What do you think of The Last Duchess？

志宇

1. The Duke is giving a tour to the envoy of an unnamed Count. The Duke is a widower looking for a new bride and is interested in a wealthy Count’s daughter. He shows the envoy a painting of his late wife, which is kept behind a curtain. Whilst revealing this artwork, he discusses her. Although his aim is to criticise her personality and conduct, he reveals unsavoury aspects of his personality, such as his jealousy and possessiveness.

A key feature of the dramatic monologue is that the speaker often reveals something important about themselves whilst recounting events or discussing a particular topic. In the case of the Duke, the reader learns not just about his personality flaws but that he may have ordered the murder of the late Duchess.

2. Important themes in the poem include gendered expectations, and jealousy and possessiveness.

Gendered expectations

This theme runs throughout the poem. By making the Count's envoy aware of his expectations for his next wife's conduct and the potential fate that will befall her if she falls short, the Duke implies that he expects her to hold him in higher regard than other men and not to openly express her affections to other men.

The Duke also expects a generous dowry to marry his new bride. Aristocratic women were not expected to undertake paid employment. Therefore, dowries given to their husbands at marriage were supposed to cover their expenses.

Jealousy and possessiveness

The Duke expresses the opinion that he should enjoy a special relationship with his wife and be held in the highest esteem. He becomes jealous when he feels that she treats him with the same courtesy and affection that she does with the painter and servants.

2023-01-17

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• 志宇

  "My Last Duchess" (1842) is a dramatic monologue that reveals the Duke ’ s true nature.

  The characters and murder alluded to in the poem are widely thought to have been inspired by the rumours surrounding the historical figures of Alfonso and Lucrezia of Ferrara.

  The poem is composed entirely of rhyming couplets.

  Browning uses the imagery of blushing and smiling in the poem.

  The poem explores the ways in which men seek to control female sexuality.

  The Duke and the late Duchess' contrasting personalities are expressed through symbolism. The Duke is proud of his possessions, giving the emissary a tour and pointing out his cast-iron sculpture of Neptune taming a seahorse.

  The Duke's controlling, possessive nature is symbolised by the figure of Neptune. The figure of Neptune reflects how the Duke views himself as a God like figure with the right to control his property. When he found himself unable to control his wife, this threatened his self-image and sense of masculinity.

  The Last Duchess' carefree, free-spirited nature is symbolised by the sculpture of the seahorse. A parallel can be drawn to the last Duchess of Ferrara. The Duke wants to control her conduct. He wants to be the only one to enjoy her affections, no matter how innocent. However, the poem's description of her suggests she remained untamed.

  2023-01-17 刪除 喜欢(0)