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The Duke And His Duchess
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In Robert Browning's dramatic monologue 'My Last Duchess'; there are two characters that many people can be compared to in the world today. The two characters are Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara and his Duchess. Throughout the monologue the duke is described as being conceited, arrogant and perhaps maybe even psychotic. While his Duchess is the opposite of him, a person who enjoys life and everything it has to offer. The Duke is somewhat of a conceited person because of the comments he makes. In one part of the monologue the duke is talking to a Fra Pandolf, an imaginary monk and painter. He says that his presence (the duke) is causing the happiness of the duchess in a painting that the Fra Pandolf is painting. The line says 'Sir, 'twas not her husband's presence only, called that spot of joy into the Duchess Cheek (Lines 13-15).'; Just by reading this remark you know that the duke is a self-centered person that wants attention for him. In lines 34-35 he talks of how his duchess would thank every man that would please her in some sort of way. The duke gets upset at this and says that 'She thanked men – good! But thanked somehow – I know not how – as if she ranked my gift of nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody's gift (Lines 31-34).'; As you can see, the duke gets upset because his duchess thanks the men who pleased her in a manner that that the duke viewed as inappropriate because he wanted all of her attention fo...
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A Literary Comparison of Robert Browning’s Texts My Last Duchess and Porphyria’s Lover
856 Words | 2 PagesInitially, both speakers in the literary texts are similar because they killed their lovers. In Duchess, the duke that is the speaker says blatantly that he killed his last wife. As the speaker says in lines 45-46, “I gave commands; then the smiling stopped all together.” These lines mean that he told her to stop smiling, but she didn’t listen to him, so therefore he killed her, thus the smiles stopped all together. He explained that he did this such action because she smiled too much. In the same way, the speaker of Lover explained that he killed his lover too. The speaker grabbed his woman’s hair, and wrapped it around her neck three times, and strangled her to death! “I found a thing to do, and all her hair in one long yellow string I wound three times her little throat around, and strangled her” (Lines 37-41).
In What Ways Does Browning's use of the First Person Narrative in his
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Comparing Poems Porphyria's Lover And My Last Duchess
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Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning
1159 Words | 3 Pages...ding this poem, it is obvious to think that the Duke was definitely a cruel and heartless man. Assuming he had his first wife killed, he didn't seem to care. He just forged ahead in an attempt to find another woman he could control. As a matter of fact, he used his influence to actually warn the servant of his plans for his marriage to the Count's daughter. Instead of mourning his first wife, he seemed to revel in the fact that he was now able to control her beauty in the portrait by only allowing viewing to those he invited to see it when he opened the curtain. Oh, what a powerful feeling that must have been for him! In the 20th century, however, I think this poem would have been written differently to reflect the freedom women have today. No woman would have put up with him! Maybe the Duke would have had second thoughts about how he treated his beautiful Duchess.
My Love Song Of J Alfred Prufrock Comparison Essay
1669 Words | 4 PagesBrowning’s works were the primary model for the basic form of the standard Victorian dramatic monologue which was based around a speaker, listener, and a reader. Browning’s poem “My Last Duchess” became a model for the dramatic monologue form primarily because of the strict approach he took while developing the poem. One of the aspects characteristic of this work is the authors level of consciousness. Each element in “My Last Duchess” is thoughtfully constructed with form and structure in mind. This poem is filled with dramatic principle that satisfied the Victorian period’s demand for an action and drama that were not overtly apparent in the work. In the case of “My Last Duchess” the drama of the poem is how his character, the Duke, is introduced. In dramatic monologues the character’s self is revealed through thoug...
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My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover by Robert Browning
1244 Words | 3 PagesRobert Browning tells each poetic story through a single speaker. Both poems reveal an account in which the admirer kills the object of his love. This paper will compare and contrast the following characteristics: the setting, the speaker, the mood and tone, and theme found in "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover. " One speaker, the Duke of Ferrara, tells the story of "My Last Duchess. " The story occurs prior to a meeting between the Count, his emissary, and other dignitaries.
My Last Duchess
488 Words | 1 PagesThe third character trait of the duke is his controlling behavior. In lines nine and ten he told the emissary that no one “puts by the curtain'; that he had drawn for him but the duke himself. He felt the need to control who ever looked at the painting of the duchess. The main evidence of his dominating behavior is in line 46. The line reads, “…then all smiles stopped together.'; The line is ambiguous, but the most likely interpretation is that the duke had his wife killed. The poem can be interpreted in several different ways, but in all cases the duke is a very controlling man.
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