The denotative analysis of “My last Duchess” by Robert Browning

The poem is about a meeting between an emissary of his potential second wife and the Duke of Ferrara. The meeting is a tour through the artworks of the Duke's house. He shows the painting of his late wife to the emissary, who is the only stranger who has ever seen that painting, which is hidden behind a curtain. The Duke explains that he really liked that girl but she was too easily happy. She smiled to anybody who was nice with her (she was just a teenager) and the Duke was very upset. His speech suggests to the reader that he has actually killed her. They leave the room and the Duke shows a

statue of Neptune riding a sea-horse.