My last duchess” is a dramatic monologue written by Robert Browning, one of the famous poets of the 19th century, published in 1842.

Starting from the title, the intelligent reader should focus his attention on two  words “my’’ and “last’’. The adjective “last” implies that there will be no other woman after the “Duchess”; and the adjective “my” indicates the possessive attitude towards his woman. Looking the title, the reader must asks: Who is the duchess and why is the last. And why does the writer use the possessive adjective “my”. Moreover, under the title there is the word ‘’Ferrara’’ and this could make think that the poem is set in Ferrara.

Looking at the structure, the poem is organized in one long stanza with fifty-six lines.

The poem has the rhythm scheme called "iambic pentameter.” In addition, there are end rhyme, rhyming couplets, used to make melody to the poem. Examples of rhyming couplets in the poem are, “wall/call”, “hands/stands” and “meet/repeat”. There is the use of enjambment, in which sentences don’t necessarily conclude at the end of lines, it sounds like a normal speech.

After reading the title the reader expects the poem is about the duchess, but instead the poem reveals more of the aspects of the duke than the relationship with the duchess. Reading the text, the intelligent reader understands that the Duke is a jealous man, weak and pervaded by individualism and this is understood by the use of the personal pronoun which reveals him as a possessive man and obsessed ("my last Duchess", "I call", "I said", "I have", "but I", "ask me”,…).

The fragile and weak nature of the Duke is also underlined by his inability to speak (" Even had you skill in speech - which I have not”).

The duke couldn’t bear that his wife smiled and blushed everyone in the same way she smiled at him. However the poem is ironic as the Duchess did nothing wrong: her "defects" were her courtesy and her joy, that the Duke couldn’t understand ("I know not how"). Being a weak man, the Duke uses violence as the only way to demonstrate his power. So the reason he killed his wife is because he couldn’t posses her.

The use of language is  significant in the dramatic monologue.

The assonance of the sound “i" reveals the individualism of the Duke and his possessive attitude. So this is a sign of the typical weakness of those people who need to feel strong. The Duke's strength is underlined by his need to have everything and everyone under control.

In conclusion the intelligent reader will understand that the dramatic monologue is not about the "last Duchess" as he could aspect from the title but it is focused on the Duke. More specifically it is about the weak and fragile nature of human beings.