Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess Analysis

    My Last Duchess is an example of Victorian dramatic monologue. The dramatis personae is a duke, who could be Alfonso II of Ferrara, a nobleman during Renaissance. The monologue is set in the duke’s castle in Ferrara, in particular, in his paintings gallery, in front of a fresco of her beloved. There are two characters: the duke, whose point of view is adopted by the narrator, and a messenger, one of the few allowed to see the fresco, which is usually covered by a curtain.

    Starting from the title, the word “my” implies possession, so maybe the duke was quite an obsessive lover. Furthermore the word “last” may mean that there will be no more duchesses for the duke, because that one is the only loved one. In addition, “last” implies an ending of something, perhaps of the duchess’ life. The word “Duchess” is a reference to the social status of the characters, we can hypothesize that the characters will be members of the upper class.

    The duke, in front of the fresco, remembers firstly about the painting itself, then about the duchess herself basing on elements of the paintings. He reveals that he’s pleased by the piece of art, but at the same time he claims that the duchess was not as faithful as she should have been. Then, the reader gradually gets aware that the duke is to be blamed for the duchess's death: we know that she died suspiciously, and also that the messenger is in the castle to arrange a new marriage. So, accusing her of unfaithfulness may be an excuse to justify her murder. However, he seems to still be in love with her. This makes the dramatis personae an ambiguous character. This is confirmed by partial and deliberately omitted historical information, we are not sure at all that the character is Alfonso II of Ferrara, who was married with Lucrezia Medici of Florence, died in mysterious circumstances after two years of marriage. We know from historical data that Alfonso was accused of murder, but his guiltiness was never proved.
    The techniques used by Browning seem to confirm the mysterious atmosphere of the monologue.  The combination of pentameter lines, simple rhyme scheme and enjambements make the rhymes not to create a sense of closure, but to express the compulsivity of the dramatis personae’s revelations.
So the Duke appears to be quite a performer: he mimics others’ voices, creates hypothetical situations, and uses the force of his personality to make horrifying information seem merely colorful. Indeed, the poem provides a classic example of a dramatic monologue: the speaker is clearly distinct from the poet; an audience is suggested but never appears in the poem; and the revelation of the Duke’s character is the poem’s primary aim.

Carlo Mauri
Daniele Sorrenti