last duchess. There are a few metaphors sprinkled throughout the poem, though, as the speaker paints a verbal portrait of his former wife.

When the speaker says in lines 1-2 "That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, / Looking as if she were alive," his choice of words could be considered metaphorical. The duchess herself is not literally on the wall; rather, this is a painting or a likeness of her, which stands in for her throughout the poem. One of the few metaphors in the poem is the "spot of joy" referenced by the speaker. The speaker suggests that most people wonder what exactly makes his lady smile and appear happy in the painting. He replies to this anticipated question,

Sir, ’twas not

Her husband’s presence only, called that spot

Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek

Such stuff Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough For calling up that spot of joy.

A metaphor is an implicit comparison or one that does not use explicit comparative terms such as "like" or "as". Normally a metaphor is described as comprising a "tenor" (the thing being compared) and a "vehicle" (what it is being compared to). 

"Hands": One might be  able to argue that "Fra Pandolf’s hands/ Worked busily" is a synecdoche (a type of metaphor in which a part stands for the whole) as the hands stand in for the entire artist, but one could also argue that it is not metaphorical, as one does literally use one's hands in the art of painting.

"for never read/ Strangers like you": This one is tricky. If he means "read" as we "read" text literally, then "reading" the painted image of a face or looking at it as though it possessed the same kind of meaning that language possesses could be considered a metaphor

"My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name": The Duchess assuming the name and title of her husband is not literally the husband giving her a "gift" and thus we can say that the Duke is comparing the marriage to a gift he is giving a wife.

In "My Last Duchess," the "blush" or "spot of joy" is the Duchess blushing. The Duke indicates that this blush is not because the Duchess is embarrassed or shy. Rather, he claims it is a flirtation. Therefore, the blushing "spot of joy" is a metaphor for flirtatious behavior. 

                                             Sir, 'twas not

Her husband's presence only, called that spot

Of joy into the Duchess' cheek; (13-15) 

The painting itself is, "by design," the Duke's conception of his late wife. In the poem, he complains that she did not reserve her smiles just for him. He is jealous that she would give the same kindness to other men. 

                       Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, 

Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without

Much the same smile? (44-46) 

Earlier in the poem, the Duke says that he rarely reveals the painting for anyone. It is covered by a curtain. Now, the Duke can have the Duchess' smile all to himself. The painting, an object, is the way the Duke wanted the Duchess to be while she was alive: framed, still, obedient, giving smiles/affection only to him. Thus, the painting is a metaphor for the Duke's idea of ideal behavior for a Duchess. The painting is an object, a possession. The Duke objectified his wife in life and in death. The painting is not a memorial of his late wife; it is a metaphor for the Duke's insecure, jealous, and controlling behavior. 

"My Last Duchess" is a dramatic monologue written by Robert Browning. That means that one person is speaking for the entire poem. In this case, the speaker is Duke Ferrara. Although there was a historical duke that Browning had in mind, Aphonso II, who lived in the second half of the 16th century in Italy, Browning was attempting to portray a way of life rather than a specific person.

The Duke is speaking to the emissary of a Count who is there to negotiate the dowry for the woman the Duke plans to marry and make his next duchess. The Count will pay a sum of money, which the Duke will have to agree on, so that the Duke will marry his daughter. As the poem begins, Ferrara is showing the portrait of his "last Duchess" to the emissary. He explains that he commissioned the painting and that only he pulls back the curtain that normally covers it. He then begins to speak of the Duchess. Her portrait shows a "spot of joy" in her cheeks, but rather than pleasing the Duke, it causes him to think about the things that bothered him about his former wife. The reader understands that the things that bothered the Duke were minor; the Duke reveals his desire for control and his jealousy as he speaks.

She was a woman who enjoyed everything and showed her pleasure toward things and people, but this aggravated the Duke because he thought she should gain greater pleasure from being his wife than from anything else. He admits that he could have instructed his wife on how to stop aggravating him, but he says that would be "stooping," that is, it would be beneath him to have to explain to his wife what he wanted. She was supposed to know. He then states that he "gave commands. Then all smiles stopped together." Readers, and the emissary as well, assume this means the Duke had his wife executed. Upon hearing this, the emissary tries to rush down the stairs to get away from the Duke, but Ferrara says, "Nay, we'll go together down, Sir." Finally, he points out a statue of "Neptune ... taming a seahorse," which he had commissioned. The statue is symbolic: It points to the fact that Ferrara believes he is a god and can control others, especially his wife.

To understand a dramatic monologue, especially one by Robert Browning, it is necessary to pay attention to what is not said as well as to what is said. By reading between the lines, you will be able to apprehend the poet's meaning.

A major poetic technique Browning uses in "My Last Duchess" is ekphrasis. This is using a work of art, such as a painting, in a poem. In this poem, the narrator, the Duke of Ferrara, is commenting on a painting of his late wife; we never meet the wife, but we do get descriptions of her paintedimage as the duke gazes on it. This emphasizes that, to the duke, a wife is a possession more than a human being. At the end of the poem, too, the duke points out a valued art object, a statue of Neptune taming a sea horse. This reinforces the suggestion that the new duchess will be yet another object added to the duke's collection—and suggests, through art, that "taming" is important to the duke.

