My Last Duchess ~ Robert Browning ( Summary, Explanation, Questions Answer, Class 11 Semester 2)

 My Last Duchess ~ Robert Browning

 Summary, Explanation, Questions Answer, Class 11 Semester 2

Critical Estimate of the Poem

‘My Last Duchess’ presents a fine psychological study of character and situation. It delves deep into the Renaissance spirit as well as the Victorian morality. The cleavage between culture and morality, love and power, as explored in the poem, is as relevant to the age of Renaissance, as to the Victorian era. Browning has combined both in his dramatic delineation of the character, situation, and speech suited to the context of the poem. Its style is clear, compact, witty, and its flow in verse has an authentic conversational flavour.

The poem opens in a very casual conversational style. The Duke addresses an unknown and silent listener. He talks about his last Duchess. Pointing to the painting of his last Duchess on the wall, he exposes the character and personality of the Duchess. He also praises the painting by calling it a masterpiece. The imaginary artist Fra Pandolf worked hard to make his last Duchess alive in the picture. The Duke then explains how the realistic expression gets reflected in the painting and how the artist, not her husband’s presence elicited such a sweet smile and blush on her cheeks. The Duke makes it clear that he did not like the Duchess ‘spot of joy’ in response to the call of others because he always wanted her to have these expressions of joy on her face only for his own pleasure.

The Duke could not tolerate that she would blush on trivial compliments from everyone. No doubt, as the Duke points out, she had gentle heart and it was easy for anyone to impress her with anything. However, what appears to be praise is actually a criticism of the Duchess for not discriminating his status of ‘nine-hundred-years old name’ from that of the others. The Duke expected a special response from his last wife. What irritated the Duke was that she had treated him equally and responded to him in the same manner as she responded to any other common person or thing. Then, the Duke admits that he gave commands against his last Duchess and all her smiles stopped together forever. In the same breath, the Duke turns to the issue of his next marriage and exposes his expectation of getting a big dowry from the Count for marrying his fair daughter. While going downstairs, the Duke draws the attention of the messenger to the statue of Neptune taming a seahorse and tells him that Claus of Innsbruck made this bronze-statue especially for him. Just as the ‘spot of joy’ on the Duchess’ cheek represents her innate goodness, the statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse embodies the Duke’s power and possessiveness, arrogance and aesthetic sense.

The poem presents the disequilibrium between sympathy and moral judgement through the characterization of the Duke. The Duke, of courteous manners and refined tastes, of noble birth and high position, is crossed by the arrogant, heartless, greedy and hypocritical Duke. To the messenger, he may appear to be a charmer, a connoisseur of art, a good catch. But to the readers, the Duke is a pampered, pretentious, and selfish being, lacking the human qualities of love, sympathy and understanding that determine an individual’s worth. In the poem, the Duke is very careful in delivering his speech. He uses calculated phrases and pauses to impress the listener. Although he is polite in his expression, the man behind the mask comes out when the Duke points out the flaws in the Duchess’ character—her generosity expressed through unrestrained smiles. In a casual tone, the Duke tells the messenger how he silenced the lady and her smiles by employing his power of tyrannical commands. He is apparently elegant. But at heart, he is a villain. He exploits his power to destroy anything or anyone that irritates his ego by violating the moral code formulated by him.

‘My Last Duchess’ swings all through by the alternating currents of praise and blame, attraction and repulsion, refinement and hypocrisy. The Duke does not feel regret for his cruelty nor does he lack his confidence in displaying his power. It is ironical that the Duke discloses everything to the messenger who has come to him with a marriage proposal. Probably, the Duke makes it clear that his next wife must submit to his will and whims. Otherwise, he will tame her just like Neptune taming the seahorse in the sculpture.

‘My Last Duchess’ has been admired for its theme and style. It is a fine example of a concentrated dramatic monologue. The outstanding quality of this poem is its economy of expressions.

Browning here compresses a complex story and situation into a few artistic verses. Browning shows himself at his best in presenting an epoch in history in just fifty-six lines of iambic verse. The entire life story of the last Duchess has been ironically condensed in the following few words:

 “…I gave commands;

Then all smiles stopped together.”

 

The poem is regarded as an excellent example of Browning’s use of conversational style. The rhythm, diction, and punctuation reflect the smoothness of natural speech.

 

 Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks)

1. Whose picture is there on the wall? How does she look in the picture?

Ans. In the poem 'My Last Duchess' by Robert Browning, the painting of the Duke's late wife, the last Duchess is on the wall. In the picture, the Duchess looks life-like.

2. "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall"—Who says this and to whom?

Ans. In Robert Browning's poem 'My Last Duchess', the Duke of Ferrara says this to the envoy of a Count who has come with a marriage proposal.

3. "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall"—What does the speaker mean by the expression "last Duchess"? What does the pronoun 'my' suggest?

Ans. The expression 'last Duchess' refers to the Duke's wife who is now dead. The pronoun 'my' suggests that the Duke is possessive and he considered his wife his property.

4. "I call / That piece a wonder now"—What is 'that piece'? Who calls the piece a wonder?

