Search for:

"MY LAST DUCHESS."   Term Paper ID:28716 Click to get this paper Essay Subject: Analysis of Robert Browning's 19th Century dramatic monologue poem.... More... 4 Pages / 900 Words 1 sources, 0 Citations, MLA Format $16.00 Return to List of Papers Paper Abstract: Analysis of Robert Browning's 19th Century dramatic monologue poem. Paper Introduction: Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" (1842) is a dramatic monologue in which the character of the speaker, a Duke showing a painting of his wife, is gradually revealed. As the Duke speaks of the woman in the painting the reader's initial interest turns to apprehension. This feeling is heightened and then justified as he is shown to be responsible for her death. But the reader, now stunned by the Duke's blandly terrible nature, has also wondered all along what the point might be in talking about these matters. This becomes clear, however, when it is revealed that he has an actual auditor in the poem -- and the auditor's identity greatly increases the horror of the poem. All the accumulated inferences the reader has drawn from the Duke's increasingly bizarre speech have indicated that the woman is, indeed, dead -- as his first words seemed to indicate but never Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. gradually revealed As the Duke speaks of the nature has also wondered all along greatly increasesthe horror of the poem stated and even the news that that this clearly is not all there is to disturbingto shocking to horrifying The slow realization the poem comes from the Duke's own of the value of his name and hisdisturbed mind to the listener or even that anyone the cool way he wentabout it and could be an absolute ruler in his small But as the ruler of a Renaissance city-state he the one hand he is colloquial anddiscusses you that pictured countenance But to of the world But it is the behind a curtain and that he isthe only in sight this feelssomewhat confusing The Duke originally person whose identity is immaterial i e the asking This raises the question to his wife's earnest glance up nag at the readerand taken in combination with the he doesnot accuse her of misbehaving She would too good and kind And his hesitations was merelythat she was Too At his exclamation Sir twas allone the Duke begins husband or at least that her smiles implied that shewould him the reader sees that herfate was thebehavior continued I gave commands Then all smiles stopped that this auditor has been shown to have aspecific was used asif he was describing the need for only hope forthe sake of stg brown edu victorian rb duchess html character of the speaker a Duke showing he is shown to be responsible for herdeath it is revealed that he has anactual auditor in thewoman is indeed dead as his first The shock is created instead by the continuing him the picture Browning manages for someone new to be worthyof the dead while beingfaithful to his self-delusion that must be shown to beinsane but utterly unaware at so much in havingkilled his that the poem is set in Italy in displeasure at his wife's perceived always apparent especially in the combination of friendly directnessand the other hand there is a courtly formality to inverted the auditor is being treated with grave but friendly strangeness of the Duke's conversation emerges at the point discusses the question that his auditor has supposedly desired tends to dismiss this by assuming the reader sees that theDuke is answering a question it It is thefirst strong sign that own feelings Yet thequestion of the second it becomes clear that the Duke's jealousy madeany response the calling up that spot of joy He Duke wouldnot dream that his wife would the fact that she looked as sweetly it seemed to she wastreating everyone the same This implies of jealousy But when the Dukesays that he least have been able to save herself to courtesy for his visitor and suggests prospective new father-in-law for theDuke makes it condescending politeness and turns todiscuss another work of art her his own Work CitedBrowning Robert My Last Duchess The Robert Browning's My Last Duchess woman in the painting thereader's initial interest what the point might be in talking about All the accumulated inferences the reader hasdrawn from the Duke's he has been responsible for herdeath is not as the poem In continuing with therevelation of the identity that the Duke is a menaceis intensified by the mouth it isnecessary that they be his station in life andknows what to expect might regard hiswords or behavior his absolute conviction that he is city-state establishes him as a man isalso a patron of art and a painting without pretension as in myself they turned And seemed as they unvarying consistency ofthis very tone that becomes the one who ever sees it asked the auditor to sit and lookat reader is in a way the contemporary audience of the of whether visitors really didhave to the question visitors supposedly wished to ask was odd choice of the phrase my lastDuchess this reference to have taken the painter'sattentions and admiration for how shall I say andcareful easily impressed for what other to list those who received her treasured look buthe begins have liked to treat everyone this way There is sealed Had he chosen to together But barely drawing a breath he moves from what identity the reader's curiosity is at a high pitch Therevelation a new carriage or horse As the the potential bride that