The Duke of Ferrara is the main of this poem as he gives description of his last wife. He is telling this story to a messenger who came from another country. The Duke was planning to marry the princess of that country. The poem starts with the Duke pointing towards a painting of the Last Duchess made by Fra Pandolf. Although the speaker, the Duke of Ferrara, is speaking of this servant in a negative manner, he wishes his wife not to be bossy towards him. He wishes to have total control. He emphasizes his need for power and control over his wife, and demonstrates obvious signs of being a control freak, whether it is purposefully or unintentionally, through the style of the dialogue, composition of the dialogue, and the treatment of the messenger, emphasizes on this characteristic of the Duke. The poem flows smoothly from one line to another, making the Duke appear like an exceptionally fluent and eloquent speaker. It also describes the characters of the Duke because he is obsessed with being in control. The Duke reveals his manipulative characteristics through the poem. The poem is composed of several terms and phrases that describe the Dukes personality, and his views about officiousness.

He is obviously overly confident, and believes that his Duchess should worship his every move. According to him, the Duchess did not treat the Duke with the respect that he wished, and, consequently, he gave orders to kill her. This action is justified in the Duke’s mind because he could