Iambic Pentameter In My Last Duchess

In “My Last Duchess,” Robert Browning puts himself in the shoes of the Duke of Ferrara and tells the tale of how his last duchess came to be upon the wall. This work would best be described as eerily dark and morbid. In short, this poem is about the Duke of Ferrara’s conversation with a servant about how he (the Duke) had grown tired of his duchess’s heart that was “too soon made glad” (line 22) and had decided to have her killed. Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” depicts a malicious character through the use of iambic pentameter, enjambment and dramatic monologue. These three structural elements have a close relationship with the content and are used to help the reader to better understand what is going on within the poem. Browning uses iambic pentameter as the rhythm and meter in this poem to show that there is a conversation going on. Iambic pentameter is the alternating weak-strong rhythm within five groups found in a line. In writing, iambic pentameter is considered to be the closest style to how people actually speak. This rhythm and meter go hand in hand with the conversational type of writing that is within this poem. “Nay, we’ll go / together down, sir” says the Duke “Notice Neptune, though, / taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, / which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!” (53-56).

Enjambment is one sentence that carries on to more than one line. This element is different from other poems, where the sentences are located on the same line, and it makes this one more memorable. Browning uses enjambment in the poem when he writes, “That’s my last duchess painted on the wall, / looking as if she were alive… and there she stands. / Will’t you please sit and look at her?” (1-5). These lines are great examples of how enjambment is used and really shows how Browning intends for this poem to be recognized as a