In my last duchess there are many different language techniques used to present the relationship between the Duke and Duchess. An example of language is the way the Duke uses personal pronouns to highlight his self-importance and arrogance “ Since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I” this use of personal pronouns highlights that the Duke thinks very highly of himself and he has a high self-esteem. Many of the words used also relate to his love of possessions. In this poem the themes relate to the Dukes attitude which is arrogance and high self-importance but also that pride is not an attractive quality the Duke arrogance comes across quite clearly when talking about himself and his possessions also that having money and possessions aren’t everything yes the Duke might have a massive house and paintings but his paranoia about his last Duchess comes across and reflects his insecurity.
In my last Duchess punctuation is used to show it’s a speech “she had a heart – how shall I say?- too soon made glad.” This poem is a form of speech and the use of punctuation tell us that is unrehearsed and that he has to think about his words, this speech is also pretending to be a conversation. It’s divided up into rhyming couplets to mimic an unrehearsed speech there are lots of twists within the lines which is shown by the variety of punctuation. This is a one way Conversation which shows that his arrogance does not allow anyone else to speak. His arrogance is shown when he says “never to stoop” he will never lose his dignity, he won’t sink to the Duchess level which makes it seem like Duke is embarrassed to be with a woman whose immaturity levels are a lot lower than his.
Robert browning wrote “My last Duchess” in Victorian England when there were concerns surrounding the darker side of relationships and marriage. This was a time of patriarchal dominance where women were