significance to him anymore. Browning (1842), nevertheless, depicts that power is frail. It can only do so much for a ruler. But power is not enough to prove that one person is truly powerful. The Duke might gain mastery over others, but he never learns mastery over his desires. He is a ruler of all, but not his morality and maturity. Reference Browning, R. (1842). My last duchess. Retrieved from http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/rb/duchess/duchess.html Read More