Cel of 'my Last Duchess'

The text I have selected to discuss is 'My Last Duchess', written in 1842 by Robert Browning. The text is the dramatic monologue of the Duke of Ferrara negotiating his at least second marriage through a Count's envoy. Through monlogue, the Duke unintentionally reveals the horrifying story of his previous Duchess' murder

The Duke's controlling, manipulative and jealous nature is shown during his attempts to paint himself inaccurately as a noble but abused and caring husband who had no choice but murder his disrespectful wife. This can be pointed out several times in the text, one example would be when the Duke talks of when she smiled at him, and of how he seemingly felt about this. 'Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt whene'er I passed her; but who passed without much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together.'

The Duke's desire for control is shown in the structure of the poem, his appreciation for art, and his response to the trivial incidents that led to the Duchess' death. The use of enjambement in the poem emphasises the Duke's control over the conversation. His appreciation of art shows his control over the artists and the works they produce; the Duchess' portrait and the statue of Neptune. Although the Duke was unable to control the Duchess in life, post-murder he is in complete control of her, or rather, her image and what people think of her. 'None puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I' shows that he now controls the Duchess using a curtian to * who sees her portrait.

The Duke wants to appear hurt to the listener, but upon further analysis of the text it becomes evident that the Duke values things he can control and manipulate and is intimidated by the things that the Duchess desires over him which he is unable to extend his control over. 'The bough of cherries' and 'the white mule' are both in contrast with the artificial objects the Duke values and . This causes worry and unrest within the Duke, 'I know not how - as if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody's gift' at this point it becomes clear that he thinks himself and his family's name more note-worthy and reputable than his wife's family