My Last Duchess

My Last Duchess

by

Robert Browning 

Robert Browning

• Is one of the Victorian poets.
•  He began to write poetry while still quite young, influenced by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
•  He also worked on writing plays. 

My Last Duchess

•“My Last Duchess” is a dramatic monologue. 

•In the poem, the Duke of Ferrara uses a painting of his former wife as a conversation piece. 

•The poem doesn't have clear breaks or stanzas, and instead consists of one long stream of couplets, 28 in all.

FERRARA

 That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, 

Looking as if she were alive.

 I call That piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf’s hands

 Worked busily a day, and there she stands

The speaker (the Duke of Ferrara) directs the attention of a guest to a painting of his former wife, the Duchess of Ferrara, which hangs on the wall. The Duke praises the painting for looking so lifelike and then remarks on how hard the painter, Fra Pandolf, worked hard on it. 

Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said 

“Fra Pandolf” by design, for never read

 Strangers like you that pictured countenance,

 The depth and passion of its earnest glance,

 But to myself they turned (since none puts by 

The curtain I have drawn for you, but I) 

And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, 

How such a glance came there; so, not the first

After asking the guest to set and lookat the painting, then the speaker mentioned the name of the painter, Fra Pandolf. Many of those who looked at the painting they looked as if they intended to know the name of the painter. Therefore, the Duke mentioned his name. 

Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, ’twas not

 Her husband’s presence only, called that spot 

Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek; perhaps 

Fra Pandolf chanced to say, “Her mantle laps

 Over my lady’s wrist too much,” or “Paint 

Must never hope to reproduce the faint 

Half-flush that dies along her throat.” Such stuff 

he suggests that perhaps Fra Pandolf had happened to compliment her by saying "her shawl drapes over her wrist too much" or "paint could never recreate the faint half blush that’s fading on her throat." 

Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enoug

For calling up that spot of joy. She had

 A heart—how shall I say?— too soon made glad, 

Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er 

She looked on, and her looks went everywhere. 

Sir, ’twas all one! My favour at her breast, 

The duke insists that the former duchess thought that polite comments like those were reason enough to blush, and criticizes her, in a halting way, for being too easily made happy or impressed. He also claims that she liked everything and everyone she saw, although his description suggests that she was ogling everyone who crossed her path.

The dropping of the daylight in the West,

 The bough of cherries some officious fool 

Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule 

She rode with round the terrace—all and each 

whether it was a brooch or present from him that she wore at her chest, the sun setting in the West, a branch of cherries which some interfering person snapped off a tree in the orchard for her, or the white mule she rode on around the terrace.

Would draw from her alike the approving speech, 

Or blush, at least. She thanked men—good! but thanked

 Somehow—I know not how—as if she ranked 

My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name

 He claims that she would say the same kind words or give the same blush in response to all of them. The duke also objects to her manner of thanking men, although he struggles to describe his concerns. Thematically, It could be regarded selfishness.

With anybody’s gift. Who’d stoop to blame 

This sort of trifling? Even had you skill

 In speech—which I have not—to make your will 

Quite clear to such an one, and say, “Just this

 The duke imagines a hypothetical situation in which he would confront the former duchess: he says that even if he were good with words and were able to clearly say.

Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,

 Or there exceed the mark”—and if she let 

Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set

 Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse—

"This characteristic of yours disgusts me," or, "Here you did too little or too much"—and if the former duchess had let herself be degraded by changing, instead of being stubborn and making excuses—

Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands

 As if alive. Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet 

The company below, then. I repeat,

 The Count your master’s known munificence 

Is ample warrant that no just pretense 

Of mine for dowry will be disallowed; 

The duke explains that she began smiling at others even more, so he gave orders and all her smiles stopped forever, presumably because he had her killed. Now she only lives on in the painting. The duke then asks the guest to stand up and to go with him to meet the rest of the guests downstairs. 

Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed 

At starting, is my object. Nay, we’ll go 

Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though, 

Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, 

Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me! 

The duke also adds quickly that he has always insisted since the beginning of their discussions that the Count’s beautiful daughter, and not the dowry, is his primary objective. The duke ends his speech by demanding that he and the Count's emissary go downstairs together, and on their way, he directs the emissary’s attention to a statue of the God Neptune taming a seahorse, which is a rare work of art that Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze specifically for him