Ans. In the poem 'My Last Duchess', 'that piece' refers to the painting of the Duke's last Duchess. The Duke calls the painting 'that piece' a wonder.

5. "Fra Pandolf's hands / Worked busily a day"—Who is Fra Pandolf? What did his hands do busily a day?

Ans. In Robert Browning's poem 'My Last Duchess', Fra Pandolf is an imaginary painter. The hands of the artist, Fra Pandolf, worked busily a day painting the portrait of the Duke's last Duchess. 

6. "There she stands."—Who stands and where?

Ans. In Robert Browning's poem 'My Last Duchess', the last Duchess of the Duke stands in the painting on the wall.

7. "Will't please you sit and look at her?"—Who is the speaker? What does the speaker request the listener?

Ans. In Robert Browning's poem 'My Last Duchess', the Duke of Ferrara is the speaker. The speaker, the Duke of Ferrara, requests the listener, the messenger of a Count, to sit and look at the painting of his last Duchess.

8. "Fra Pandolf" by design, for never read/ Strangers like you that pictured countenance"—What does the above extract mean?

Ans. The extract occurring in Robert Browning's poem, 'My Last Duchess', means that Fra Pandolf, an eminent artist, intentionally pictured the countenance of the painting so artistically that only a connoisseur, and not an ignoramus person like the envoy, can decode the facial expression of the painting.

9. Why did the strangers turn to the Duke?

Ans. As the strangers, much like the envoy, were not connoisseurs of art, they failed to decode the pictured countenance and the depth and passion of the Duchess' intense glance. So they would turn to the Duke to understand the artistic beauty of his Duchess' glance and also how it came about.

10. What is the "spot of joy"? What could arouse the "spot of joy"?

Ans. In the poem 'My Last Duchess', the expression 'spot of joy' refers to the flush of pleasure or sign of pleasing smile on the cheeks of the Duchess. This 'spot of joy' was aroused by not only her husband's presence but also by the flattery of others, like Fra Pandolf, who might have told her that her cloak covered her wrist too much or paint could not reproduce such a faint half-flush that dies along her throat.

11. With whom is the expression 'spot of joy' associated? What was cause enough for calling up that 'spot of joy'?

Ans. The expression 'spot of joy' is associated with the last Duchess of the Duke in Robert Browning's poem, 'My Last Duchess'. Any compliment from any corner was cause enough for calling up the spot of joy.

12. How, according to the Duke, Fra Pandolf flattered the last Duchess?

Ans. According to the Duke, Fra Pandolf perhaps flattered the Duchess by saying that her cloak was too long or that it would be impossible to create the faint half-flush on her face in painting.

13. "she had / A heart — how shall I say too soon made glad"—whose 'heart' is referred to here? How could that person's heart be made glad easily?

Ans. The 'heart' referred to here belongs to that of the Duke's last Duchess. Her heart could be made too soon glad by anything or any person.

14. "Too easily impressed"—About whom is this said? Why was the person too easily impressed?

Ans. This is said about the last Duchess of the Duke. The Duchess was too easily impressed because she was so good-natured that she liked whatever she looked at.

15. What type of a lady was the Duchess? 

Ans. The Duchess was a frank, good-natured and lovable woman. She liked everything she saw and was readily pleased. She had smiles and blushes ready for everyone. She was an emblem of innate feminine goodness and generosity. She would equate the Duke's gift with any other gift. The 'spot of joy' on her cheek embodies the essence of her character. As in life, so as a work of art, she draws our admiration.

16. How did the Duchess look upon the Duke's favour as compared with other gifts?

Ans. The Duchess would make no discrimination between the Duke's gift of ornaments and the gifts of others. Everything elicited the same response and the same blush from the Duchess.

17. What would draw "from her alike the approving speech, or blush, at least"?

Ans. The Duke's valuable gift on her breast, the sunset, the bough of cherries presented by enthusiastic person, the white mule she rode — all these draw from her the same approving speech or at least blush on her cheeks. All these things made her happy to blush with delight.

18. "She thanked men — good!"—Who thanked men? How much good was it? Or, How did the speaker look upon her way of thanking men?

Ans. In 'My Last Duchess', the last Duchess thanked men. Although the Duke calls it 'good', he was very much critical about the way she thanked men. What irritated him was that she equated his 'nine-hundred-years old name' with anybody's gift.

19. "Who would stoop to blame / This sort of trifling?"—Who is the speaker? What is referred to here as "trifling"?

Ans. In Browning's poem 'My Last Duchess', the Duke is the speaker. Here, the word 'trifling' refers to the innocent behaviour of the Duchess who made no distinction between her husband's high rank and the low status of others.

20. "Who would stoop to blame / This sort of trifling?"—What does the speaker mean by this? What light does it throw on the character of the speaker?

Ans. In Browning's poem, the Duke is the speaker. He uses this rhetorical question to mean that it was below his dignity to criticize or blame her foolish conduct. This speech shows that the Duke is driven by his pride, power, possessiveness and uncompromising nature.

