Murder... mystery... intrigue... All describe
Robert Browning's
poem, "My Last Duchess." From the speakers's indirect allusions
to the
death of his wife the reader might easily think that the speaker
committed a vengeful crime out of jealousy. His flowery speech
confuses
and disguises any possible motives, however, and the mystery is left
unsolved. Based on the poem's style, structure, and historical
references, it becomes evident that even if the speaker did not directly
kill his wife, he certainly had something to hide.
The style and structure of this poem play a significant
role in the
effect of the poem. As is typical of Browning's poems, "My Last
Duchess" is written as a dramatic monologue: one speaker relates the
entire poem as if to another person present with him. This format
suits
this poem particularly well because the speaker, taken to be the Duke
of
Ferrara, comes across as being very controlling, especially in
conversation. For example, he seems jealous that he was not able
to
monopolize his former duchess' smiles for himself. He also seems
to
direct the actions of the person he is addressing with comments such
as
"Will't please you rise?" (line 47) and "Nay, we'll go / Together down,
sir" (lines 53-54).
Browning uses many techniques, including a simple
rhyme scheme,
enjambment, and caesura to convey various characteristics and qualities
about the speaker and the situation. Browning uses an AA BB rhyme
scheme, which is very common to ballads and songs. It also enhances
the
irony of the speaker's later comment that he does not have "skill /
In
speech" (lines 35-36). The enjambed lines indicate the control
that the
speaker is exerting on the conversation and give the feeling that the
speaker is rushing through parts of the poem. When the Duke is
speaking
of the death of his wife, for example, the lines running over suggest
that he is nervous about the subject. The caesuras also suggest
to the
reader that he is hiding something or that he is pausing to think.
When discussing the poem's content, there
are many things we know
for certain and many others that are questionable. We know that
the
Duchess died suspiciously and that the Duke is in the process of looking
for a new wife. He is speaking to a messenger about a painting
of his
now deceased wife. The Duke, of course, is casting himself in
a
favorable light and is presenting his best side. He wants to
make it
look as if his wife was cheating on him and was unfaithful to him.
He
is very controlling, and could not control her and her smiles.
This
smile was what the Duke likes the most about the painting of the
Duchess--he feels that the painter accurately captured the smile and
the
vivacity of the Duchess. Now that the Duke owns this painting
and has
placed it behind a curtain, he can at last control who is graced with
her smile.
When the Duchess was alive, the Duke could
not control her smile
and love for life and he considered her unfaithful. It is thought
that
he poisoned her because of these suspicions. Other aspects of
the Duke
that remain unclear include his true character. As mentioned,
he is
presenting his best side, but through his speech the reader sees how
he
is very jealous and controlling, which leads one to believe that he
may
have many dishonorable qualities. Another ambiguous quality about
the
Duke is his historical character. The poem clearly references
the
historical Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara (a city in northeast Italy),
whose first wife died suspiciously within two years of their marriage.
We know that Browning's Duke has a 900-year-old name of which he is
very
proud, and, based on his collection of paintings and sculptures, that
he
was an patron of the arts. Both facts correspond with information
known
about the historical Duke. However, the poem omits some important
information. Browning does not refer to the Duchess in the painting
as
being a member of the royal de Medici family. Historical sources
indicate that Alfonso's first wife was Lucretia de Medici, the daughter
of two very important and powerful Italian monarchs. The poem
is based
on the fact that she died within two years of the Duke's ascension
to
the throne. Although sources indicate that she died suspiciously,
it
was never proven that the Duke had anything to do with her death.