My Last Duchess

Browning’s “My Last Duchess” is a dramatic monologue, a prominent form seen during the Victorian era (1837–1901). This form allows the poet to illustrate the complex psychology of a narcissistic and jealous aristocrat, the sole speaker, while also providing insight into the social and historical context of the Victorian era. The speakers in dramatic monologues often present biased and unreliable perspectives on events, as seen with the duke, who repeatedly accuses his former wife of infidelity and justifies her punishment, despite evidence to the contrary suggesting her only fault was being too kind and smiling too much. As the sole narrator, the duke asserts absolute control over the narrative.

The poem lacks distinct breaks or stanzas, instead consisting of an uninterrupted flow of couplets, adding up to 28 lines. This absence of breaks subtly mirrors the duke’s desire to dominate the conversation, leaving no space for interjections. The use of both open (rhymed enjambed lines) and closed (rhymed end-stopped lines) couplets is evident. While closed couplets were favored in 18th-century English literature for their regularity and association with serious works, open couplets offer more flexibility and downplay their final rhymes. Browning uses both types, with open couplets prevailing, perhaps suggesting the duke’s lack of heroic qualities and his cruelty.

Robert Browning’s use of meter in “My Last Duchess” plays a significant role in illustrating the duke’s character, emotions, and underlying tensions within the poem. The poem predominantly follows an iambic pentameter, with lines consisting of five iambs (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable), contributing to a natural and conversational rhythm. The iambic pentameter imitates the sound of regular speech, which makes the poem sound more conversational. However, Browning strategically deviates from this regular pattern to emphasize certain moments or emotions, thereby adding depth and complexity to the duke’s portrayal.

One example of Browning’s meter manipulation occurs in lines 2–3:

“That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,

Looking as if she were alive. I call”

Here, the initial trochee in “That’s” disrupts the established iambic rhythm, drawing attention to the duke’s possessive tone and his emphasis on the duchess as his property. This deviation highlights his controlling nature and sets the tone for the rest of the poem.

Another instance of Browning’s meter variation occurs in lines 7–8:

“Frà Pandolf’s hands

Worked busily a day, and there she stands.”

The trochaic inversion in “Frà Pandolf’s” creates a sense of emphasis and pause, directing attention to the artist and his role in immortalizing the duchess. This deviation from the iambic pentameter underscores the duke’s admiration for the artwork and his desire to control the narrative surrounding his late wife.

Furthermore, in lines 19–20:

“Sir, ’twas not

Her husband’s presence only, called that spot”

Browning uses a spondee in “Sir, ’twas,” breaking the iambic flow and emphasizing the duke’s address to the listener. This deviation highlights the duke’s attempt to assert authority over the conversation and manipulate the listener’s perception of the duchess.

In summary, while “My Last Duchess” seemingly represents regular speech considering the meter, Robert Browning’s control is similar to the duke’s control of the duchess and his audience, which adds depth to the thematic exploration of power dynamics and control.

The rhyme scheme of the poem mainly consists of rhymed couplets, following an AABBCC pattern. However, unlike traditional end-stopped lines, the sentences flow freely from one to the next without clear breaks. This lack of punctuation at the end of lines makes the rhymes less prominent when read aloud. The sentences often spill over onto the next line, blurring the boundaries between them and giving the poem a conversational tone. This structural choice is evident from the opening lines of the poem.

“That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,

Looking as if she were alive. I call

That piece a wonder, now: Fra Pandolf’s hands”

“Wall” and “call” form a rhyme, but the flow of the sentence with “call” extends into the next line due to enjambment, causing the rhyme to almost be unnoticeable. The poem swiftly moves forward to complete the thought, rather than emphasizing the rhyme itself. In essence, there’s a lack of a distinct pause between “call” and the subsequent line, making it easy for the rhyme to be overlooked, especially when the poem is recited aloud. This lends the poem the effect of a conversation, thereby emphasizing the form of a dramatic monologue.