My Last Duchess

The Duke describes his last Duchess as overly friendly, undifferentiating in her affections, and too easily impressed. He complains that she does not treat him with more reverence than others,...

"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue that explores themes of power, control, and jealousy. The Duke's monologue reveals his authoritarian nature and disdain for his late...

The Duke in Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" is controlling and authoritative, viewing his late wife as a possession. In contrast, the Duchess is portrayed as joyful and kind-hearted, valuing...

In "My Last Duchess," Robert Browning employs irony to reveal the Duke's true character. While he speaks highly of his late wife, the Duke's words and actions disclose his controlling and jealous...

Fra Pandolf comments on the lady's mantle in "My Last Duchess" to suggest she should show more skin, which leads the Duke to believe she is flirtatious. The Duke interprets her blushing as a sign of...

The significance of the Neptune statue in "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning lies in its representation of the Duke's controlling nature. Just as Neptune tames a seahorse, the Duke sought to...

In Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," Fra Pandolf is a fictional artist whose name the Duke of Ferrara mentions to emphasize his art collection's value. The Duke admires Fra Pandolf for capturing...

The duke hides the painting of the duchess behind a curtain so that only he can have full access to her image.

The Duke's bronze statue in "My Last Duchess" is important because it represents his egotism and need for control. Mentioning the statue is an attempt to impress his visitor and distract him from the...

In Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," the Duchess's fate is implied to be death at the hands of her husband, the Duke. The Duke's monologue reveals his jealousy and controlling nature, suggesting...

Yes, the Duke in "My Last Duchess" had the Duchess killed. He reveals this when he says, "I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together." This indicates that due to his orders, she was murdered....

The Duke in "My Last Duchess" reveals his desire for total power and control through symbols and imagery. He keeps his wife's portrait behind a curtain, symbolizing his control over her, and admires...

The Duke of Ferrara in "My Last Duchess" is portrayed as arrogant and controlling. He reveals his possessive nature and obsession with power through his monologue about his late wife, indicating that...

A thesis statement for "My Last Duchess" could focus on the Duke's jealousy and possessiveness, revealing his controlling nature and the objectification of his wife. Alternatively, a feminist...

In "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning, the Duke describes a portrait of his late wife, revealing his controlling and jealous nature. He criticizes her for being too friendly and easily pleased,...

When the duke asks, "who passed without / Much the same smile?" he means that his last duchess smiled the same smile for everyone else as she smiled for him. She showed no special favor or gratitude...

The Duke discusses his first wife with the envoy as a warning to his next potential wife. He despised her for being too easily pleased and not valuing his status. He expects his future wife to behave...

In "My Last Duchess," the Duke of Ferrara is speaking to an emissary. The purpose of this conversation is to negotiate a new marriage arrangement between the Duke and the daughter of another powerful...

The Duke in "My Last Duchess" is both reliable and unreliable. He is reliable in openly admitting to having his wife murdered, reflecting his honesty and arrogance as a ruler. However, his pride and...

The Duke in "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is arrogant, controlling, and possessive. He reveals his authoritarian nature through his monologue, where he speaks of his late wife as a possession...

The Duke seems to feel a sense of urgency that the Count's representative must hurry down the stairs. He tries to forestall him, but he is too late. The other man has already decided not to trust...

"My Last Duchess" features Italian Renaissance elements like the Duke of Ferrara, a character modeled after Renaissance nobleman Alfonso II d'Este, who epitomizes the era's materialism. The Duke's...

In "My Last Duchess," the Duke unintentionally reveals his true character through his speech. His arrogant and possessive nature, jealousy, and lack of sensitivity are evident in his breathless,...

"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue narrated from the first-person point of view of the Duke of Ferrara. The poem is set in Renaissance Italy, where the Duke speaks to a...

The Duke's portrait of his wife is likely kept in a private room, such as a library or study, not on a staircase, and it is covered with a curtain. This suggests the Duke values the painting but...

The Duke in Browning's "My Last Duchess" is labeled as "witless" due to his unrealistic expectations of his late wife's behavior and his failure to appreciate her joyful, simple nature. Despite his...

The Duke's motive in his monologue is to negotiate the dowry for his next marriage, using the art collection as a pretext. However, he becomes absorbed in discussing the portrait of his last duchess,...

A painter might choose to work directly on a wall for practical reasons, such as creating a fresco. However, in "My Last Duchess," it seems more likely that the Duke's description is imprecise. The...

The Duke's arrogance in "My Last Duchess" is evident from his possessive control over the painting and his disdain for the Duchess's demeanor. He boasts about his "nine-hundred-years-old name,"...

The Duke attempts to portray the Duchess as disloyal and overly affectionate, accusing her of not reserving her smiles and attentions solely for him. However, the Duchess is depicted as a joyful,...

Browning portrays the Duke as weak in "My Last Duchess" through his insecurity and need for constant validation from his wife. The Duke's inability to openly communicate his desires reveals his...

The best summary of the poem's plot is that the Duke's last wife, immortalized in a painting, offended his sense of self-importance with her friendliness, leading to her questionable end. The Duke's...

Browning conveys the Duke's bias and hypocrisy through his self-centered narrative, emphasizing his opinions as ultimate truth. The Duke's remarks reveal his jealousy and hypocrisy, as he demands...

The speaker's companion asks why the Duchess is not smiling in the painting. The Duke responds that she was smiling when he was present. However, after he became more demanding and controlling, she...

The Duchess in "My Last Duchess" is portrayed as kind-hearted, generous, and egalitarian, treating everyone equally regardless of their status. She freely complimented those who showed her kindness,...

"My Last Duchess" is a well-constructed dramatic monologue by Robert Browning, effectively using the form to reveal the Duke's character. The poem, written in iambic pentameter, allows the Duke's own...

Browning subtly reveals the duke's location and circumstances through his actions and dialogue with the envoy. The duke, likely the Duke of Ferrara, is in his palace, showcasing art pieces like a...

Fra Pandolf is indeed a monk, as "Fra" means "brother" in Latin, confirming the assumption. However, the idea that he flirted with the Duchess is a misinterpretation by the Duke, stemming from his...

The duke claims to have never heard his own speech and to have never taken notice of the painting. He says that he is speaking candidly, but he does not seem to acknowledge his skills in speaking....

Based on Browning's "My Last Duchess," it would be unwise to recommend marrying the Duke. The poem reveals him as a controlling, jealous, and possibly murderous figure, displeased by his late wife's...

The Duke initially responded to the Duchess's behavior by noting her indiscriminate joy in all gifts, regardless of their value. He became offended that she valued his prestigious name no more than...

Inverted sentences in "My Last Duchess" emphasize the Duke's egocentric nature and manipulation of his narrative. By altering word order, Browning highlights the Duke's obsession with control,...

As the Count's representative, I would advise caution regarding his daughter's engagement to the Duke. The Duke's monologue reveals his controlling and jealous nature, suggesting he demands...

Similarities between the Duke in "My Last Duchess" and Hazel in Hazel Tells Laverne" include that they are both confessing to actions which do not reflect well on them and which show their rejection...

"My Last Duchess" implicitly addresses physical gratification through the Duke's focus on the Duchess's physical appearance and his appreciation for art's sensual beauty. The Duke describes her...