“My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning

Introduction

The poem called “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning was written in the 16th century. The poem is very well written where Browning has made the narrator sound very cryptic. The poem starts when the Duke is giving the messenger a tour of his house for his next wedding and came across the portrait of his late wife (Gregory, pp. 498). The poem revolves around of how the narrator or the duke has characterized his wife for the reader. The duke has explained his disapproval and discontents for his wife her personality and her behavior. The argument that will be discussed in the essay is the duke's claim that his late wife was notorious and flirtatious. However, on the contrary, the readers will find that he is only a possessive, dominating husband and a narcissist and arrogant duke.

Thesis Statement

The poem reflects the jealousy and narcissism of a husband who accuses her once alive and jolly wife to be flirtatious.

Discussion

From the very beginning of the poem, the duke sounds very controlling and very pompous. The tone he uses to instruct the messenger reflects of how he is too arrogant and full of himself. The duke then engages in a conversation with the messenger regarding the portrait of his wife on the wall (Thompson, pp.24). He further explains that anyone who ever saw the painting and the expression on his wife's painted face, was impressed and intrigue by it. Browning quotes “..Strangers like you that pictured countenance, The depth and passion of its earnest glance…”. Moreover, the duke mentions of how everyone who ever viewed the painting asked him the mystery behind the lively facial expression of his lady.

However, the interesting thing to note is that the duke is not pleased by the ...