Comment 15 of 15, added on May 5th, 2006 at 8:33 AM.

its a bit twitty and crusty on the outside, but over all it was a crackingly good read.... enjoy!

david bark from Lebanon

Comment 13 of 15, added on April 1st, 2006 at 11:18 AM.

The setting of this astounding monologue by Robert Browning takes place in Italy during the renaissance period. My last Duchess is founded on events in Alfonso the second’s life Alfonso was the Duke of Ferrara in Italy for a fraction of the renaissance period.

In this dramatic monologue authored by Robert Browning the author begins by addressing his last Duchess to the Counts messenger he states how striking she was and all the diverse things about her. The Duchess was a flirt and would please a man when she was praised. Fra Pandolf is an artist that works with the dead he dresses dead people and takes their picture. “That’s my last duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive “. “Fra Pandolph’s hands worked busily a day, and there she stands. The Count invites the courier to sit down and hear the story about his diseased wife. Strangers glancing at her cadaver appeared to be traumatized. The narrator directs it to her smile in death. The last duchess adored the environment around her and was content with the small things in life. “For calling up that spot of joy. She had a heart how shall I say? Too soon made glad”

I believe the duke is angry because the duchess was a flirt and thanks everyone excessively as if she is extraordinary and has a nine hundred year old name. “She thanked men good! But thanked somehow I know not how as if she ranked my gift of a nine hundred years old name with anybody’s gift”. The excuse for having his wife murdered is exceptionally eccentric if he possessed half an ounce of intelligence he would have confronted his wife and told her about her so-called flaws. “I choose never to stoop”.

The duke enjoys the duchess smiling but then he contradicts himself and states that he only likes the duchess smiling at him. He boasts that he had enough with her jolly and positive attitude towards others so he gave commands to halt her smiling forever. “I gave commands”. The narrator considers himself to be a general and he uses being a general as an excuse because general’s orders should not be taken lightly and should be abided by the out come is the same in war if you don’t accept the orders given you are shot for deserting. Like the duchess she is assassinated for not doing what she is told. In my outlook the duke owns the duchess like an object the duke demonstrates this by the way he opens and closes the curtain he has power over her now just like Porphyria’s lover they both wanted control and they both killed to get it they both probably have the inherited illness called Porphyria the only difference is Porphyria’s lover killed for control of love the duke killed for control of the person. The duke continues to court the Counts daughter for a large dowry he does not care about love he only cares about getting rich.

The poem both begins and ends with the descriptions of works of art at the beginning it is the picture of the duchess and at the climax of the poem it is a bronze statue of Neptune crafted by Claus of Innsbruck. The duchess is put forward in the poem as a flirt but we have to remember this is in the view of the duke I believe the duke is covering his own envy, jealousy, resentment and covetousness to put the blame on her for him having the duchess killed. “Oh sir she smiled, no doubt, whene’er I passed her; but who passed without much the same smile. “The half-flush that dies along her throat” she might have been blushing over the painter who was painting her features they could have been having an affair like Porphyria and her lover the duke could of found out and that was the final nail in the coffin so the duke ordered some one to murder the duchess if the story was told by the painter this could have been the outcome. The last few lines about Neptune taming a sea horse is about male dominance Neptune control the sea horse as the duke control the duchess no that she is dead. “Notice Neptune, though ,Taming a sea horse”.

IF YOU WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ME ABOUT ANY COMMENTS IN THE 2 TEXTS TALK TO ME ON MSN ON CALLUM_MOORE5@MSN.COM
















CALLUM MOORE AGE 15 from United Kingdom

Comment 11 of 15, added on November 27th, 2005 at 4:30 AM.

My last Duchess: The comments of the duke about the duchess show the evil sides of the duke's character and at the same time the good qualities of the duke's character are exposed to the readers.

Ranjit Podder from Bangladesh

Comment 9 of 15, added on May 6th, 2005 at 3:09 PM.

As the poem unfolds, the reader learns the speaker of the poem, Duke Ferrara, is talking to a representative of his fiancee's family. Standing in front of a portrait of the Duke's last wife, now dead, the Duke talks about the woman's failings and imperfections. The irony of the poem surfaces as the reader discovers that the young woman's "faults" were qualities like compassion, modesty, humility, delight in simple pleasures, and courtesy to those who served her.


Pilar from United States

Comment 7 of 15, added on April 12th, 2005 at 8:50 PM.

The lines
"I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together"
Implys that the Duke ordered his wife to be killed, earlier is was said, "and I choose never to stoop." meaning he would never be so low as to have to kill her himself. Just to clarify.

Jen from United States