21. How can, according to the Duke, the skill in speech help? What does the Duke say about his skill in speech?

Ans. According to the Duke, skill in speech enables a person to make his/her intention quite clear. The Duke tells the envoy that he does not possess skill in speaking. He does not consider himself a good communicator.

22. "Fra Pandolf" by design, for never read/ Strangers like you that pictured countenance"—Who is Fra Pandolf? What does the title 'Fra' suggest?

Ans. Fra Pandolf is an imaginary artist who painted the portrait of the Duke's last Duchess. The title 'Fra' is given to an Italian monk or friar. Therefore, this title suggests that the artist was a religious figure who was not involved in any sort of flirting or affair with the Duchess. 

23. What, according to the Duke, are the things that the Duchess equated with her husband's gift?

Ans. According to the Duke, the Duchess would make no discrimination between her husband's gift and other things like the setting sun, the bough of cherries presented to her by some enthusiastic person, or the white mule she rode. She equated whatever she would come across with the gift of her husband.

24. How did the Duchess respond to the white mule in her afternoon ride? 

Ans. In Robert Browning's poem 'My Last Duchess', the Duchess' response to the white mule has not been explicitly stated. The Duke's speech reveals that the Duchess responded to the white mule with a casual and equalising gratitude, just like with any other thing, including the Duke's gifts.

25. "As if she ranked / My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name"—Who is the speaker? What does the speaker mean by the expression "nine-hundred-years-old name"?

Ans. The Duke is the speaker here. By the expression 'nine-hundred-years-old name', the Duke refers to his family status, lineage and pedigree that distinguishes him socially.

26. What in the Duchess disgusted the Duke?

Ans. The Duchess' smile was an emblem of her innate goodness and generosity. She lacked the so-called noble quality of dignified aloofness. She liked everything and was easily impressed by them. She did not distinguish the Duke's gift from those of others. She responded with a faint blush and sweet smile to all the compliments she received. These qualities of the Duchess disgusted the Duke.

27. "I choose never to stoop"—Who is referred to as 'I'? Why won't the speaker choose to stoop?

Ans. Here 'I' refers to the Duke in Browning's poem, 'My Last Duchess'. The speaker, the Duke, would not choose to stoop because of his social status and family pride. He considered rectifying the Duchess below his rank.

28. What irked (agitated or fired) the Duke most?

Ans. The feeling that the Duchess, with her easy smile and blushes, was equating the Duke, who had a status of 'nine-hundred-years-old name' with anybody or anything, irked him the most.

29. What comparisons deflate the Duke to a comic character?

Ans. In Browning's 'My Last Duchess', there are several equivalents for the Duke's love. The Duke elicited the same response from his Duchess as a sunset scene, an officious fool or the white mule did from her. In these comparisons, the Duke has been deflated and made to look comical and stupid.

30. How, according to the Duke, the 'spot of joy' came unto the Duchess' cheek?

Ans. According to the Duke, the 'spot of joy' might have been caused by some casual remark of the painter, such as, "Her mantle laps/ Over my lady's wrist too much", or "Paint/ Must never hope to reproduce the faint/ Half-flush that dies along her throat". In fact, the Duchess was such a tender-hearted lady that even the slightest show of courtesy was enough to make her smile and blush.

31. What prevented the Duke to stoop to rectify his Duchess?

Ans. The Duke was so much concerned about his family prestige and social status that his pride prevented him from facing his wife on equal terms and engaging himself in a heart-to-heart dialogue with her. In other words, heartless and cruel as he was, the Duke did not stoop to rectify his Duchess.

32. How many Dukes do you come across in the poem 'My Last Duchess'?

Ans. In 'My Last Duchess', the readers may discover at least four Dukes in the character and personality of the Duke of Ferrara. One Duke is a man of courteous manners and refined tastes, of noble birth and high social status. But there is another Duke who is arrogant, cruel, greedy and hypocritical. On one hand, he may appear to be a charmer, a skilled communicator, a connoisseur of art and a good catch to the envoy. On the other hand, he appears to be a pampered, pretentious and selfish being devoid of finer human qualities of empathy and understanding to a sensitive reader.

33. What prompted the Duke to silence his Duchess?

Ans. The goodness of the Duchess, that debarred her from dignified aloofness, irritated Duke. So, burning with jealousy and a fierce, paranoid possessiveness, the Duke decided to silence the lady and her smiles once and for all.

34. "Who passed without / Much the same smile..." — Explain.

Ans. This rhetorical question reveals the Duke's jealousy. The Duke says that the Duchess smiled at him when he passed by her, just as she smiled at others who passed by her. Thus, he complains that the Duchess made no distinction between him and a lowly fellow.

35. Explain the following lines: "This grew; I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together."

Ans. Here, the expression 'this grew' suggests that the tendency to respond to every compliment with a blush and smile gradually developed in the Duchess. It irked the Duke to the point that he was forced to exercise his power to stop her smiles forever. The tragedy in the life of the Duchess has been compressed to five words only: 'Then all smiles stopped together.'

36. "There she stands / As if alive." — Who is referred to as 'she' here? What does the speaker mean to say by the expression "as if alive"?

