My Last Duchess (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Robert Browning
- First Published: 1842
- Type of Work: Dramatic monologue
- Genres: Poetry, Dramatic monologue
- Subjects: Wives, Murder or homicide, Gender roles, Marriage, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Death or dying, Kings, queens, or royalty, Sixteenth century, Widows or widowers, Weddings, Attitude
The Poem
Underneath the title “My Last Duchess” is the name Ferrara, and the poem’s sole speaker is the Duke of Ferrara, a character based in part on Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara (in Italy) in the sixteenth century. Alfonso’s wife, a young girl, died in 1561, and Alfonso used an agent to negotiate a second marriage to the niece of the Count of Tyrol.
In Robert Browning’s poem, the Duke of Ferrara speaks to an agent representing the count. The duke begins by referring to “my last Duchess,” his first wife, as he draws open a curtain to display a portrait of...
[The entire page is 1544 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
