If you are
doing a Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature, the poetry course
is compulsory. In this blog, we might explore my last duchess summary and
analysis.
Introduction:
My last duchess was written by
browning and published in 1842 in a book of poems titled Dramatic lyrics during
the Victoria age. Brown got inspired to write My Last Duchess poem by the
history of Alfonso II of Ferrara, who was a Renaissance duke, whose young wife
died mysteriously in 1561 under suspicious circumstances. when her death, the
duke married the niece of the Count of Tyrol. Throughout the poem, the duke
expresses his view of women as objects to be controlled, owned, and discarded.
Summary
In the poem the Duke is the speaker
of the poem and he is talking to the messenger of his potential wife. The Duke
shows a portrait of his last duchess to the messenger and tells him that his
wife was very jubilant and good-natured. She used to greet everybody with a
smile. The duke claims that she flirted with everyone and did not appreciate
his "gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name." Thus, we see that Duke
didn't like her lively nature as he though she was flirting with everyone. This
shows his obsession of controlling others and treating women as a possession.
It is clearly evident that he is cynical and jealous of her. He can go to an
extent to satisfy his arrogance nature. 'The smile stopped' suggests that he
commanded to assassinate her for not being 'loyal' to him. After this, the Duke
returns back to discussion of his marriage and demands a good dowry. On the
way, Duke shows his bronze statue of a Neptune taming a Seahorse.
Structure and form
There is one long stanza in the
poem having fifty-six lines as heroic couplet in it. Iambic Pentameter: It is a
type of meter having five iambs per line. The poem follows iambic pentameter
such as, “looking as if she were alive I call”. In couplet form rhyme scheme
would be AABBCCDD…, and there are 28 heroic couplets.
“My
Last Duchess” is a dramatic monologue where the Duke is the sole speaker. The
entire poem consists of the Duke addressing an emissary or representative of a
potential new wife.
The
tone of the poem is that of an ignorant, vulgar, insensitive, selfish,
arrogant, and brutal man who is trying his best to sound like a courtly
aristocrat. The setting of the poem is Italy, especially Ferrara.
Literary devices in the poem
The poet uses various literary devices
in the poem. In the first lines of the poem, “That’s my last duchess painted on
the wall, looking as if she were alive.” Poet use simile in this line, the poet
compares a dead person to her painting by using the word “as”. The title of
this poem “My Last Duchess” is ironic because the dead Duchess of the Duke is
not his last Duchess as he is going to marry the Count’s daughter now.
Also,
literary device hyperbole is used in the twenty-fourth line: “She looked on,
and her looks went everywhere” exaggerating that she looks everywhere. The poet
also uses numerous synecdoche: a literary device in which a specific part of
something is used to refer to the whole thing. Example: Then all smiles
stopped together. There she stands. Moreover, A rhetorical question is a question that is not asked to
receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. In the
poem, the poet has used rhetoric questions at the following points:
“Who’d
stoop to blame
This
sort of trifling?”
“but
who passed without
The use
of symbols to signify any object, idea or quality else than its literal
meaning, is known as symbolism. In the poem, the painting of Duke’s last
Duchess symbolizes how he uses his power to objectify human beings such as his
own wife considering his own property or possession.
“The white
mule” symbolizes the pure and gentle nature of the Duchess. Moreover, the
statue of God Neptune taming his sea-horse symbolizes the cruel character of
Duke taming his own Duchess. Furthermore, there are many allusions in the poem.
The reference to any famous incident, person or work of art in history, is
known as an allusion. The allusion is used at the end of the poem when the poet
refers to the bronze statue of God Neptune taming his sea-horse. Which alludes
to Roman mythology.
Apart from these Alliteration is used the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /d/ in “The dropping of the daylight in the West” and the sound of /s/ in “Then all the smiles stopped together There she stands”. Additionally, the repetition of the same vowel sound in the same line is called assonance. In the poem, assonance is used in the following line “Her wits to your, forsooth, and made excuses”. In this line /o/ sound is repeated while the sound /o/ and /i/ are repeated in the following line “Of mine for dowry will be disallowed”. As well as the repetition of the same consonant sound in the same line is called consonance. In the poem, /t/ sound is repeated in the line “Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though”. Consonance is also used in the line “The Count your master’s known munificence” because of the repetition of /n/ sound.
Read About: Analysis of the Daffodils poem By William's Wordsworth
Conclusion
In conclusion, My Last Duchess
summary revolves around the theme of political and social power in the hands of
the Duke. It depicts the harsh reality of a controlling marriage and a
dominating husband who enjoys tyrannical power.