Ans. The last Duchess of the Duke is referred to here as 'she'. By the expression 'as if alive' the Duke means to say that though the Duchess had died, in the painting she looks life-like.

37. "Will't please you rise?"—Who said this and to whom? Why does the speaker ask the listener to rise?

Ans. The Duke said this to the messenger of a Count who has come with a marriage proposal. The Duke asks the listener to rise so that they can go downstairs to meet other guests.

38. "The Count your master's known munificence / Is ample warrant..."—What does the speaker mean by "your master's known munificence"? How does it stand as "ample warrant"?

Ans. The Duke is the speaker here. By the expression 'your master's known munificence' the Duke means that the envoy's master, the Count is known for generosity. He means to say that the reputation and wealth of the Count ensures him that he will not be deprived of a rich dowry.

39. What does the Duke say about dowry and his object?

Ans. The Duke is very much interested in getting a rich dowry from the Count for marrying the Count's daughter as his next wife. He tells the envoy that the Count's reputation for his generosity no doubt guarantees this, although his main object is the Count's fair daughter.

40. "Notice Neptune, though, / Taming a sea-horse"—What / Who is Neptune? What does the image of Neptune taming the sea-horse suggest?

Ans. Neptune is the ancient Roman god of the sea. Statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse symbolically stands for the Duke's control and authority over his wife. It suggests the Duke's usual habit to tame all, especially his wives, past and future.

41. What characteristic trait of the Duke's character can be discerned when he refers to the bronze statue of Neptune? 

Ans. The Duke draws the attention of the envoy to the bronze statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse. Although he tries to impress the envoy with his artistic tastes and sense of beauty, it embodies in concrete form the cardinal characteristic of the Duke: his sense of power, pride and possessiveness. Like Neptune, the sea-god, the Duke is the sole arbiter of her Duchess.

42. What does the Duke consider 'a rarity'? Who made this 'rarity'?

Ans. The Duke considers the statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse 'a rarity'. This bronze statue was cast by Claus of Innsbruck, an imaginary sculptor.

43. Why has the Duke taken the envoy upstairs?

Ans. The Duke of Ferrara has taken the envoy upstairs to show him his artistic treasures and to talk to him more intimately about his expectation of dowry.

44. "This grew; I gave command and all smiles stopped together"—What character of the Duke is revealed here?  Or, What exposes the Duke's arrogance?

Ans. The Duke's arrogance is conveyed by his words and phrases suggesting his pride and uncompromising nature, as in 'I choose/ Never to stoop' or 'I gave commands/ Then all smiles stopped together.'

45. Do you consider the Duke's speech an indirect threat to his next wife?

Ans. The Duke's speech reveals the code of conduct that he expects from his wife. The tragedy that befell his last Duchess' life also indicates that a veiled threat lurks under his words.

46. Give an example of irony in 'My Last Duchess'.

Ans. Irony is the weapon that Browning employs artistically to unveil the character of the hypocritical Duke. The title itself is ironical because the poem is more about the power, pride and possessiveness of the Duke than the painting of the Duchess. It is ironical that the last Duchess is unaware of her 'flaws' and the Duke, who is full of criticism towards her, is equally unaware of his cruelty and hypocrisy.

47. What impression does the Duke try to convey about the Duchess? What impression is actually created?

Ans. The Duke tries to convey that the Duchess did not pay any heed to his family prestige. She was easily impressed by anything. She would not discriminate between the Duke's social rank and that of others. But in reality, the Duchess, with her blush and smile, impresses the readers as a loving and kind character. She is an emblem of a lady's innate goodness and generosity.

48. How does the Duke represent his class?

Ans. The Duke is an individual as well as the representative of his class. He represents the Victorian patriarchy that restricted women in all spheres of life. He represents the aristocratic class that looked upon their wives as personal properties whose movement and conduct were regulated by the code imposed by the husband and the society.

49. How does Browning incorporate elements of Italian Renaissance in the texture of the poem?

Ans. In 'My Last Duchess', Browning has incorporated elements of Italian Renaissance by exploiting a historical event of Renaissance Italy. Italian Renaissance manifests itself in choosing Ferrara, a city in Italy, as the place of action, making the Duke the speaker of the monologue, introducing two imaginary artists, Fra Pandolf and Claus of Innsbruck, and in presenting the Duke as a connoisseur of art.

50. What historical context does the poem 'My Last Duchess' allude to?

Ans. Browning's poem, 'My Last Duchess', alludes to the historical figure Alfonso II. The Duke here is a poetic recreation of Alfonso II, the fifth Duke of Ferrara. The story of his first and second marriage is similar to the story of Browning's Duke. Lucrezia, his first wife, died at the age of 17 and the Duke negotiated for his second marriage through the agent of the Count Tyrol.

51. What is the focal point of the picture of Duchess? What does it reveal?

Ans. In Browning's 'My Last Duchess', the 'spot of joy' on the Duchess' cheek is the focal point of the picture. It unfolds the innate goodness and generosity of the Duchess.

