My last Duchess by Robert Browning
Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of the dramatic monologue made him one of the foremost Victorian poets. His poems are known for their irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings, and challenging vocabulary and syntax.
"My Last Duchess" is narrated by the
duke of Ferrara to an envoy (representative) of another nobleman, whose
daughter the duke is soon to marry. These details are revealed throughout the
poem, but understanding them from the opening helps to illustrate the irony
that Browning employs. "My Last
Duchess," published in 1842, is arguably Browning's most famous dramatic
monologue, with good reason. It engages the reader on a number of levels –
historical, psychological, ironic, theatrical, and more. The most engaging element of the poem is
probably the speaker himself, the duke
Themes
Death
Truth/Subjectivity
Delusion
Beauty
The quest
Religion
The
grotesque
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