My Last Duchess (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

My Last Duchess

Each GCSE poetry anthology contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem – printed in full – and asked to compare this printed poem to another. The exam is closed-book, which means you will not have access to the second poem. This does not mean you need to remember every line from memory, but you do need to understand and remember aspects of the poem. Understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:

• The meaning of the poem

• The ideas and messages of the poet 

• How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods

• How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology

Below is a guide to Robert Browning’s poem 'My Last Duchess' from the Relationships anthology. It includes:

• Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations

• Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods

• Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes

• What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

Overview

In order to answer an essay question on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• The poem in a nutshell

• A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section

• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Robert Browning’s intention and message

‘My Last Duchess' in a nutshell

Robert Browning's dramatic monologue, ‘My Last Duchess’, is an examination of jealous love and the dangers of imbalanced romantic relationships. 

‘My Last Duchess' breakdown

Lines 1–4

“That’s My Last Duchess painted on the wall,

Looking as if she were alive. I call

That a piece of wonder, now; Fra Pandolf’s hands

Worked busily a day, and there she stands.”

Translation

• The poem opens with the first-person narrator, the Duke, showing a guest a painting of his former wife 

• He says she is “Looking as if she were alive”, implying that she is no longer alive

• The Duke is proud of the painting, and name-drops the artist, “Fra Pandolf”, who “worked busily” on it, implying the painting is of value

Browning’s intention

• The speaker takes on the persona of the Duke of Ferrara:

  • This means that Browning can use the character to convey his message about the abuse of power and control

• The speaker establishes control from the start by using the possessive pronoun “my”

• “I call that a piece of wonder” is ominous as it suggests that the Duke is viewing his dead wife as a piece of art and a possession to be owned

Lines 5–8

“Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said

‘Fra Pandolf’ by design, for never read

Strangers like you that pictured countenance,

The depth and passion of its earnest glance,”

Translation

• The Duke invites his visitor to sit down and look at the painting

• He repeats that the painter was “Fra Pandolf”, a painter and a monk:

  • He says this because people have commented on the passion and depiction of her facial expression (her “countenance”)

  • The Duke is boasting about how famous the artist is, demonstrating his influence and wealth

Browning’s intention

• The rhetorical question inviting the guest to sit and look does not require a reply, implying it is more of a command than an optional invitation:

  • This presents the Duke as controlling

• The fact that “Fra” stands for “Brother”, and the artist is a monk, suggests he is trustworthy 

Lines 9–13

“But to myself they turned (since none puts by

The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)

And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,

How such a glance came there; so, not the first

Are you to turn and ask thus. -”

Translation

• The Duke states that he is the only person allowed to pull back the curtain:

  • The curtain is designed to hide her and the Duke controls who can see her

• Others have asked, if they dared (“if they durst”), about how the expression on the Duchess’s face came to be:

  • The Duke appears to become frustrated at the attention his former wife receives

Browning’s intention

• This section of the poem reveals more about the Duke’s controlling nature

• This behaviour is sinister and begins to suggest he is fearful and dangerous 

Lines 13–15

“-Sir, ‘twas not”

Her husband’s presence only, called that spot

Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek; -”

Translation

• The Duke describes that he was not the only man who could lead the Duchess to have a “spot of joy”, meaning a blush, on her cheek

Browning’s intention

• Blushing is associated with flirtation, so the Duke is suggesting that men may have flirted with the Duchess

• This was unacceptable to the Duke at a time when marriage within such upper-class families meant a woman became contractual property of her husband

• Browning implies the Duke is paranoid and possessive

Lines 15–21

“-perhaps

Fra Pandolf chanced to say, ‘Her mantle laps

Over my lady’s wrist too much,’ or ‘Paint

Must never hope to reproduce the faint

Half-flush that dies along her throat.’ Such stuff

Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough

For calling up that spot of joy. She had”

Translation

• The Duke saw Fra Pandolf asking the Duchess to move her shawl (her “mantle”) so that it would uncover more of her wrist:

  • At this moment, the Duchess was blushing at Fra Pandolf’s suggestion

  • She thought Fra Pandolf was complimenting her

  • The Duke believes that she is too easily impressed or aroused

Browning’s intention

• The Duke criticises the Duchess for her flirtatious and easily-manipulated nature 

• The reference to the “Half-flush that dies along her throat” foreshadows her eventual fate

