Robert Browning was an English poet whose mastery of dramatic verse‚ especially dramatic monologues‚ made him one of the foremost Victorian poets. “My Last Duchess” is one of his best known dramatic monologues in which the speaker reveals his character to a silent listener. 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. He tells us he is entertaining a representative who has come to settle
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In this essay‚ I would like to discuss one of Robert Browning’s better known poems‚ "My Last Duchess." While some readers may be put off by Browning’s language which now seems archaic‚ his poem is every bit as relevant today as when he wrote it almost two hundred years ago. It is as relevant in the twenty first century as it was in the sixteenth century which serves as the setting for the poet’s history lesson. The poem focuses on a sixteenth century Italian duke who is regaling his guest with tales
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Explore the ways Robert Browning uses symbolism and figurative language in “My last Duchess” Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” was written in 1842; one of the first of his many dramatic monologues. This poem largely focuses around one narrative voice who we suspect as the Duke of Ferrara; giving the emissary of his prospective new wife a tour of the artworks in his home. He draws a curtain to reveal a painting of a woman‚ explaining that it is a portrait of his late wife; he describes her flirtatious
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Setting and Background The setting of "My Last Duchess‚" a highly acclaimed 1842 poem by Robert Browning‚ is the palace of the Duke of Ferrara on a day in October 1564. Ferrara is in northern Italy‚ between Bologna and Padua‚ on a branch of the Po River. The city was the seat of an important principality ruled by the House of Este from 1208 to 1598. The Este family constructed an imposing castle in Ferrara beginning in 1385 and‚ over the years‚ made Ferrara an important center of arts and learning
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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 left
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"My Last Duchess" is one of the most understood sonnets composed by Robert Browning. Browning is still recalled today because of the dramatic monologue of "My Last Duchess". The setting of the lyric is the living arrangement of Duke of Ferrara. The "Duke" is the speaker/storyteller in this sonnet‚ it’s a discussion between the duke and a hireling of the Count. The fundamental graceful gadgets in this lyric is: imagery‚ representation‚ and similar sounding word usage. In this sonnet imagery was
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Discuss Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ as a Dramatic Monologue A Dramatic monologue is a form of poetry where the speaker in the poem gives the readers a deep insight into his thoughts. It is different from a soliloquy since a dramatic monologue always has an implied audience. Dramatic monologue although originated well before the 19th century‚ it was popularized by Victorian poets like Browning‚ Tennyson and Dante Rossetti. Browning has experimented with this form of poetry to such depths that dramatic
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"My Last Duchess" is a poem by Robert Browning‚ frequently anthologized as an example of the dramatic monologue. It first appeared in 1842 in Browning’s Dramatic Lyrics. The poem is set during the late Italian Renaissance. The speaker (presumably the Duke of Ferrara) is giving the emissary of his prospective new wife (presumably a third or fourth since he Browning could have easily written ’second’ but did not do so) a tour of the artworks in his home. He draws a curtain to reveal a painting of
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The poetic voice in Robert Browning’s ‘My last Duchess’ is Alfonso II D’Este. The speaker is presented as rich Duke who is very full of himself “My nine hundred year old name.” Throughout the poem the speaker is trying convince the Count of Tyrell that he is a worthy person to marry his daughter. This poem is a dramatic monologue because the only speaker in the poem is Alfonso. Browning uses Iambic Pentameter as the metre to create a sense of natural speech; this makes the poem avoid sounding
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The Duke and His Duchess What would one expect a mans personality and traits to be like if he was to send his wife away for being to easily impressed and made happy too soon? It is just the man Robert Browning portrays in his poem “My Last Duchess” as the Duke who explains a painting of his late wife in a dramatic dialogue. A quick glance at “ My Last Duchess” readers can easily pick up on at least one element: arrogance. The speaker of the poem exhibits arrogance rooted in his audacious sense
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