The poem is a classic example of dramatic monologue, in which a narrator or speaker, without meaning to, makes known aspects of his character. Here, the narrator reveals both his arrogance and his deep jealousy of his wife: he can't bear that she would like anyone or anything but him. As he puts it:

Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er 

She looked on, and her looks went everywhere. 

Sir, ’twas all one! My favour at her breast, 

The dropping of the daylight in the West, 

The bough of cherries some officious fool 

Broke in the orchard for her . . .

One of the major devices Browning uses in this poem is irony: the poem is essentially the Duke of Ferrara's lengthy harangue about his late wife who he thinks was just terrible because she failed to act as though she appreciated the honor of being married to him more than she appreciate other, smaller gifts. The duke blames his wife for being too easy to please; he wanted her to think that he and the name he gave her were the most important, the best possible gifts, and he believes that her failure to do so was a reflection of her and her lack of gratitude. He does not realize, however, that his selfishness is far worse, that he has killed a sweet-spirited woman who simply took joy in and felt gratitude for any beautiful thing. He is the monster here, not her.

The literary techniques and figures of speech included in Robert Browning’s poem “My Last Duchess” include the following (highlighted with italics):

• Looking as if she were alive. I call[alliteration: repetition of the same consonants]

• The depth and passion of its earnest glance, [assonance: repetition of the same vowel sounds]

• And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, [more assonance]

• How such a glance came there; so, not the first
  Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, 'twas not
  Her husband's presence only, called that spot
  Of joy into the Duchess' cheek: perhaps [enjambment: lack of punctuation at the ends of lines; adds to the conversational flow of the poem]

• "Half-flush that dies along her throat:'' such stuff [metaphor; foreshadowing: the color does not literally “die,” but the use of the word “dies” does foreshadow her death]

• A heart---how shall I say?---too soon made glad,[interjection or interruption; imitates the interruptions and hesitations characteristic of real speech]

• Too easily impressed; she liked whate'er [caesura: a heavy break in the middle of a line]

• The dropping of the daylight in the West, [vivid imagery; more alliteration]

• all and each
  Would draw from her alike the approving speech,
  Or blush, at least. [more assonance]

• Who'd stoop to blame
  This sort of trifling?[rhetorical question]

• forsooth, and made excuse,
  ---E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose [heavy assonance here]

• As if alive. Will't please you rise? We'll meet [iambic pentameter meter: ten syllables, with all the even syllables accented and the odd syllables unaccented]

• Taming a sea-horse, [symbolism: the tamed sea-horse symbolizes the way the Duke likes to tame his wives]

Browning’s talent in using and combining all these various techniques helps contribute to the success and memorability of the poem.

The Duke, the speaker of the poem, is pretty materialistic. He is clearly quite fond of owning things, controlling who gets to see them, and so on. He name-drops two different supposed artists in the poem: Fra Pandolf, who painted the portrait of the last duchess; and Claus of Innsbruck, who sculpted the statue of Neptune taming a seahorse. Now, neither of these two artists actually existed, so the names that the Duke drops are not actual allusions in themselves, but these names function like allusions because of the way he strategically employs them. They sound like real names, like real artists of the time, and the Duke obviously expects his auditor to be familiar with the artists he names. In this way, he seems to be trying to establish himself not only as a connoisseur of culture and the arts but also as someone with the influence and money enough to commission and/or purchase these works of art. He is, after all, trying to settle a new marriage contract, and so he seeks to represent himself in the best possible light. By "alluding" to these artists (though they are fictional), he tries to make himself look refined.

"My Last Duchess" is set in Ferrara, which was ruled during the Renaissance by the Este family, who were noted for their tyranny, pride, and madness, as well as their patronage of the arts. The Duke is showing an ambassador from another nobleman around his private art collection, where they spend most of their time looking at a picture of the Duke's dead wife. In the last few lines of the poem, however, the Duke points out a bronze sculpture of Neptune taming a seahorse, which he had cast in bronze for him by Claus of Innsbruck.

Neptune was the Roman god of the sea, the equivalent of the Greek Poseidon. The use of the Roman name at the height of the rediscovery of Greek learning in Europe may indicate a certain Italian parochialism, despite the employment of a foreign artist for the commission. Seahorses seldom grow very big; they are typically tiny and translucent, almost transparent. Taming one seems a pathetically easy task for anyone, let alone the mighty sea god. It is easy to imagine the statue as rather top-heavy and unbalanced, a visual representation of the unequal relationship of the Duke and the Duchess, and of the despotic control he exerted over her. After the long disquisition on the painting of the Duchess, the reference to Neptune at the end of the poem restores her painting to its place as one work of art among many in the Duke's collection. Her story, which briefly obsessed him, is now no more than a casual classical allusion.

