My Last Duchess By Robert Browning
My Last Duchess
When a man cares more about his status and image than his wife, he may feel the need to take drastic measures to ensure that he is always the center of attention. Robert Browning’s dramatic monologue “My Last Duchess” paints a picture of a duke who is trying to escape from his past, by proving to himself that he has power over his deceased wife.During the poem, the duke shows a painting of the last duchess to a representative from the Count, who is there making arrangements for the duke’s wedding to the Count’s daughter. He talks a little about what he liked about her, but mostly focuses on the things she did to make him feel uncomfortable. Through his recaption of her, readers learn about the duke’s character and his motivation. …show more content…
Possibly because his wife would not give him her full adoration. When Browning (1842) states “she thank[s] men… as if she rank[s] my gift of a nine-hundred-year’s-old name with anybody’s gift… she smile[s], no doubt… but who passe[s] without much of the same smile”(ll. 30-31, 43-45) he shines a light on how the duke’s insecurities were eating at him. Seeing his wife give the servants her attention, and gratitude at the same level she threw towards him, pushed the duke over the edge. The fact that he couldn’t stand to share his wife, he wanted to be the only one who could possess her only hammers in the magnitude of his greed. This is also proven when he hints at the size of dowry he wants from the Count by saying “your master’s known munificence is ample warrant that no just pretence of mine for dowry will be disallowed” (Browning, 1842, ll. 49-51). Since the Count is wealthy, the duke is going to be expecting a large sum of money as a dowry for marrying the Count’s daughter, even though he doesn’t actually care about her. Trying to climb up another rung of the social ladder, he is constantly on the lookout for ways to better his status. If the duke continues being possessive, and greedy, he will never escape his
When a man cares more about his status and image than his wife, he may feel the need to take drastic measures to ensure that he is always the center of attention. Robert Browning’s dramatic monologue “My Last Duchess” paints a picture of a duke who is trying to escape from his past, by proving to himself that he has power over his deceased wife.During the poem, the duke shows a painting of the last duchess to a representative from the Count, who is there making arrangements for the duke’s wedding to the Count’s daughter. He talks a little about what he liked about her, but mostly focuses on the things she did to make him feel uncomfortable. Through his recaption of her, readers learn about the duke’s character and his motivation. …show more content…
Possibly because his wife would not give him her full adoration. When Browning (1842) states “she thank[s] men… as if she rank[s] my gift of a nine-hundred-year’s-old name with anybody’s gift… she smile[s], no doubt… but who passe[s] without much of the same smile”(ll. 30-31, 43-45) he shines a light on how the duke’s insecurities were eating at him. Seeing his wife give the servants her attention, and gratitude at the same level she threw towards him, pushed the duke over the edge. The fact that he couldn’t stand to share his wife, he wanted to be the only one who could possess her only hammers in the magnitude of his greed. This is also proven when he hints at the size of dowry he wants from the Count by saying “your master’s known munificence is ample warrant that no just pretence of mine for dowry will be disallowed” (Browning, 1842, ll. 49-51). Since the Count is wealthy, the duke is going to be expecting a large sum of money as a dowry for marrying the Count’s daughter, even though he doesn’t actually care about her. Trying to climb up another rung of the social ladder, he is constantly on the lookout for ways to better his status. If the duke continues being possessive, and greedy, he will never escape his