"My Last Duchess" is a poem by Robert Browning, frequently anthologized as an outstanding example of the dramatic monologue. It first appeared in 1842 in Browning's Dramatic Lyrics. Robert Browning For information about Robert X. Browning, Director of the C-SPAN archives, see Robert X. Browning. ... ANThology is the first major label album by Alien Ant Farm. ... A dramatic monologue is a type of lyric poem, developed during the Victorian period, in which a character in fiction or in history delivers a speech explaining his or her feelings, actions, or motives. ... Dramatic Lyrics is a collection of English poems by Robert Browning, first published in 1842 as the second volume in a series of self-published books entitled Bells and Pomegranates. ...

The poem is set during the Italian Renaissance. The speaker, a duke of Ferrara, has just unveiled a painted portrait of his previous wife to an implied listener. The poem is written in 28 rhymed couplets, iambic pentameter prevailing, the identity of the listener not revealed until lines 49-53 of this 56-line poem. In the poem, the listener is actually a messenger sent from a Count whose daughter the Duke wishes to marry. The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with List of Dukes of Modena. ... A rhyme is a repetition of identical or similar terminal sounds in two or more different words and is most often used in poetry. ... A couplet is a pair of lines of verse that form a unit. ... Iambic pentameter is a meter in poetry. ...

It is believed that the Duke is most likely based upon Alfonso II, who married a daughter of the Medici family, 14-year-old Lucrezia. She was a daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleonora di Toledo. She was not well educated and her family's status was what we might term "nouveau riche", compared to the Este family, who we may think of as "old money". The Duke's remarks regarding his gift of a "nine-hundred-years-old name" clearly indicate that he considered her beneath him socially. She came, however, with a sizeable dowry. They married in 1558, and three years later on April 21, 1561, she was dead at age 17. There was a strong suspicion of poisoning. The Duke then went to seek the hand of Barbara, eighth daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, and the niece of the Count of Tyrol. The count was in charge of arranging the marriage and used Nikolaus Madruz, a native of Innsbruck, as his courier. Alfonso II dEste. ... The Medici coat of arms The Medici family was a powerful and influential Florentine family from the 13th to 17th century. ... Cosimo I de Medici in Armour by Agnolo Bronzino Cosimo I de Medici (June 12, 1519, Florence [1] – April 21, 1574, Castello) was the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1537 to 1574, during the waning days of the Renaissance. ... Eleonora di Toledo, Grand Duchess of Tuscany Eleonora di Toledo (1522–1562) is credited with being the first modern style first lady, or consort, as we understand the terms today. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Parvenu. ... Ercole I dEste was one of the most important patrons of arts in the Italian Renaissance. ... Old money refers in the United Kingdom to the pre-decimal currency of pounds, shillings (or bob) and pence. ... A dowry (also known as trousseau) is a gift of money or valuables given by the brides family to the grooms at the time of their marriage. ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... // Events The Edict of Orleans suspends the persecution of the Huguenots. ... Ferdinand I Habsburg Ferdinand I (10 March 1503–25 July 1564), Holy Roman Emperor (1556–1564), was born in Madrid, the son of Juana the Mad, Queen of Castile (1479–1555), and Philip I the Handsome, King of Castile (1478–1506), who was heir to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I... Anna Jagellonica of Bohemia and Hungary (July 23, 1503 - January 27, 1547) was queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Queen-consort of the Romans and heiress of Bohemia and Hungary. ... Coat of arms of Tyrol: *[1] The Tyrol is a historical region in Western Central Europe, which includes the Austrian state of Tyrol (consisting of North Tyrol and East Tyrol) and the Italian regions known as the South Tyrol and Trentino. ... Innsbruck is a city in western Austria, and the capital of the federal state of Tyrol. ...

The other characters named in the poem, painter Frà Pandolf, and sculptor Claus of Innsbruck, are fictitious.

Story

In the poem, a young messenger has been sent by a Count to see the Duke, who is seeking to marry the young daughter of the Count. The Duke elaborates on the whimsical, giddy nature of his late wife, which certainly displeased him. Thus, he,"gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together," and the implication is that he killed her in an extremely jealous rage. He now keeps her painting hidden behind a curtain that only he is allowed to draw back so now she only smiles her smile for him. The Duke then begins to cordially discuss wedding arrangements with the messenger and then changes the subject to point out a brass statue of Neptune taming a seahorse. This is an incredible poem wonderful for class discussion and interpretation, and is strongly suggested as a poem to read. Adjectives: Neptunian Atmosphere Surface pressure: ≫100 kPa Composition: 80% ±3. ...

Notes and Citations

• Friedland, Louis S. "Ferrara and My Last Duchess." Studies in Philology, 33 (1936): 656-84.

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

My Last Duchess

• Audio - hear the poem
• My Last Duchess: Study Guide With Annotated Poem