Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues made him one of the most famous poets around his Era; Victorian Era. One of his most famous pieces, “My Last Duchess,” was set back all the way to the 16th century; however, Browning wrote the piece in 1842. The importance of the poem relates to its stretching from one era all the way to the next. “My Last Duchess” is a dramatic monologue due to the speaker, the Duke of Ferrara, having a specific person to whom he speaks to throughout the whole theatrical conversation. The duke starts off by pointing out his last Duchess painted on a wall. The Duchess was picture with a passionate glance and the duke states, “Sit, twas not her husband’s presence only, called that sport of joy in to the Duchess’ cheek” (Browning 14). The tone of the speaker begins to grow a harsh tone because his once wife could not have a special favor for the dukes “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name” apart from any other gift that would have potentially been given to her. The duke is evidently seen as a rich man that treats women as objects and with just a smile to anyone else, it is wrong. The arrogant duke “gave commands” to kill her. The demand for control is reflected throughout the whole poem. The dramatic monologue is entirely a controlled theatrical flair. The speaker of the poem is evidently only caring for male superiority because he is completely stuck over himself and his own personal benefits. The dramatic
Two of the poems in this book are “Porphyria’s Lover” and “My Last Duchess”. In “Porphyria’s Lover”, Browning presents an understanding to the irrational mind of a selfish man, while “My Last Duchess” tells a story about the Duke of Ferrara telling a guest that his wife was murdered and what the motive was. The two speakers share similar qualities, both being greedy and unashamed. The difference between the narrators is how they show their love for the women. Using dramatic monologue, the author lets the reader explore the strange thinking of the
The men in this play are very arrogant and hard headed. The women in this play are very understanding and tend to notice little details and look into things more closely. At the start of the play the men were talking down upon the women. By the end of the play
But most of the poems we analyzed earlier are about more than fifty years old, which would explain a lot about the male dominance in relationships at that time frame, because Heterosexual romantic relationships have historically been all about men courting and “keeping” women. And it’s a powerful tradition. Whether it’s asking someone out, picking up the bill, open the door, carry the bags or being the main breadwinner in the family, many of the ideas we have about romance are still based on men being initiators and directors and women being receivers and caretakers. Yet society is changing. Women are increasingly entering the “male domains” of high-powered jobs and sexual
Already the first word implies possession of the duke by the use with the possessive pronoun “my”. Thereby you can also see, that the poem is written in the first-person and that there is a character, namely the duke, and not just a general lyrical I. “Duchess” finally makes it clear, that the poem deals with some kind of nobility. The word “last” in the title poses some questions. Why is it the last Duchess? Had there been Duchesses before?
This becomes evident in a lack of information about the type of society, and the reader therefore lacks a complete understanding of how the women are oppressed. As a whole, this poem sets forth the idea that female gender is fluid, and asks its readers to questions what it means to be a woman in a male dominant
In comparison to the movie, the play undermines male dominance by focusing on women’s efforts to solve their own problems. First of all, there aren’t even men in the cast of the play,
While analyzing this play one finds key themes that relate to the obligations held by men and women and how the pressure of such obligations affect the the subconscious mind. Having the ability to see this different perspective allows the reader to understand gender roles and gives one a new way of perceiving them. Even back in the pre domestic days men were thought of as the head of the household. While women were at home taking care of the children and aiding to crops, the men were the ones that went out to hunt and gather for their families. Men were the protectors of their families and this same idea has continued throughout the years.
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is, “A trivial comedy for serious people”, but it is much more than a simple comedy. The Importance of Being Earnest is actually a commentary mocking the ideals of the Victorian Era Society. Throughout the play, Wilde subtly integrates his feelings towards society through the use of his characters. Wilde’s commentary commences the instant Wilde introduces readers to the first character, and his mockery begins at the same instant too. Wilde manages to focus his attention primarily on the role of women in society, class distinctions, along with wealth throughout his play.
The Duke kills his wife because she showed a lot of affection to other men “Just this or that disgusts me” (Browning 38). Even Though he didn’t know who the men were he thought she was still having an affair with the men. Since he didn’t trust her, he thought he needed it stop what was happening by killing his wife “There she stands as if alive” (Browning 46-47). In the story Browning uses dramatic monologue with his communication by his breach of talking to
"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is a poem being told by a Duke who did everything he could to have control in every aspect of his life including politically and socially. He also endeavored to run his marriage the same way as he commanded his territory. The Duke considered anything he came in contact with, be it is materialistic or a human being, as a chance to increase his authority. His thought process was that a wife should be controlled; servants must recognize and obey his power; and elaborate decorations that he has in his gallery exhibited his authority to humanity. He rarely showed any form of compassion, happiness or feelings because that would have diminished his dominating reputation.
Poets write about what they see and what they know, and many times that involves human behavior. Being humans themselves and being in contact with other people they get to observe many different human behaviors and interactions. Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” touches on many parts of human behavior such as power, madness and jealousy. This poem talks about how the narrator has his last wife killed or sent away because she was easily pleased. The narrator, duke of Ferrara was jealous that other men could receive attention from his wife and he wanted control and power over her and when he could not get that from her he needed a new wife.
In contrast, the speaker in the “My Last Duchess” is flippant, jealous and manipulative, which argues that the speaker is complaining about his wife reflect how some powerful men cannot accept their own failure and place
Through the Duke’s abuse of power, love is presented in a negative way throughout ‘My Last Duchess’. Throughout the poem, Browning uses a heroic couplet in order to signify his grandiose nature; he views himself as a superior being who nobody can ever surpass. This is reinforced when the Duke juxtaposes the different gifts the Duchess received he specifically stated that ‘as if she ranked / My gift of a nine-hundred years-old name / With anybody’s gift.’ Juxtaposition is used in order to highlight the significance of the Duke’s gift. Browning specifically mentioned the name of the Duke’s gift to put emphasis on the meaningful surname he has gifted the Duchess, nevertheless giving him a reason to command and control her.
My Last Duchess," distributed in 1842, is ostensibly Browning's most popular sensational monolog, in light of current circumstances. It connects with the peruser on a few levels – verifiable, mental, unexpected, dramatic, and that's just the beginning. The most captivating component of the sonnet is likely the speaker himself, the duke. Unbiasedly, it's anything but difficult to recognize him as a creature, since he had his better half killed for what appears to be harmless wrongdoings.
In the dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning, the way in which the poet presents the Duke’s attitude to the death of his Duchess is distinct from the beginning of the piece. Browning presents the Duke as unnaturally complacent and unfazed when he talks about his wife’s abrupt demise, however towards the end of the poem the Duke appears to let down his façade, becoming smug and almost proud of his actions as it becomes apparent that he in fact killed her. The monologue is about a Duke reminiscing about his lost wife, a loving memory morphs into malicious judgment and a chilling confession. His composed perspective towards death is apparent in the first two lines, ‘That’s my last Duchess… if she were alive’, in this quote Browning uses iambic pentameter, this literary device shows the Duke’s abnormal steadiness in the situation, by