my last Duchess by Robert Browning is a clever and disturbing dramatic monologue written in the voice of the powerful and domineering Duke of Ferrara an obsessive and controlling man who shows a visitor as well as us the readers a painting of his last wife at first it seems that the Duke's polite manners and descriptions of his deceased wife are harmless however as the poem develops it becomes clear to the reader that there is something far more Sinister behind the story he is telling this video will analyze the meanings and literary methods of the poem primarily for the AQA GCSE English Power and conflict poetry anthology if you want to watch my Illustrated reading of the poem or view my other content click the link at the end and subscribe to my channel comics and lit before we read the poem I'll quickly summarize some key contexts surrounding Robert Browning which will help us understand his motivations for writing the poem and therefore allow us to explore meanings in Greater depth Browning was born in London in 1812 and is one of the most well-regarded Victorian poets Browning was liberally minded for his time and supported the Emancipation or freedom of women and additionally he opposed slavery he married fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett in 1846 and the pair moved to Italy where Browning would remain for the rest of his life Browning was fascinated by the art and culture of Italy and this certainly comes through in the poet Myles Duchess which is inspired by the story of a Renaissance Duke Alfonso II and his brief marriage to Lucretia de Cosmo de Medici who died at the age of 17. Browning is particularly famed for his Mastery of a poetic form called The Dramatic monologue a type of poetry which dramatizes a narrator who is not the poet themselves delivering the entire speech of the poem in a conversational style addressing one or more other individuals who do not speak the main purpose of the dramatic monologue is to reveal the character of the narrator to the reader over the course of the poem as I said earlier my last Duchess is based around the historical figure of Alfonso II and his marriage Lucretia Alfonso's family name of SD identifies him as part of a great distinguished family of nobility something which Browning will reference within the poem itself while lucretia's family the medicis were fabulously Rich they were considered to be new money and thus of lower status than the family of the Duke when Lucretia died there were rumors that she had been poisoned by the Duke though this was never confirmed and could well have been a rumor spread by the Duke's rivals in order to discredit him I will now show The Illustrated reading of the poem as you watch and listen pay attention to the poems very controlled Rhythm and structure it is written as one long verse in iambic pentameter with 10 syllables per line in alternating unstressed and stressed syllables it is also written entirely in rhyming couplets which creates a strong sense of repetition and control over the tone of the poem additionally pay attention for the signs of the Duke's displeasure at The Duchess why did he dislike her and at what point does he reveal the possibility that her death was not of natural causes that's my last Duchess painted on the wall looking as if she were alive I call that piece a Wonder now for our pandalf's hands worked busily a day and there she stands will it please you sits and look at her I said fra pandov 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 to you to turn and ask thus search was not her husband's presence only called that spot of joy into the duchess's cheek perhaps for our pandolf chance to say her mantle laps over my lady's wrist too much or paints must never hope to reproduce the faint half flush that dies along her throat such stuff was courtesy she thought and cause enough for calling up that spot of Joy she had a heart how shall I say too soon made glad to easily impressed she liked what air she looked on and her looks went everywhere search was all one my favor at her breast the dropping of the daylight in the West the bow of cherries some officious fool broke in the orchard for her the white mule she rode with round the Terrace all and each would draw from her alike the approving speech or blush at least she thanked men good but thanks somehow I know not how as if she ranked my gift of a 900 years old name with anybody's gift who'd stooped to blame this sort of trifling even if you had skill in speech which I have not to make your will quite clear to such and one and say just this or that in you disgusts me here you miss or there exceed the mark and if she let herself be lessened so nor plainly set her wits to yours for sooth and made excuse Ian then would be some stooping and I choose never to stoop oh sir she smiled no doubt when air I passed her but who passed without much the same smile this grew I gave commands then all smiles stopped together there she stands as if alive will it please you rice we'll meet the company below then I repeat the count your Master's known munificence is ample Warren that no just pretense of mine for Dowry will be disallowed though his fair daughter's self as I avowed at starting is my object Nay Will Go Together down sir notice Neptune though taming a seahorse thought a rarity which Klaus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me foreign being read hopefully you noticed how the form of the dramatic monologue creates an intimate and personal feel to the poem we the reader imagine ourselves in the role of the Duke's guest listening carefully to his thoughts and feelings about the duchess you may also have noticed the tone of the Duke becoming more malevolent and controlling as the poem moves towards the end while the Duke Begins the poem simply asking us to admire the painting of The Duchess as his monologue continues we are slowly made aware of the Duke's displeasure and frustration at his wife's conduct before we look more closely at the language and structure of the poem let's consider the dominant themes brownie explored firstly the objectification of women objectification means to treat or degrade an individual in this case a Woman by considering them merely as an object or thing rather than a human being The Duchess is objectified both in the painting itself which the Duke obsessively controls he hides the duchess's image behind a curtain stating that none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you but I another key theme in the poem is the power of hierarchy basically the ability of people with high status in society to control those they think are beneath them the Duke who obsesses over the status of his 900 years old name seems to believe that his wealth and social status gives him the right to be feared and respected especially by The Duchess finally Browning's clearly explores the theme of gender and male control over women as the Duke Again by right of his gender believes he has the right to command and control The Duchess the poem itself is Victorian and therefore predates the feminist movement however by highlighting the Duke's self-obsession and controlling nature Browning certainly criticizes the cruelty of his male speaker and creates Sympathy For The Duchess and her role as a woman being controlled by an obsessive husband I will now focus on some structural analysis of the poem in poetry like novels structure is the organizational techniques a writer uses to create an engaging and satisfying narrative