MB UNIUD

My Last Duchess

•1.     Read the poem and focus on the speaker. Is he a character quite separate from the poet? To answer the question, consider whether:

•a.     He has been drawn from history or legend or he has been created by the writer: The story refers to a real event that was happened.

•b.     He is or he isn't delineated against a precise setting in time and place: The setting of "My Last Duchess," is the palace of the Duke of Ferrara on a day in October 1564. The city was the seat of an important principality ruled by the House of Este from 1208 to 1598. In Browning poem, the Duke of Ferrara is modeled after Alfonso II, the fifth and last duke of the principality, who ruled Ferrara from 1559 to 1597 but in three marriages fathered no heir to succeed him. The deceased duchess in the poem was his first wife, Lucrezia de' Medici, a daughter of Cosimo de' Medici (1519-1574), Duke of Florence from 1537 to 1574 and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1569 to 1574. Lucrezia died in 1561 at age 17. In 1598, Ferrara became part of the Papal States.

•2.     Now consider the following points.

•a.     The listener. His presence can only be inferred from the clues in the text. Underline them: "will't please you sit and look at her? I said" "Fra' Pandolf by design, for never read" "strangers like you that pictured countenance" "the curtain I have drawn for you, but I" "and seemed as they would ask me, if they durst," "how such a glance came there; so, not the first" "are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, ‘twas not" "as if alive. Will't please you rise? We'll meet" "the company below, then. I repeat"

•b.     The present situation. Is the situation or the event the speaker hints at of crucial importance for his life? Yes, it is. The speaker hints to the behaviors of his wife towards other people and to the death of his wife, probably she is murdered by him.

•c.     The subject matter.

•1)  The monologue refers to a past and a present situation. Is there any relationship between the two? Probably the duchess was unfaithful to the Duke and so he murder her. He was very possessive towards her and so he have a paint where is painted his "Last Duchess" in order to convey the idea of control over her wife, forever.

•2)  The monologue reveals the temperament and character of the speaker. How would you characterize the Duke? The duke is a proud, jealous and possessive husband who wants to own his wife as a preciousness thing.

•3)  Is there any discrepancy between how the Duke sees himself and how you see him? In my opinion the Duke is convinced be right and he doesn't realize that he is too much possessive towards his wife. So he seems different than he was to look.

•d.    The language. The monologue displays various characteristics of the spoken language such as (find one more example in the poem of each characteristics listed above):

•1)  References to the place in which the speaker and the listener are. ("That's...", line 1)

•2)  References to the situation in which the speaker and the listener find themselves. ("the company below", line 48)

•3)  Direct address. ("will't please you sit...", line 5)

•4)  Contracted forms. ("That's", line1)

•5)  Pauses, signaled by dashes. (line 29)

•6)  Fillers when searching for the right expression. ("how shall I say", line 22)

•e.    The tone. How would you describe the tone of the monologue? In my opinion the tone is reflective and nostalgic. Reflective because the Duke wants to talk about what is happened and wants to underline his power over his wife, and nostalgic because he remember features of his wife that likes him.