Write about the ways that Browning tells the story in My Last Duchess. (21 Marks).

0 3 Write about the ways that Browning tells the story in My Last Duchess. (21 Marks).


The poem, My Last Duchess, tells the story of the Duke of Ferrara and his previous wife, who unknown to the audience at the start is perceived to be dead. The poem tells the story of a powerful Duke who is showing a servant of another rich family around his home, in order for him to be able to plan the wedding of the Duke and other wealthy man's daughter. The Duke explains how his last wife did not suit his preferences as she was "too easily impressed", therefore why the reader can assume the duchess was murdered by the Duke of Ferrara.


The opening of My Last Duchess is significant to the way Browning tells the story, here he describes the Duke to be powerful, dominant and possessive. This is shown through the Duke use of "my" within the opening line, beginning to describe how the Duke could be disturbed and obsessive, as to modern readers it is not considered proper to describe a woman as if you own her, as she is her own person. The Dukes character is further shown within the opening line as he describes his last Duchess as "painted on the wall" , suggesting the fact that she cannot leave, and he seemingly controls her every move. Browning once again uses the opening in order to add to the mystery surrounding the Duchess, he describes her on the second line by saying "looking as if she were alive", overwhelmingly suggesting that she is no longer with us, but also by using "looking" it can be inferred that the Duke is hung up by the fact that he saw his Duchess as too flirtatious, and despite not even now being real she still portrays sexual glances at everyone other than the Duke.


Browning also uses Characterisation in order to help portray the story of My Last Duchess, he does this by showing the Duke of Ferrara as insane. This is shown through hints the Duke makes throughout the poem explaining his dislike for his own wife, as she is too flirty, shown in the line "such a  glance came; so, not the first". Suggesting that despite the fact she is no longer there he is still hung up on her, therefore suggesting the Duke may be a misogynist, as it seems that he does not believe the Duchess should have her own thoughts and opinions. Browning too characterises the Duchess in order to further tell the story within the poem, he describes her through the Dukes eyes. For example, the line "Just this or that in you disgusts me; here you miss or exceed the mark", allows the reader to feel pity toward the Duchess as she has little say in what she does, and even then she has done the deeds he tells her to perform wrongly, further characterising the Duke as delusional and insane, but the Duchess as a feeble woman who can do nothing correct in the Dukes eyes. This enforces the idea of patriarchy within the play as the Duke seems controlling over the Duchess at all times.

A sense of time is also used by Browning in order to add to the telling of the story of My Last Duchess, this is shown through the enjambment within the poem. For example, "E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose never to stoop", this helps to tell the story as it gives a sense of urgency to what the Duke has to say, as if he needs to get what he knows off his chest, almost like a weight will be lifted if he does so. It enforces the possibility that, as the Duke wants time to pass quickly in order to release his revelations, Browning may be suggesting that the Duke is guilty of the murder of his "last Duchess".  

Robert Browning uses the ending of his poem, My Last Duchess, in order to help finalise his poem, he does this by seemingly moving away from the subject of his last Duchess as if she was never spoken of. Browning does this in the line "Notice Neptune, though, Taming as sea-horse", however despite being in context irrelevant to the reader, it may be the Duke foreshadowing, through the sculpture showing power and dominance, that he may need these traits in his next marriage, as he was unable to acquire them in his last one. Therefore, this brings the telling of the story to a close, as it adds a new tone to the poem, as in it was a warning to the servant of the horror that may fall his masters daughter if she does not live up to his expectations.