the first key structural method used in the poem is the meter Browning uses iambic pentameter throughout the poem which is the controlled heartbeat rhythm of 10 syllable lines with every second syllable stressed listen to these lines as an example will it please you sit and look at her I said for a panda of by design for never read can you hear the steady and controlled Rhythm it creates iambic pentameter is often said to mimic the natural Tempo or Cadence of human speech so Browning uses it to create a natural and relaxed flow to the Duke's speech which highlights the Duke's comfort and confidence in his company however this structural use of controlled meter is contrasted by Browning's use of enchantment which is where sentences within a poem flow over into the following lines without punctuation listen to the way this section of the poem sounds not her husband's presence only called that spot of joy into the duchess's cheek due to the emission of punctuation the reading has a fast flowing and almost breathless quality which seems to fight against the order or control implied by the iambic pentameter we can analyze this as Browning deliberately creating a Discord or tension within the structure of the poem that hints at the Duke's inability to control the Duchess or even his own emotions this sense of the Duke's lack of self-control is also highlighted by Browning's use of sajora throughout the poem look at these two examples from the middle of the poem where Browning uses punctuation to stop the flow of the narrative in the middle of a line consider the effect that these sejurers have on the impact of certain words in then would be some stooping and I choose never to stoop oh sir she smiled no doubt when air I passed her but who passed without much the same smile this grew I gave commands then all smiles stop together you should be able to hear this Azure is breaking up the rhythm of the poem additionally Browning breaks the meter here from the iambic pentameter which creates a more jarring and uneasy tone notably this is the moment the Duke reveals the Dark Truth behind the duchess's absence the simple sentence I gave commands all but reveals that his jealousy and possessiveness drove him to have the duchess murdered so is the disturbing climax of the poem is reached Browning breaks up the Rhythm to mimic the anger of the Duke and to draw our attention to the violence which is caused by the Duke's nature Browning masterfully structures the poem to slowly reveal the Duke's obsessive and controlling nature and it draws to a close with the Revelation that the visitor the Duke is speaking with is an Envoy from a count whose daughter the Duke intends to marry the line though his fair daughter's self as I avowed at starting is my object the line again employs sejura after the word object which forces us to pause mid-flow and recognize the disturbing truth that the Duke does not see women as anything more than an accessory to his powerful position his labeling of his prospective partner as an object also suggests he sees marriage as a simple transaction of ownership to him his new wife is really just a possession as a result we are left wondering of the terrible fate which may await the next Duchess if she displeases the Duke in many ways it does prove most effective to analyze the poem in terms of structure since the clear and intentional use of techniques such as meter on gentleman and sejura provide a lot of depth of analysis however there are some useful aspects of language to explore as well the most straightforward language methods Browning uses in the poem are tone questions and symbolism since much of the poem mimics natural speech it is helpful to consider the subtle controlling language the Duke uses which contrasts with his seemingly polite tone look at this example from early in the poem after introducing the painting The Duke politely instructs the visitor to sit and admire the painting with the line will it please you sit and look at her interestingly brownings uses a question however the use of the modal verb will which carries a more instructive command-like quality than for instance would or could suggests that the Duke is really giving an instruction which his guests must follow through this clever use of language the Duke's controlling nature is hinted at he is polite and well-mannered yet clearly offers the guest no choice but to do as he says so Browning presents him as a manipulative and controlling from the very start through his language this technique is repeated later on in the poem as the Duke again offers a command mass by a question will it please you rise it seems as though he is a puppet master directing his guests to follow his instructions while still representing himself as polite and considerate as a host there are also two significant examples of symbolism in the poem the first is of course the painting of The Duchess itself introduced in the very opening of the poem the painting can be seen as a symbol of the Duke's attitude to women he sees women as objects to be possessed rather than people deserving of respect the painting of The Duchess sits in his collection hidden by a curtain which he says None put by but I the curtain then is also symbolic of the Duke's controlling nature he is so obsessive over the image of The Duchess he even controls who can view it the symbol of the painting therefore represents the Duke's own self-importance and vanity it is also somewhat ironic since he seems to take such pleasure in revealing it and bragging about the beauty of the painting yet he clearly despised The Duchess when she was alive which is emphasized by the Furious tone in his comments on her smile that he complains went everywhere when she was alive Browning also ends the poem with another symbol of the Duke's controlling nature as he ushers his guests downstairs to meet the others he brags notice Neptune though taming a seahorse daughter Rarity which khals of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me Neptune is the Roman god of the sea and thus can be seen as a symbol of power and dominance so the statue is a symbol of the Duke's self-image he sees himself as a god able to tame and control anything around him he could not control The Duchess while she was alive but through his privilege and Status he was able to have her killed and Now controls her image by the end of the poem The Reader is in no doubt that he will impose his power over his new wife and we as readers are chilled by the thought of what may happen if she displeases him if you're looking to compare this poem with others in the collection the theme of hierarchy matches well with Ozymandias clear similarities can be drawn between the Duke's power and authority and the king in osimandius as well as Browning and Shelley's critical treatment of their subjects my last Duchess also Compares well with Kamikaze a poem which deals with the negative result of the power and control of those in authority consider how both The Duchess and the pilots are both subject to the control of their superiors additionally it can also be compared with London or extract from the Prelude since both these poems deal with the idea of human power in London the suffering caused by the ignorance of the wealthy and in extract from the Prelude the attempts by the poet to impose his will on nature if you enjoyed this analysis please support me by liking this video and clicking on the link to the subscribe to my channel for more poetry revision content