Lines 22–31

“A heart - how shall I say? - too soon made glad,

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, the while mule

She rode with round the terrace - all and each

Would draw from her alike the approving speech,

Or blush, at least. -”

Translation

• The Duke again complains that the Duchess was too friendly with men: “her looks went everywhere”, meaning she liked whoever she saw and was not sophisticated 

• The “favour at her breast” is a piece of jewellery given to her by the Duke:

  • The word “favour” suggests he believes he is kind and generous to his wife

• The Duke describes a romantic natural setting: the sunset and a “bough of cherries”

• He relates how “some officious fool” gave her cherries as a gift and implies it was a ridiculous present:

  • The white mule is the offspring of a donkey and a horse and suggests the man is of lower status than the Duke

  • The fact the Duchess likes such simple things maddens the Duke

Browning’s intention

• Browning illustrates how the Duchess’s independence seems to conflict with the Duke’s perception of how she should behave

• His rant and paranoia presents him as unlikeable and unsympathetic

• Browning comments on wealth and status as a driving factor in the conflicted relationship

Lines 31–43

“- She thanked men - good! but thanked

Somehow - I know not how - as if she ranked

My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name

With anybody’s gift. Who’d stoop to blame

This sort of trifling? Even had you skill

In speech - which I have not - to make your will

Quite clear to such an one, and say, ‘Just this

Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,

Or there exceed the mark’ - and if she let

Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set

Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse - 

E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose

Never to stoop. -”

Translation

• The Duke implies that the Duchess “thanked” men, which is to be expected, but that she was indiscriminately grateful: 

  • He complains that she saw his “nine-hundred-years-old name” as the same as any gift

• The Duke tells his guest (ironically) that if he was better at persuasive speech he may have been able to explain the Duchess’s faults to her and teach her

• He says he should be able to tell her what disgusts him about her or where she is “missing the mark”

• Unfortunately, he says, that would be perceived as “stooping” and would show him as submissive to her, which he will never do

Browning’s intention

• The repetition of “stoop” implies the Duke’s prideful, arrogant nature

• His casual conversation about her faults with a stranger also presents his disrespectful attitude to his last wife

• This, and the fact the speech is a long, persuasive rant, makes these lines ironic and mocks the Duke

Lines 43–47

“- Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt,

When’er I passed her; but who passed without

Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;

Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands

As if alive. -”

Translation

• The Duke complains that, while she did smile at him, she gave him the same smile as everyone else

• His frustration grew as she continued to defy his wishes

• He therefore “gave commands”, implying he instructed someone else to kill her

• The Duke points out that she looks “as if alive” in the painting, offering a dark, cynical insight into his character

Browning’s intention

• Browning describes the Duchess’s death with sibilance, “smiles stopping”:

  • The dark implication is highlighted, signifying not only the end of her happiness, but also the end of her life

• This conveys the Duke’s absolute power over his wife

Lines 47–56

“- Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet

The company below, then. I repeat,

The Count your master’s known munificence

Is ample warrant that no just pretense

Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;

Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed

At starting, is my object. Nay, we’ll go 

Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,

Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,

Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!”

Translation

• Here it is revealed that the Duke is discussing his last Duchess with an emissary for a Count who is looking to marry his daughter to the Duke:

  • “The company below” are further guests of the Duke downstairs

• The Duke knows of the Count’s “munificence”, meaning his generosity:

  • Because of this, the Duke believes he can demand any dowry

• But he insists that his “fair daughter’s self” is his primary focus, meaning the Count’s beautiful daughter

• He states that, when married, his wife will become “my object”

• The final two images of Neptune “taming a sea-horse” suggests the powerful ruler of the seas controlling a delicate, innocent creature like a sea-horse:

  • The metaphor of Neptune implies the Duke sees himself as god-like

• The Duke again boasts of a piece of art he has had created by a famous artist

• By ending the poem with “for me”, the Duke leaves the impression that everything must be done only for him and he desires exclusive ownership

Browning’s intention

• Browning’s menacing tone presents an ominous future for the next Duchess

• Again, the poem illustrates the Duke’s focus on status and wealth and suggests this makes the relationship imbalanced and dangerous

• Ultimately, Browning presents a powerful male speaker who objectifies women:

  • The women’s voices are silenced liked the guest’s voice

  • The poem offers a critique on contractual relationships 

Writer’s methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections – form, structure and language – it is important to take an integrated approach, focusing on the main themes and ideas of the poem and then evaluating how Browning’s choices of language, structure and form contribute to these ideas. In essence, how and why the poet has made the choices they have, in relation to their intentions and message. 

