The purpose of the present text is to analyze My Last Dutchess  , a dramatic monologue written by the Victorian poet Robert Browning in 1842. The analysis will based on close reading and personal considerations. Therefore it is not meant to give definite answers, but only possible ones.

First of all, considering the title, the first person pronoun leads the reader to who dear who is the speaking voice and why he or she considers a duchess as an object of his possession. Furthermore, the reader may have the curiosity to find out the reason why a duchess can be considered a “last” one. 

Going on, considering the structure, the poem is made of a 56 lines long only stanza. Before the beginning of the poem there is the name of the Italian city “Ferrara” that help the reader setting the scene. 

After a first read, the reader can understand that the speaking voice isn’t the poet himself, but he is Alfonso  II, Duke of Ferrara, who lived in the 16th century. As Alfonso is the only speaking voice, the poem is a monologue. Alfonso is addressing to another character, a second person identified as “you” in the fifth line, that is the count’s envoy. He is entertaining the visitor, who has come to negotiate his next marriage  to the daughter  of another  powerful family. Their conversation peace is a painting of the Duke’s last wife, that is “the last duchess”.

Considering the sound level, the poem is made of 28 rhyming couplets of iambic pentameter. There are no end-stops lines but many enjambement. As a result, on the one hand enjambements and the choice of iambic pentameter make the poem sound conversational, but on the other hand rhyming couplets show a careful language research. Even though the speaking voice says that he is not a skilled speaker (“Even had you skill in speech -(which I have not )”), he is actually revealing the opposite. Everything the reader knows is told by the speaker’s perspective. As a consequence the reader himself has to complete the dramatic scene distinguish between what the speaker says and what he is actually revealing. 

Talking about the conversation peace, it is a painting of the Duke’s last wife. The speaking voice repeats three times the name of the important painter (“Fra Pandolf”, an imaginary character) to underline that his interest is monetary rather sentimental. The painting is personified (“and there she stands”): it is the objectification of his wife, becoming the symbol of women objectification in general. The Duke can control the painting however he wants: only he can move the courtain and show the piece  of art.During the conversation he starts speaking about his death wife. The conversation is under his total control: when he says “not the first are you to turn and ask thus” gives the messenger the illusion of being an active participant in the conversation, even though he never has the chance to speak. The reader is lead to identify with the visitor and feel part of the scene.

Considering the death duchess, the Duke depicts her as a terrible wife: she was guilty of beeing “too soon made glad”, “too easily impressed” and having a disgraceful behavior: she didn’t embody the perfect Victorian moral values.  When the Duke says “i gave commands, then all smiles stopped together” the reader can complete the dramatic scene by imaging he has ordered to kill her, even though he doesn’t say it. The harshness of the language belies that the duchess was punished for her sexuality. When the speaking voice says that his next wife will be his “object”, the use of the language hides a deeper significance: the Duke is revealing that he considers his wives not only his goals, but also his ornamental objects.

Considering the last part of the poem, the duke uses the imperative to order to his guest to go on and admire another piece of art, that is a bronze statue of Neptune. This statue becomes the symbol of dominance: as Neptune is “taming a sea-horse”, the Duke appears as a godlike who can dominate whoever he wants. 

Last but not least, considering the overall effect the reader, who identifies with the guests , feels part of the scene. He can feel somehow frightened and submissive to the Duke, who appears to have the power to rule whatever he wants. Taking into consideration all that said before I think that an ideal reader was someone who didn’t identify with the Victorian social norms (such as women submission to men) and who could appreciate the criticism of an abuse of power.