My Last Duchess ⭐

context, by Robert Browning

- ekphrastic poem

- married Elizabeth Barret against father's permission

- Italian Renaissance: art valued heavily in soc

- set in another era, but contains a political msg & criticisms of soc, changing the setting helps to disguise the criticisms & make reader more accepting to msg: makes his subverted msg more convincing & displays the cyclic way history repeats (Protects B from repercussions of criticising contemporary soc)

- Duke of Ferrara

inspo for poem: wife died under sus circumstances, later Duke thought of as murderer, women's sexuality thought of as dangerous so was controlled through arranged marriages

•IR & Vic Britain : when soc starting to see mobility in terms of class & beg of suffrage movement.

BEFORE women = property of husbands, lost all possessions & property rights, no legal rights/divorce, married off by brothers seen as ‘financial burden’ & incapable of ‘rational though.’

Patriarchal views in ‘I choose never to stoop’ = no point arguing w a woman bc they’ll never understand. Women’s role in domestic sphere.

Focus on morality, manners & modesty (soc Christian)

Sex was taboo, only way for woman to gain status was through husband

‘my gift of a nine-hundred year old name’ =duchess only attains status through HIS fam name, - marriage is a transition into OWNERSHIP.

key ideas

- dukes power is undermined by his paranoia & fear of female sexuality, controls others to comensate for lack of control over himself

POWER

- power Duke has over Duchess’ life. also a conflict between how Duke presents himself to the outside world V his Duke’s true character.

- Conflict arose when Duke realised couldn’t control his wife, & retaliated by killing her, = an abuse of his power and control.

Perspective (reflects power of Duke)

•Persona poem – the speaker takes persona of DUKE OF FERRA = can use to give reader msg ab wider context of the time

•1st person narrative – gives speaker lots of power over text as can control what he tells reader = power Duke holds over women. Also BIASED

•Dramatic monologue shows domineering presence of Duke, who doms the covno & won’t let anyone else speak.

reader exclusively exposed to his persp = here dram monologue provides reader w biased account. No fem side to story = mirrors how no fem side to narrative of Vic soc. No right to vote/hold power, politically silenced: criticising Duke’s abuse of power = criticism of the inequality in who holds power

opening

Readers interest is invoked – how has she died?

‘I call that piece a wonder’ is ominous = Duke viewing subject of dead wife as piece of art rather than sentimentally his wife= only ever a possession to him.

Control established from the very start – possessive pronoun ‘my’ - no autonomy& just like objects he can buy

--> 'my duchess' not 'my wife' = lack of affection = an accesory not partner?

Duke forces visitor to sit w ​rhetorical q​ ​"will’t please you sit and look at her?”​, which = that Duke is in sole control of who sees her. The opening immediately sets up a ​sinister tone ​for the piece, as the phrase ​“as if she were alive” ​shows that Duchess has died.

structure

Iambic pentameter – traditional = how Duke holds trad & conservative views of women = dems D’s sense of pride & superiority bc meter has very tight control rhythm & rhyme, tight grasp men had over women

Single verse/no stanzas

makes it feel ​overwhelming and tiring​.

mirrors the Duke’s power, = his presence is overwhelming as he doms the room and the poem.

● This power relates to how there is no importance placed on needing to cover up his mistreatment of past wife as he is so powerful it won’t impact him.

● makes it v obvious that it’s only his view that’s ever given in any situation/decision, & that the woman is given no say or chance to defend herself.

● This dominating relates to context of poem as both set & written in a patriarchal society, by a man so women are only being viewed through the eyes and perspective of men.

The no-stanza structure of the piece gives sense of being like a ​stream of consciousness​ of the Duke’s unadulterated thoughts and feelings.

The stream of consciousness suggests the speaker lacks censorship, thus demonstrating a lack of control over himself. This lack of control implies the Duke has control over others but not over himself & is trying to compensate for this.

enjambment - weak & unbalanced, getting carried away & rambling - lack of control over what he says e.g. '-how shall I say?': overcome by emotion & anger?

caesura - breaks up the rhythm, not pleasant to listen to

- makes reader exhausted by hus voice & narrative, negatively shows his power & control, seen as sign of too much pride & self-obsession

- imitate stuttering? = lacks natural confidence so has to make up for it w the artificial, authoritarian control he directs towards women

rhyming couplets

- (tad add a light tone/musical quality) which contrasts w the content of poem = a sinister undertone

symbolism

Duchess as a painting

- complete objectification, admired & looked at but also controlled

- his control of the painting is an extension of his control over her 'none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you but I' - threatened by other men enjoying her presence, jealousy? - highlights absolute control had over her, not just over life but death + memories too

- statue of Neptune

'notice Neptune though taming a sea-horse'

creates parallels to Duke trying to 'tame' a wife that was 'too easily impressed': transformed her from a 'sea horse' w free will into painting that's controlled by him & a possession equal in status to other statues

As a portrait:

- stay still & silent, have her where he wants, can control her (what he wanted her to act like when she was alive) almost = this is better for him = the extent of his desire for control and power

paranoia

Frà Pandolf

Fra = prefix for a monk = how much envy has corrupted the duke, as believes possible his wife wld flirt with a monk.

'Her husband's presence only'

- expectations & purpose of her life. complete dom, paranoid

Who'd stoop to blame

- Duke's male entitled pride: won't lower self to talk to wife & confront her ab what he fears as wld show him as paranoid & weak

- also = no point arguing w a womean as she's so far below him, incapable of rationality& shouldnt have to explain it to her - she should be meek, obedient & sub

- projection of the fragility of his masculinity & own internal insecurities

title 'My Last Duchess'

- possessive pronoun 'my' is first word reader sees, sets the tone: will forever be his property, objectification of women, when women married they became property of men

- almost makes her sound replaceable, showing there was no love/true affection, just a desire to control her

- no name just 'duchess' = almost an extension of him