English Literature

Although at first glance, Robert Brownings monologue My Last Duchess seems the story of a deep love articulated by the speaker, Duke of Ferrera, of the woman on a painting, Brownings use of literary elements in the poem reveals differently and reinforces themes of jealousy, power, self-predominance and control, including Marxist and feminist readings into a story that culminates with the demise of a former wife.  In his search for a new consort, the Duke manifests indirectly in flowery speech to a messenger of the Count of Tyrol, his contempt for his late wife and presents his defense as to why her death, whether by his hand or not, is justified. Literary devices such as speaker, setting and situation, images, figurative language, rhythm and meter, and rhyme enhance the description of the Dukes true nature, social circumstances, and the nature of injustice done upon his wife.

Speaker
    In the poem, the Duke of Ferrera is the only speaker, although there is the presence of a silent listener in the room (Everett, 2002). The manner in which the Duke directly addresses the silent listener (us) demonstrates the master-subject treatment that is expected when an aristocrat speaks to an individual unequal in social status. The Dukes aristocratic and authoritarian air also surfaces in the direct and curt manner that he addresses the messenger,  in line 47, Willt please you rise (line 47) and in lines 53 and 54, Nay, well go  Together down, sir. Everett (2002) opines that although the poem involves a conversation, the source of information is the Duke alone, hence its one-sidedness. This is in itself a representation of the Dukes arrogance and self-love.  Brownings choice in using the dramatic monologue is fitting because it exposes the Dukes love for self-indulgence and power as well as his controlling nature. Succeeding lines tell us more about the Dukes jealously, possessiveness and domineering personality. He is disgusted of his wifes innocence, bright disposition, and vivid personality.

    Setting
 Unlike most lyric poems, My Last Duchess has a definite geographical setting. The monologue takes place in a private art gallery in the aristocratic abode of the Duke of Ferrera in Renaissance Italy sometime in the mid-16th century, a favored setting that is used in many of Brownings work (Black, 1937 Yacobi, 2000). Allingham (2003) considers the choice important in order to properly depict the courtesy, dignity, artistic taste, and essential cruelty of a Renaissance autocrat. More importantly, the poems setting places the reader in a more comfortable position to understand not merely the historical circumstances that surround the monologue, but its social underpinnings. Through Brownings descriptions, the reader is made to understand that during this time and place, society was governed by clear-cut social structures, norms, mores and stereotypes, particularly those that govern the women of this era. The Dukes contempt for the Last Duchess was because of the latters unconventional disposition, where instead of being the private wife expected of her, she was more of  a public Duchess (Allingham, 2003). The Duchess lively disposition, bright personality, and friendly and buoyant nature was in contradiction to societys stereotypical view of women as passive, docile beings whose business should be limited to powdering their noses and keeping quiet in affairs that concern only the men. There is a feminist reading in Brownings poem as to how Victorian era society was characterized by a persistent male effort to restrain and dictate upon female sexuality.

Imagery
To make a clearer depiction of the character of the Duke and his opinion and treatment of his late wife, Browning effectively made use of Renaissance images (Black, 1937). The most apparent symbol used is the portrait of the late Duchess, painted on the wall by artist Fr Pandolf. The poem only tells the reader that the painting captures the Duchess bright personality and her love for life  a depiction that has distressed the Duke when her wife was still alive. But the painting itself and how it came to be tells us more about the Dukes personality. The painting is brilliantly done, and personified the Duchess as a person with depth and passion but the painting is kept hidden under a curtain so that the Duke may choose who can view it, none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I, (line 10). Another image used by Browning in the poem is the bronze sculpture of Neptune Taming a Seahorse  which the Duke reveals was made specifically for him by Claus of Insbruck. Allingham (2003) treats this statue as a psychological projection of the Duke himself as both enjoy dominating what is beautiful, delicate, feminine, and natural. The Duke thinks of himself as the god of the sea, Neptune, controlling all his subjects, including the harmless and delicate seahorse which can be considered a representation of the Duchess. The Duke is no doubt a connoisseur of art but reading deeper into the poem, we learn that the pieces he collects are more importantly, used to display his wealth, dominance, and power. From a Marxist perspective, commodification is reinforced in the images Browning used. The scarcer and desirable the commodity, the higher the value. How the Duke transformed his wife into a painting and the fact that the painting was done by an artist Fr Pandolf,  in which the Duke only has access, turned his wife into a valuable commodity in death.

Figurative speech
Browning used figurative language in order to portray the Dukes resentment of his wife as well as his aristocratic arrogance. In describing his late wife to the messenger, the Duke uses euphemism to prove that his wife was a flirtatious woman, or, in his words, too soon made glad, which in the modern-day conversation would mean a woman easily pleased or coaxed. In several lines, the Duke argues unilaterally in front of the messenger the many ways that his late wife has dishonored her. He uses figurative language all throughout the poem to illustrate just how flirtatious his late wife was. For example, when the Duke said that her looks went everywhere, he meant that the Duchess loose way with her friendships with other men was a shameful act. The Dukes arguments centralized on the smiles of the Duchess. He is attempting to form an opinion on the messenger, in deliberately vague words, that his late wife had affairs with other men (Allingham, 2003). Upon her death, he is able to keep the Duchess smiling portrait behind a curtain for him to control. The picture of arrogance that eventually forms in the mind of the reader is strengthened when the Duke uses figures of speech such as stooping and his nine-hundred-years-old-name. The former is used by the Duke in order to describe a deed that is beyond his social status, as in conversation or his manner of addressing questions. For instance, he considers it inappropriate to address his wife about her indecent behavior because it would be a form of stooping. The latter reflects his high sense of self-importance, alluding that his late wife should consider it an honor to take his aristocratic name.  The Duke also uses paradox to present himself as a humble aristocrat who is often at a loss for words.  When he claims his lack in speech (line 36), the Duke was displaying his conceit and self-righteousness. He also indirectly gives the reader the idea that he murdered his wife out of intense jealousy from what he perceived as his wifes infidelity (smiles), so that in the end, he gave orders, all smiles stopped (lines 45-56).

    Rhythm and meter
Browning used the iambic pentameter for My Last Duchess. This iambic pentameter is illustrated clearly in the first two lines of the poem Thats my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive. I call (lines 1-2). This choice reinforces the conversational tone of the poem. In this manner, the reader feels the rhetorical power of the Duke as if he was the one addressing.

    Rhyme
Browning uses a rhyme scheme following the formalized AA BB format. This reinforces the Dukes personality as a proper, aristocratic, and controlling individual who wields a substantial amount of power. Moreover, it dramatizes the Dukes contemptuous discourse and effectively presents him as a hurt and abused husband with a long laundry list of complaints against his late wife. The rhyme choice also strengthens the Dukes self-righteous personality and brilliantly contrasts with his ironic claim of his lack of skill in speech. Davis et al. (2000) suggests that Brownings use of enjambed lines reinforces the picture of the Duke restraining himself as he recounts his memory of his late wife. The enjambed lines illustrate the effort that the Duke is exerting as he presents his arguments to the messenger. When recalling his dead wife, the running lines reflect that the Duke is extremely uneasy about the subject (Davis et al., 2000). Further, Brownings use of caesuras allays the suspicion on the reader of the Dukes hesitation, probably out of the guilt for commanding the murder of his wife .