52. What 'flaw' does the Duke identify in the character of the Duchess?

Ans. The last Duchess was so innocent and kind-hearted that she made no distinction between her husband's rank and the rank of others. She was easily impressed by one and all. These are the 'flaws' that the Duke found in his Duchess.

53. What duality do you find in the personality of the Duke? Or, Do you think that the Duke is a queer mixture of opposite traits? What are the traits?

Ans. The Duke is both an individual and a representative of his class and the epoch. He is a queer mixture of refinement and cruelty, of modesty and arrogance, of sophistication and selfishness in his attitude to the envoy and the Duchess respectively.

54. What happened to the Duchess finally?

Ans. The Duke noticed the gradual development of his Duchess' tendency to reciprocate all compliments with blushes and smiles while equating his status with that of others. So the Duke gave commands to silence the lady and her smiles once and for all. In other words, the Duchess was put to death.

55. How many times and when does the Duke stoop in the poem?

Ans. In the poem, the Duke is so proud that he never chose to stoop to rectify his wife. But he stooped to marry, with the expectation of a rich dowry. The expression 'I repeat' shows that the Duke stooped twice.

56. What personality traits define the character of the Duke?

Ans. The character of the Duke can be defined in terms of the following two sets of personality traits:

 Positive traits: politeness, sophistication, noble birth, love for art

 Negative traits: arrogance, suspicion, jealousy, possessiveness, pride, power, cold-bloodedness, hypocrisy, greed, selfishness, ruthless power.

57. What personality traits define the character of the Duchess?

Ans. The character of the Duchess can be defined by the following personality traits: innocence, kind-heartedness, innate goodness, vivacity, shyness and generosity.

 Robert Browning’s poem "My Last Duchess."

Descriptive Type Questions

1. Analyse ‘My Last Duchess’ as a dramatic monologue.

Answer: A dramatic monologue is a soliloquy or a lyric poem in which the speaker addresses a silent listener, revealing himself in the context of a dramatic situation. The speaker provides information about his personality and also about the time, place, key events, and any other character involved in the situation at hand. Usually, the listener plays a part in the development of the poem.

Browning’s poem, ‘My Last Duchess’, is an excellent dramatic monologue. In the poem, the Duke of Ferrara is speaking to the envoy of a Count. Browning poetically recreates the historical situation related to the Duke Alfonso II, who negotiates for a second marriage after the death of his first wife, Lucrezia. The character of the Duke is revealed through his presentation of his last wife as painted by the imaginary artist Fra Pandolf. All through the poem, the Duke, in depicting his Duchess, swings between alternate currents of praise and blame, attraction and revulsion, art and life. The whole drama reaches its climax when the Duke — unaware of his own pride and cruelty, jealousy and possessiveness — decides to silence the lady and her smiles forever: ‘This grew; I gave commands;/ Then all smiles stopped together.’ It arouses the feeling of pity and fear at the tragic fate of the good-natured Duchess. A lady marked for the blush on her cheeks is put to death to conserve her husband’s family prestige. Resolution comes with the Duke’s expectation of a rich dowry for the next marriage. The dramatic monologue ends with the Duke drawing the envoy’s attention to the bronze statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse. The whole poem dramatizes the tragedy in the life of the Duchess and reveals the characters of both the Duke and Duchess in a highly condensed form.

 

2. Sketch the character of the Duke as revealed in the poem, ‘My Last Duchess’.

Answer: In ‘My Last Duchess’, the Duke is the speaker who himself unconsciously reveals his character and personality while presenting the last Duchess as appearing both in art and life. The Duke is a multi-faceted personality combining binary qualities of virtues and vices.

  Connoisseur of Art: He is a connoisseur of art. He calls the painting of his last Duchess ‘a piece of wonder’ and explains in detail how the blush, i.e. the ‘spot of joy’ came on her cheeks. He also calls the bronze-statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse ‘a rarity’.

   Jealousy: Secondly, he is so jealous that he did not like his Duchess’ response, with blushes and smiles, to any compliment other than his own.

  Pride: Thirdly, he has an inflated sense of dignity for which he never chose to stoop to rectify his wife’s minor faults.

  Cruelty: Fourthly, the Duke is so cruel that he did not hesitate to put his Duchess to death, nor does he feel any regret for his misdeed.

  Greed: Fifthly, he is greedy. His greed comes to the fore in his hankering after dowry.

But all through, he is very polite in his dealings with the envoy. In all, the Duke is a queer mixture of refinement and cruelty, sophistication and selfishness, aesthetic sense and hypocrisy.

 

3. Sketch the character of the Duchess as portrayed by Browning in his poem ‘My Last Duchess’.

Answer: In the poem ‘My Last Duchess’, Browning portrays the Duchess as a foil to the Duke. Against the haughty, heartless, greedy, and hypocritical Duke, she stands as an emblem of godly goodness. In course of highlighting the lady’s ‘flaws’, the Duke, quite unknowingly, unfolds the noble qualities of the Duchess. She is very courteous and sober in reacting to all compliments. Her smile and the ‘spot of joy’ on her cheeks endeared her to all except the Duke. Although the Duke’s pride and possessiveness aided by power did not allow her to live, she emerges as a new woman, an epitome of innocence and nobility. Her innocence, innate goodness and generosity make her a virtuous lady who knows no discrimination. In contrast to the superficial elegance of the Duke, the Duchess stands as a tender-hearted lady who can impress all with her smiling face and blushful appearance.

