My Last Duchess - Robert Browning

 

My Last Duchess    - Robert Browning

‘My Last Duchess’ is written by Robert Browning. He is a Victorian poet. He wrote the poem in 1842. It is written in the form of dramatic monologue. The poem depicts the condition of women in the Victorian age. Wives were expected to meekly submit to their husbands, however brutish they might be. In this poem, Ferrara is such a brutal husband, who murdered his wife mercilessly for her indiscriminate smile.

The Duke of Ferrara is the speaker of the poem. He addresses the ambassador whose master’s daughter he is planning to marry. He informs the ambassador that he murdered his wife because she was flirtatious. The ambassador remains a passive listener. He knows that it is dangerous to oppose Ferrara.  Ferrara shows the ambassador the picture of his wife’s face. It is painted on the wall by the famous painter Fra’Pandolf. To draw the Duchess’s facial expressions, Fra’Pandolf spent a whole day. The Duchess in the picture is glancing. There is a touch of joy on her face.

Ferrara says that his wife could be easily pleased or impressed. All objects gave her equal pleasure. The costly jewel gifted to her by her husband and the cherry given to her by some foolish servant - both were regarded as equal by the Duchess. According to him, the Duchess had no discrimination.

Ferrara considers it beneath his dignity to instruct her, what she should or should not do. She smiled when he passed by her. She did the same when other men passed by her. Ferrara was not able to tolerate it, so he had murdered. This is the only way he could think of to stop her smiling indiscriminately.

Ferrara says that he will not openly demand any dowry but that he expects the ambassador’s master’s daughter to bring him much dowry. Before leaving the hall the Duke shows the ambassador the sculpture of Neptune, the sea-god taming the powerful sea-horse. What Ferrara indirectly conveys is that he will tame his future wife also as Neptune tamed the sea-horse.

Thus the poem depicts the harsh reality of a controlling marriage and a dominating husband who enjoys tyrannical power.