Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" In A Nutshell

Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” is an example of a dramatic monologue in which all of the characters are silent except the speaker. The Duke of Ferrara addresses another character by using such words as “sit” and “look”. When he says “The Count your master”, another character's identity is made clear. The Duke intends to get married to the Count’s daughter who can be too easily impressed. In the Duke’s art gallery, they are in front of a portrait of the speaker’s former wife. It can be said that he tries to dominate his former wife as the curtain can only be lifted by the Duke himself to see the painting and he is quite arrogant, talking about the imperfections of his bride-to-be.

However, the speaker complains about good features. For him, the Count's daughter's modesty, humility, and innocence are imperfections. In a conceited manner, he also wants his bride-to-be to smile himself but no one. Therefore, it is implied that the Duke is the cause of his former wife’s death as he says “I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together”. He becomes jealous when his former wife smiles at everyone. However, he also tries to be seen as a humble person. Thus, the Duke may be the cause of his bride-to-be’s death in the future since she acts like the speaker’s former wife.