 

4. Compare and contrast the characters of the Duke and the Duchess.

Answer: Browning’s poetic recreation of the characters of the Duke and the Duchess in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ is rooted in the history of Italian Renaissance. Both are as much historical figures as artistic creations of Browning’s highly prolific imagination. The Duke has been presented as a possessive husband who is driven by Victorian patriarchy that considers wives as personal properties of their husbands. But the Duchess serves as a foil to the Duke because her shy presence gives prominence to the Duke’s arrogance and haughtiness.

While the Duke’s personality is a queer mixture of refinement and cruelty, sophistication and selfishness, aesthetic sense and hypocrisy, the Duchess remains an emblem of goodness all throughout the poem. Against the pride, selfishness, and superficial elegance of the Duke, the Duchess shines as a graceful lady who pleases all and is easily impressed. The Duke is an individual and a representative of the aristocracy concerned with rank, honour and family prestige. The Duchess represents the class of new women who, breaking away from the secondary status rendered by the then society, challenge the age-old values and so-called morality of the Victorian era. Her innocence, innate goodness and generosity make her a virtuous lady who knows no discrimination of rank or social position. She has the dignity and honour to treat one and all with the same shy smile. Quite unaware of his ignoble nature, the Duke blames the lady, silences her smiles forever and never stoops except when he hankers after a rich dowry. However, both are modest and refined in their attitude to outsiders. In the poem, the Duke in spite of all his vices, is a connoisseur of art. Although he disliked the faint blush and smile of the Duchess caused by others, he likes the same presence on the Duchess’ face in the painting. In all, the Duke is an inconsistent hypocrite but the Duchess is a consistently lovable lady who draws our admiration and empathy.

 

5. What is irony? What role does irony play in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’?

Answer: Irony is a contradiction (or incongruity) between appearance (or expectation) and reality. In irony, the actual intent expressed in words carry the opposite meaning. This disparity may be manifested in different ways.

‘My Last Duchess’ abounds in irony. The whole poem is ironical. In course of portraying the Duchess and her ‘flaws’, the Duke quite unknowingly highlights her essential goodness and generosity and reveals his vices more than his virtues. His false pride, superficial elegance, paranoid possessiveness, greed, arrogance, jealousy, cruelty and selfishness get profusely exposed along with his noble birth, refined taste and polite behaviour. It is an irony of situation that the Duke, who never stooped to modify his wife’s childish conduct, now stoops before the envoy, driven by his greed for a rich dowry. It is ironical that the Duke appreciates the shy presence of his last Duchess as painted in the portrait but could never appreciate the same when the Duchess was alive. He, who found only flaws with the Duchess, now admires the painting as coveted treasure. When the Duke grew tired of her, he silenced all her smiles but now he praises her beauty as preserved in art. In his repeated attempts to show his inflated position, the Duke deflates himself even to the status of a white mule. To the sensitive readers, his criticism of his last Duchess appears as an impressive appreciation. The verbal irony in his claim that he does not possess the skill in speech presents him as an expert charmer. In fact, irony in the poem is all pervasive in creating the highly dramatic situation and in revelation of the Duke’s hypocrisy and the Duchess’s elegance. Irony plays a significant role in binding all the several threads of the dramatic monologue.

 

6. How does power affect the characters and their situations in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’?

Answer: In Browning’s poem, the focal theme is power, round which the characters, situations and all other themes revolve. It operates the movement of the poem. In a patriarchal society, the power dynamic between men and women controls everything. The Duke, as a representative of the aristocracy and the privileged in the Victorian era, enjoys the power to control his wife and determine her fate. He holds the political power and exercises this power in giving death sentence to his Duchess. His domestic power is associated with the themes of gender inequality, loveless marriage and possessiveness. The Duke is so skilled in speech that he manipulates its power in defending himself and casting a magic spell on the envoy. In the course of development of the drama, the Duke wears the mask of politeness and modesty, sophistication and refinement, to suppress his power, selfishness and cruelty. In reality, the Duchess holds the power and grace of personality to impress all with her shy presence and sweet smile. At the end of the poem, the statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse reflects the Duke’s power that dominates over everything but cannot win all hearts. The repetition of the pronoun ‘my’ suggests fierce possessiveness which is actually the root of all power. So, it is evident that power plays a vital role in controlling the words, actions and gestures in the texture of the poem.

