‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning as a dramatic monologue

My Last Duchess

Robert Browning

(A Dramatic Monologue)

Q. ‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning as a dramatic monologue

Answer: My Last Duchess (1842) by Robert Browning is a fine example of dramatic monologue. It deals with the Victorian social problems concerning the status of women. The poem explores the class consciousness and the Victorian code of ethics where a woman has to adhere strictly to certain social rules. 

Browning also represents male dominance and sketches the speaker's character in the form of a monologue, as well as insights into the Duchess's character. As a feminist poem, one may notice that women are confronted with the oppression of the masculine society as well as the male vision and aspirations that Browning seeks to establish in the poetry.

An important feature of dramatic psychology is the presence of a speaker and listener. In the poem the speaker is considered to be the Duke of Ferrara and the listener the guest who comes to meet the Duke. The setting is presented in the form of a monologue where the guest is drawn to a portrait of the Duchess and the listener is told that the painting is drawn by Fra Pandolph^{(See Reference below).} The psychological aspect is clearly depicted in the poem where the painting depicts a feeling of emotion attached to it which creates an inner conflict in the minds of the guests who feel the deep, emotional and sincere vision of the Duchess.

However, it throws insights into social reality as a dramatic psychology. The Victorian era was a class-conscious society and women in particular were bound by certain conventional rules. The Duke of Ferrara recalls his past knowledge of the Duchess and objects to her actions and behavior. She was portrayed as an immoral woman who showed equal respect to others and smiled at other men. Her actions and behavior seemed emotional and immoral to the Duke, and so the Duke stopped her laughter, which was presented amicably to show that she had been killed.

It clearly exemplifies the Victorian ideal of "angel in the house" where a woman must be chastised in the society. The objectification of woman is also presented in the poem where the image of a woman in the portrait is used for the vision and desire of the man while establishing the superiority of the man. The Duchess was portrayed as an immoral woman, but her image has been tarnished by others for showing the Duke's wealth and social status.

Moreover, Browning has sketched the character of the Duchess through a dramatic monologue. The character of the Duchess is sketched by a process reminiscent of the Duke's views. The Duke tells his guest that the Duchess liked everything and that what she saw reflected that she was sleeping with another man. He even says that her response was kind and gives her cheeks the same respect with the same blush that he claims she is emotional or overly emotional.

The Duke further argues that she smiles equally to the other man who passes her off which he tries to sketch her as an immoral woman. The Duke portrayed her as a woman who disrespected her own social position for which she was equally important, and smiled at others. The Duke highlighted that she would humiliate herself if she argued with the Duchess about her behavior.

After all, the whole process of retelling the Duke of the Duchess's character depicts the Duke's character, which becomes an essential summary of the dramatic monologue. Browning sketches the character of the speaker or the Duke which shows the social reality of men's attitude towards women.

The Duke's dislike of the Duchess's behavior of thanking other men and her ignorance of his social status reflects on the Duke as a sexist man who stereotypes the Duchess's personality and kindness in a negative light.

One can also observe the character of the Duke as a common man who shows dominance as well as power. The Duke's resistance to bowing down to others and his objection to the Duchess show him a man of dominance and superiority through his ability and social status to give others equal value and laughter.

Again, the Duke's psychopathic character is seen when he flatters the guest owner's generosity so that he can obtain dowry which he can collect from the marriage which he says the Duke wants a beautiful daughter of the Count, not a dowry.

Note:

👉 'Fra Pandloff' Reference:

The Duke is showcasing his art collection to his audience. Like many art collectors, Duke is more proud of the value of his collection than of his artistic merit. A big part of the value of any work of art is the identity of the artist who created it. Fra Pandloff is not a real artist but a fictional creation of Browning, as in the last line of the poem named "Innsbruck's Clause". However, from the way Duke mentions the name of Fra Pandolf, it is clear that the artist is considered famous and his works are extremely valuable.

*****

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