My Last Duchess

In Robert Browing’s monologue “My Last Duchess”, the Duke of Ferrara is displaying the portrait of his late duchess to a servant. From the first two lines of the poem, we are given information that the duchess has passed away, “Looking as if she were alive,” therefor the poem is based on flashback. As the duke shows the portrait to the servant, he also describes how the duchess behaved when she was alive. From …

…Of mine for dowry…his fair daughter…”(49-52) The duke is explaining to the servant of his father-in-law-to-be—a count, why he ordered death to his wife. Although the poem is centered on the duchess, more information about the duke is revealed as readers explore deeper into the piece. The way the Duke of Ferrara cruelly describes why he “murdered” his own wife show the reader just exactly what kind of person the he is.