 

7. How is power syndrome conveyed in ‘My Last Duchess’?

Answer: In “My Last Duchess” power syndrome is conveyed through the Duke’s words and actions. Set partly in Renaissance Italy and partly in Victorian England, the poem reveals not only the Duke’s pride and power but also the patriarchal character of both the ages. As a representative of his class the Duke is a queer mixture of refinement and cruelty, of sophistication and selfishness. He considers his last Duchess his private property. The very expression “my last Duchess” reveals his possessiveness, ownership and control over her. His collection of rare art-pieces, like the bronze statue of Neptune, shows his status as a lover of art and beauty. But he is so authoritative that he disregards others’ feelings. He disapproves the smiling appearance of the Duchess. As the last Duchess’ smiling face wins everyone she meets, the Duke became furious. He does not hesitate to give commands to stop her smile forever. As a man of power, the Duke was so proud of his ancient aristocratic name and social prestige that he considered it humiliating to teach his wife her duties. Getting annoyed with her, the Duke wanted to silence her smile forever. The poem reaches its climax as the Duke says with no trace of regret or repentance: “I gave commands;/ Then all smiles stopped together.” The tragedy of the Duchess has been compressed to five words only. The Duke then abruptly shifts from the last Duchess to the next Duchess. The resolution comes as soon as the Duke starts negotiating with the envoy for his second marriage to the beautiful daughter of another nobleman, a Count. As he knows that the Count is rich, he expects a lucrative dowry, though he graciously pretends that he is only interested in the Count’s ‘fair daughter’s self’, not the money he will get with her. The poem ends with another piece of art collection, a bronze sculpture of Neptune taming a sea-horse, reflecting the Duke’s power and domination over all.

 

8. Write a note on the dramatic structure of the poem ‘My Last Duchess’.

Answer: Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ is an excellent dramatic monologue. It is structured as a drama in miniature and composed in poetic form within the length of 56 lines. It begins abruptly in the Duke’s palace in Ferrara, a city in Italy. The Duke invites the envoy of a Count to look at the portrait of his last wife painted on the wall. Drawing back the curtain, he reveals the Duchess’ painting which bears a special expression on her face — an ‘earnest look’ and a ‘spot of joy’. It serves as exposition. The action rises as the Duke emerges as a monster of jealousy, ego, and sadism. He tells the envoy that his Duchess was a joyful lady who loved her husband’s gift, the sunset, cherry blossom presented by others and her pet mule equally. This made the Duke unhappy. He was so proud of his ancient aristocratic name and social prestige that he considered it humiliating to teach his wife her duties. Getting annoyed with her, the Duke wanted to silence her smile forever. The poem reaches its climax as the Duke says with no trace of regret or repentance. "I gave commands;/ Then all smiles stopped together." The tragedy of the Duchess has been compressed to five words only. The Duke then abruptly shifts from the last Duchess to the next Duchess. The resolution comes as soon as the Duke starts negotiating with the envoy for his second marriage to the beautiful daughter of another nobleman, a Count. As he knows that the Count is rich, he expects a lucrative dowry, though he graciously pretends that he is only interested in the Count's 'fair daughter 's self', not the money he will get with her.

The poem ends with another piece of art collection, a bronze sculpture of Neptune taming a sea-horse, reflecting the Duke 's power and domination over all.

 

9. What historical and social contexts does Browning exploit in the poem ‘My Last Duchess’?

Answer: In the texture of the poem ‘My Last Duchess’, Browning has made an excellent fusion of two distinctly different contexts: Italian Renaissance and Victorian England. Both are so neatly woven together that one cannot be separated from the other. Browning has incorporated elements of Italian Renaissance by exploiting a historical event of Renaissance Italy. Italian Renaissance manifests itself in choosing Ferrara, a city in Italy, as the place of action, making the Duke the speaker of the monologue, introducing two imaginary artists, Fra Pandolf and Claus of Innsbruck, and in presenting the Duke as a connoisseur of art. The poem alludes to the historical figure Alfonso II, the Duke of Ferrara. The story of Browning’s Duke: Lucrezia, his first wife, died at the age of 17 and the Duke negotiated for his second marriage through the agent of Count Tyrol. The agent may be the man to whom the Duke is speaking in the poem. ‘My Last Duchess’ may be viewed as a criticism of Victorian attitude to women in a male-dominated society. It is a protest against the societal effort to suppress female sexuality. In the poem, the Duke’s obsession with fixing the behaviour of his wife represents Victorian society’s obsession with the reputation of women remaining perfect. Men in Victorian England enjoyed their domination and power over women. The cleavage between culture and morality, love and power is as much relevant to the age of Renaissance as to the Victorian era. Browning’s imagination, in fact, has blended the elements of Italian Renaissance and those of Victorian England in the text so artistically that nothing seems incongruous.

 

10. How does the Duke look upon his last Duchess?

Answer: In ‘My Last Duchess’, the Duchess’ character and personality is revealed through the words of the Duke. The Duke tells the envoy about her appearance, attitude to others, and his relationship with her. It is ironical that while unfolding the character of the Duchess, the Duke swings between praise and blame, attraction and revulsion. He reveals the portrait of his last Duchess and highlights the expression on her face, her ‘earnest glance’, and her ‘spot of joy’. What he blames to be her flaws, draws the readers’ admiration as signs of essential goodness and generosity. Her innate goodness and nobility find expression in the blush on her cheeks and smile in response to any compliment. As in the painting, so in life, she exhibited her delight and grace. In fact, the Duchess was such a tender-hearted lady that she loved her husband’s gift, the sunset, cherry blossoms, and her pet mule equally. Her boundless generosity expressing itself in blushes and smiles is the chief flaw that the Duke discovers; though ironic, the same flaw endeared her to all. The Duchess’ transition into valuable art confirms her status as a coveted object to be possessed. In the painting, the Duchess appears to be living and the Duke loves and admires her beauty as reflected in art. But in reality, she was put to death to be silenced forever. Although her tragedy has reduced her status to a portrait on the wall, she remains elegant and graceful, as much in art as she was in life.

