MY LAST DUCHESS

My last duchess is a dramatic monologue based on a true story. The story tells the death of Lucrezia di Cosimo de' Medici, the daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici. Her husband was Alfonso II, fifth Duke of Ferrara. He kills her because she talked and smiled everybody but on the contrary she didn't appreciate his gifts. The poem is a dramatic monologue. the Duke is the mask that Robert Browing used  to ridicule and to criticize the society of the 1500. The monologue has ,as primary aim, to describe the behaviour of the duke.

The duke that is the speaker of the story, told us that is arrived in his court an emissary. He wanted to negotiate marriage between his duchess and the duke that has recently been widowed.

The duke shows to the emissary the painting of a beautiful woman and told his story. Duke underlined in his description the behaviour of the duchess. He believes that the duchess didn't have a good behaviour  towards him because he didn't appreciate his gifts and smiled towards everybody. He considered his bride beneath him socially."I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together." In this sentence we can understand that the duke ordered the death of the duchess. She could be only for him and not for other people.

The duchess in the painting can smile only towards the duke  because the duke covered the painting with a sheet. The duke was the only person that could see the paint. In this way the duke became owner of his duchess. Now she can smile only towards him and not towards other people because the art is eternal and the painting will show forever the smile of the duchess.