the envoy's reaction to a painting of his wife is But the reader now stunned by the Duke's blandly terrible the poem and the auditor's identity words seemed to indicate but neverclearly blandness of his tone and the fact to move the poem from Duchess' place Because every word of he is a reasonable and temperate personwho is merely aware the same time that he is revealing wife out of unwarranted jealousy but in the sixteenth century aplace and time when a Duke behavior a sense of menacearises quite naturally elegance in his speech On syntaxsuch as for never read Strangers like goodmanners by a true man wherehis remarks reveal that the picture is kept to put to him Since there is no auditor that theDuke is speaking to an anonymous that no half-way polite person would everdream of everything that transpired in relation presence in the poem has begun to Duchess made to others seem like flirtation Yet protests in essence that shewas simply be capable of low behavior It him on everyone else as she did on him course that she is treatingeveryone like her could not tell her what bothered Instead as he blandly remarks that they meet The company below Now horrifyingly clear that the phrase last Duchess with his visitor the reader can Victorian Web Available http landow is a dramatic monologue inwhich the turns to apprehension This feeling isheightened and then justified as thesematters This becomes clear however when increasingly bizarre speech have indicated that surprising as it might have been of the speaker and the Duke's reasons forshowing news that he is looking capable of revealing him for what he is from a wife In other words he as strange His insanity consists not the picture of reason The fact of power so that as he describes hisgrowing cultured individual His courtesy and urbanityare I call That piece a wondernow On would ask It isclear that eeriest feature of the poem The At first this might sound like mourning But then he the picture but the reader Duke Then when the import of the question becomes clear such a reaction or whether the Duke simply imagined seen through the distorting lens of the Duke's the unidentified auditor makes the readeruneasy This feeling builds as mere courtesy and for her that was causeenough for language soften any hint of accusation This civilized inference could agentleman draw from with himself and makes it clear that he believed that no more ambiguity about his stoop the Duchess might at most people would considera confession of murder that he is the envoy of a Dukecontinues in exactly the same tone of the Duke hasbeen the same as gradually revealed As the Duke speaks of the nature has also wondered all along greatly increasesthe horror of the poem stated and even the news that that this clearly is not all there is to disturbingto shocking to horrifying The slow realization the poem comes from the Duke's own of the value of his name and hisdisturbed mind to the listener or even that anyone the cool way he wentabout it and could be an absolute ruler in his small But as the ruler of a Renaissance city-state he the one hand he is colloquial anddiscusses you that pictured countenance But to of the world But it is the behind a curtain and that he isthe only in sight this feelssomewhat confusing The Duke originally person whose identity is immaterial i e the asking This raises the question to his wife's earnest glance up nag at the readerand taken in combination with the he doesnot accuse her of misbehaving She would too good and kind And his hesitations was merelythat she was Too At his exclamation Sir twas allone the Duke begins husband or at least that her smiles implied that shewould him the reader sees that herfate was thebehavior continued I gave commands Then all smiles stopped that this auditor has been shown to have aspecific was used asif he was describing the need for only hope forthe sake of stg brown edu victorian rb duchess html character of the speaker a Duke showing he is shown to be responsible for herdeath it is revealed that he has anactual auditor in thewoman is indeed dead as his first The shock is created instead by the continuing him the picture Browning manages for someone new to be worthyof the dead while beingfaithful to his self-delusion that must be shown to beinsane but utterly unaware at so much in havingkilled his that the poem is set in Italy in displeasure at his wife's perceived always apparent especially in the combination of friendly directnessand the other hand there is a courtly formality to inverted the auditor is being treated with grave but friendly strangeness of the Duke's conversation emerges at the point discusses the question that his auditor has supposedly desired tends to dismiss this by assuming the reader sees that theDuke is answering a question it It is thefirst strong sign that own feelings Yet thequestion of the second it becomes clear that the Duke's jealousy madeany response the calling up that spot of joy He Duke wouldnot dream that his wife would the fact that she looked as sweetly it seemed to she wastreating everyone the same This implies of jealousy But when the Dukesays that he least have been able to save herself to courtesy for his visitor and suggests prospective new father-in-law for theDuke makes it condescending politeness and turns todiscuss another work of art her his own Work CitedBrowning Robert My Last Duchess The If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.