Focusing on the poet’s main ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. In the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Browning’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:

• Form

• Structure

• Language

Form

The poem is written in the form of a dramatic monologue, not from Browning’s point of view, but from a fictional character’s (the Duke’s). This demonstrates the character’s dominance and control in the poem.

Structure

Browning structures the poem in one single stanza, reflecting the Duke’s mastery, but his use of punctuation fractures the poem as it progresses, mirroring the fracturing of the Duke’s calm exterior manner to reveal the emotions, frustration and violence within.

Language

Browning further brings the character of the Duke to life through his choice of language, Here, language is explored via the key themes of romantic love and tragedy.

Context

Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be written about separately. Therefore, you should not include random biographical information about Robert Browning, or unrelated historical facts about the Italian Renaissance. The best way to understand context is through the ideas and perspectives explored by Browning in 'My Last Duchess' that relate to relationships. This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Browning explores:

• Romantic relationships

• Loss and death 

Romantic relationships

• The poem was written at the start of the Victorian era, during the Industrial Revolution

• This was a period when women began to demand equality, and it can be considered the beginning of the suffrage movement

• Browning’s own relationship suffered under the strict codes of conduct in Victorian England

• He and fellow poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, conducted a secret affair by letter

• They eventually eloped and moved to Italy as a result of Elizabeth’s controlling father

• Perhaps this influenced the setting of 'My Last Duchess' – Italy during the Italian Renaissance:

  • Notably, this was a time when cultural traditions of upper-class families stipulated marriage as a method for social mobility or increased power and wealth

  • European society was strictly patriarchal:

    • This means fathers and husbands made all decisions, often related to relationships and always regarding finances and property

    • The only way for a woman to gain security was via her husband

    • This is shown in the poem in the Duke’s “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name”

• The poem draws attention to the Duke’s power and wealth in contrast to the simpler Duchess, who prefers to be outside in the orchard:

  • Browning illustrates how his materialism and arrogance creates dangerous divisions in the relationship and can lead to unmitigated violence 

Loss and death

• Browning’s poetry often draws attention to abuse within relationships:

• His preferred form, a dramatic monologue, often shows the perspective of controlling and disgruntled male speakers in conflicting relationships:

  • The Duke in 'My Last Duchess' is presented as controlling, arrogant and violent

• Browning’s male speakers often show little remorse for their crimes:

  • The Duke’s casual return to the party below in 'My Last Duchess' is a good example of how Browning shocks readers

  • Showing the perspective of entitled and powerful males who get away with crimes draws attention to inequalities in society, especially within relationships

  • The poem’s sinister tone is created with dark implications of the Duke’s power, such as “I gave commands;/Then all smiles stopped together.”

• At the time the poem was set (1564), Italy was considered a haven of fine, classical and valuable art:

  • The artists and artwork mentioned in the poem, as well as the Duke himself, are fictional

  • However, it is likely that the character of the Duke was based on Alfonso II, the fifth Duke of Ferrara whose wife died under suspicious circumstances

  • In this way, the poem is a criticism of social conventions, specifically regarding marriage

What to compare it to

The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about love or relationships, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that 'My Last Duchess' explores the ideas of romantic relationships and loss, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:

• 'My Last Duchess' and 'La Belle Dame sans Merci'

• 'My Last Duchess' and 'Neutral Tones'

• 'My Last Duchess' and 'A Complaint'

For each pair of poems, you will find:

• The comparison in a nutshell

• Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem

• Differences between the ideas presented in each poem

• Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

'My Last Duchess' and 'La Belle Dame sans Merci' 

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both poems examine the complexity of love and explore its connections with death. However, while Browning’s dramatic monologue examines jealous control by a male speaker, Keats’s poem is a romantic ballad.

Similarities:

Similarities:

Differences:

'My Last Duchess' and 'Neutral Tones'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both poems examine the complexity of love and explore loss. The poems present passionate love that ends with anger and loss. However, while Browning’s dramatic monologue examines jealous control, Hardy’s poem depicts a bitter and inevitable end to a relationship. 

Similarities:

Similarities:

 Differences:

'My Last Duchess' and 'A Complaint'

Comparison in a nutshell:

This is an effective comparative choice to explore the presentation of relationships and loss across the Relationships poems. However, while Browning depicts a remorseless, jealous husband, Wordsworth’s poem depicts the loneliness of a lost relationship.

Similarities:

Differences: