My Last Duchess
"My Last Duchess" is a poem by Robert Browning, frequently anthologised as an example of the dramatic monologue. It first appeared in 1842 in Browning's Dramatic Lyrics.[1] The poem is written in 28 rhyming couplets of iambic pentameter.
Synopsis
The poem is set in the Italian Renaissance but could be interpreted as a critique of how women were treated in the Victorian era in which Browning wrote this poem. The speaker (presumably the Duke Alfonso of Ferrara) is giving the emissary of the family of his prospective new wife a tour of the artworks in his home. He draws a curtain to reveal a painting of a woman, explaining that it is a portrait of his late wife; he invites his guest to sit and look at the painting. As they look at the portrait of the late Duchess, the Duke describes her happy, cheerful and flirtatious nature, which had displeased him. He says, "She had a heart – how shall I say? – too soon made glad..." He goes on to say that his complaint of her was that "'twas not her husband's presence only" that made her happy. Eventually, "I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together." This could be interpreted as either the Duke had given commands to the Duchess to stop smiling, or commands for her to be killed. He now keeps her painting hidden behind a curtain that only he is allowed to draw back, thus now she only smiles for him.
The Duke demonstrates many narcissistic tendencies as he recalls the time he shared with his now-deceased Duchess. He then resumes an earlier conversation regarding wedding arrangements, and in passing points out another work of art, a bronze statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse by Claus of Innsbruck, so making his late wife but just another work of art.
In an interview, Browning said, "I meant that the commands were that she should be put to death ... Or he might have had her shut up in a convent."[2]
Form
Browning characterized this poem as a dramatic lyric; but essentially it is a dramatic monologue, a genre typically associated with Robert Browning, [3]where one person speaks to a presumed audience. It is written in the iambic pentameter, employing the rhyming couplets and the enjambment technique of not always concluding the sentences at the end of the lines. Because of these techniques, the poem has a conversational quality and can be read as a long speech.
Modern adaptations
- The 20th century American poet Richard Howard wrote a sequel to the poem, "Nikolaus Mardruz [sic] to his Master Ferdinand, Count of Tyrol, 1565", in the form of a letter from the listener in Browning's original that details his response to the Duke's monologue.[4]
- The short story "My Last Girlfriend" by Robert Barnard is a take-off on "My Last Duchess" with a new twist.[5]
- Science fiction author Eric Flint uses portions of "My Last Duchess" in his book 1634: The Galileo Affair (2004).[citation needed]
- Canadian author Margaret Atwood's short story "My Last Duchess" appears in her short story anthology Moral Disorder (2006). It is about two high school students who study the poem and argue about its meaning.[citation needed]
- South African author Judy Croome based the main character Rax-ul-Can in her apocalyptic short story "The Last Sacrifice" (published in "The Weight of a Feather and Other Stories", Aztar Press, 2013) on the Duke in Browning's "My Last Duchess".[6]
- In "The Painter", a song by Chris de Burgh, the lyrics also take the Duke's point of view, but show a less stable mindset than the original poem.[7]
Notes
- ^ Philip V. Allingham. "Applying Modern Critical Theory to Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess"". Retrieved 16 December 2009., Note 16-C
- ^ Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 8th edn. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.
- ^ The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (15 February 2019). "Encyclopedia Britannica". Retrieved 8 November 2020.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Text of "Nikolaus Mardruz to his Master Ferdinand, Count of Tyrol, 1565" by Richard Howard at Poets.org". Archived from the original on 6 October 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
- ^ Death of a Salesperson and Other Untimely Exits (1989) ISBN 978-0-6841-9088-4
- ^ | Morsels and Juices | In Foucus: Author Judy Croome | May 2014
- ^ | Spanish Train and Other Stories| Chris De Burg | 1975
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