Robert Browning ends his poem "My Last Duchess" with an allusion to Neptune, the Roman god of the sea. Duke Ferrara, who speaks during this dramatic monologue, is giving a tour of his home to the agent of a Count whose daughter he intends to make his next Duchess. The poem begins with him showing the painting of the Last Duchess, presumably in an art gallery section of his home. As they go downstairs, he points out the bronze statue of the Roman god, which he commissioned from a fictitious sculptor named Claus of Innsbruck. Beginning and ending the poem with the Duke showing off his artwork brings the poem full circle and emphasizes his role as a Renaissance aristocrat—wealthy, pretentious, and arrogant.

The choice of "Neptune taming a seahorse" is interesting because it can easily be interpreted as the relationship between the Duke and his last Duchess. The Duke views himself as a god. However, for Neptune, the god of the sea and horses, to be taming a seahorse is ironic. A seahorse is a small, inconsequential animal not capable of fighting back. In the same way, the Duchess was powerless under the mighty hand of her husband, who tried to dominate her slightest move, even the smiles she gave people. Just as it would not have been a truly impressive feat for an immortal to hold sway over a harmless sea creature, so it should have been beneath the Duke to dominate, abuse, and do away with his last Duchess.

The poem, "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue in which the narrator alludes to the Roman god Neptune, "Notice Neptune, though,/taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity." This is a significant allusion in a couple of ways.

Neptune was a God of the sea, but Poseidon seemed to be much more predominant. In fact Neptune became more noted for ruling horses and horse racing than he was for ruling the sea. Thus the allusion to Neptune taming a sea horse makes sense with regard to the mythological reference.This is also significant because once again the Duke is leaping from women to works of art in the same discussion which indicates (as is supported throughout the poem) that he considers women to be objects such as art. The seahorse in the last referenced piece of art is perhaps the wife he couldn't really tame.

In his highly memorable poem “My Last Duchess,” Robert Browning uses a variety of literary devices to enhance the effectiveness of the work.  Three of the more subtle of those devices are the following:

• Indicative phrasing – that is, phrasing that points or calls attention to specific details. Such phrasing helps to make this poem especially vivid and dramatic. It gives us the feeling that “we are there” as we listen to the Duke speaking to another person.  Examples of such phrasing include the following specific instances (with the key, indicative words italicized): “That’s my last duchess” (1); “That piece” (3); “there she stands” (4); “that pictured countenance” (7); “that spot” (14), etc. Each time the duke uses phrases such as these, he reminds us of the immediacy of the imagined situation: it is almost as if we are standing next to the duke and as if he is addressing us as well as the emissary to whom he is actually speaking. Each time he points to the painting and comments on some specific aspect of it, he helps us imagine it in our own mind’s eye.
• Contractions – that is, the omission of letters from phrases so that the phrases seem shorter, more casual, and more colloquial.  Thus “can’t” is a contraction of “cannot”; “don’t” is a contraction of “do not,” etc. The duke uses contractions repeatedly in his monologue, as at the very beginnings of the first and fifth lines and also in lines 23-25:

. . . she liked whate'er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.
Sir, 'twas all one!   [emphasis added]

The use of contractions contributes very effectively to our interpretation of the duke’s personality. He is relaxed, informal, self-assured, and completely in command. He feels no need to speak formally to the emissary, whom he naturally regards as his inferior. He is not at all nervous in the presence of the emissary. He also seems completely untroubled morally by his murderous treatment of his wife. He is an egotist and will speak however he wishes.  It never occurs to him that the emissary might be troubled by the story the duke tells; the duke of course assumes that he will soon be getting a new duchess to replace his old one.  He feels no need to be especially courteous to the emissary, and so he speaks to him in a tone that is simultaneously colloquial and condescending, both familiar and superior.

• Repetition of first-person personal pronouns, especially “I” “my,” “myself,” and “me.” These words are used continuously throughout the poem, appearing in the following lines: 1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 22, 25, 32, 33, 36, 41, 44, 45, 48, 52, and 56.  Sometimes such words are used more than once in the same line.  It hardly seems surprising that the very last word of the poem is “me.” By continually referring to himself, the duke displays his essential self-centeredness and self-regard.  He is the center of his own universe. His wife was – and remains -- important to him merely as an object.

By using such subtle strategies as these three – even more than by using more obvious literary devices such as similes or metaphors – Browning implies a great deal about the dramatic situation, the character of the duke, and the duke’s attitudes toward others.

Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" is set in the private gallery of an Italian duke, a place rich in images and scarcely less so in symbols. The poem, however, focuses on a single image: Fra Pandolf's painting of the duke's late wife, who is smiling and blushing enigmatically. The duke's pride and jealousy lead him to interpret the duchesses smiles and blushes as signs that she undervalues him, a peculiar and egotistical assessment of their meaning.

The duke regards his wife's universal kindness with disdain, as though she were too promiscuous with her regard. His suspicion is counteracted by the symbols with which the poet surrounds the duchess. The white mule suggests both humility and purity. The bough of cherries also suggests purity and sweetness. There are many Italian paintings which show either Christ or Mary holding this fruit, such as Titian's Madonna of the Cherries.

The duchess is so identified with her smile that the duke eventually comes to use it as a symbol for her life. When he has her killed, therefore, "all smiles stopped together."