 

11. Do you consider the Duke to be hypocrite? Justify your answer.

Answer: The Duke in Robert Browning’s poem is a dubious figure. Although he is refined in taste, polite in behaviour, and noble by birth, he appears to be hypocritical. He lacks the finer human qualities of empathy and understanding but he presents himself to be a person of finer tastes and nobility. He appreciates the special expression on his Duchess’ face, her ‘earnest glance’ and her ‘spot of joy’. He loves and admires the painting and calls it a ‘piece of wonder’. But while the Duchess was alive, he could not appreciate her graceful presence, the blush on her cheeks and her innocent smile. Only a hypocrite can act in such a way. He is very cunning in putting on a submissive stance and presenting himself as a bad communicator. However, he excels in the skill of speech in reality. His hypocrisy gets exposed when he stoops for a rich dowry, although in dealing with his Duchess, he considered it humiliating to stoop to teach her the duties of a wife. The Duke tells the envoy that the Count is known for his generosity. So he expects a lot of money to be paid to him on his marriage. But he graciously pretends that he is only interested in the beautiful daughter of the Count, not the dowry he will be given.

 

12. What made the Duke unhappy with his Duchess?

Answer: In ‘My Last Duchess’, the Duke appears to be conservative and critical about the personality and the actions of the Duchess. He was jealous and angry about his Duchess’ relationship with the painter, Fra Pandolf. He considered his wife an object, a piece of art, and something he possessed. To the Duke, the only thing of importance is his own name and social status. But his Duchess was a foil to him. She did not care for his dignity and prestige. She liked everything she came across. She made no discrimination between the Duke’s presence and the flattery of Fra Pandolf, between her husband’s gift and the gifts of others, between her husband’s name and the position of others. She loved equally the brooch she wore, the sunset, cherry blossom presented by a courtier, and the white mule she rode. She had a childish heart which could be too easily impressed by anything she saw or any compliment from any corner. On the other hand, she could so easily impress all with her blushes and smiles. This friendliness and lack of sense of dignity made the Duke unhappy. The Duke thought that the Duchess should have focused all her attention only to him. What irked him most was the feeling that his wife was equating the Duke’s ‘nine-hundred-years-old name’ with anybody or anything. An emblem of innate goodness and generosity as she was, she failed to please the Duke. Similarly, the Duke could not cope with a three-dimensional, living and breathing woman. The Duke was so unhappy with the Duchess that he reduced his wife to an object of art and never felt repentance.

 

13. What light does the poem throw on the status of women?

Answer: Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’ is set in the 16th century Italy as well as in Victorian England. In the poem, the Duke of Ferrara is talking to an envoy about his second marriage with a Count’s daughter. In course of telling the messenger about his first wife, the Duke reveals himself as a representative of his class as well as a representative of the epoch which brings Italian Renaissance and Victorian England in one frame. What brings the two apparently different historical contexts is the status of women. The problem is the same in both the contexts. Women were considered to be the private property of their husbands. They enjoyed neither freedom nor equal rights with their counterparts. In the poem, gender discrimination becomes one of the main themes running all through. The Duke acts as the sole arbiter of the Duchess’ fate. Victorian patriarchy gets amply reflected through the words and action of the Duke. Driven by his pride, possessiveness and power, the Duke did not think twice to put his innocent Duchess to death. The Duchess became a victim of the social sanctions imposed upon women. Although her flaws, as identified by the Duke, reveals her goodness and generosity, her grace and elegance, and her tragedy shows how women were treated in the then male-dominated society.

 

14. Should we label the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ as ‘Confessions of a Serial Killer’? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: Within the compass of short story in verse, the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ tells the tale of a murderer. It is interesting because of dramatic turns and twists, irony and rhetorical questions, comic relief and tragic tale. In course of giving a description of last Duchess and his relationship with her, the Duke confesses what he did and justifies his misdeed with the expectation of getting a rich dowry in the next attempt. It becomes clear from the Duke’s speech that Duchess was an innocent young lady who got married to a very dominating man like him. The Duke lacks the finer human qualities of empathy and understanding that alone make life worth living. Burning with anger and possessiveness, the Duke gave commands to silence the lady and her smiles once and for all. While narrating the event, the cold-blooded Duke does not hesitate to add quite casually, “This grew; I gave commands/ Then all smiles stopped together.” Only a serial killer can confess in this way to show his high rank and status in order to gain something. The Duke is so confident of his superiority and the rightness of his actions that he feels neither any regret nor does he repent for what he did. The word ‘last’ in the title and the very opening line comes up with a new significance towards the end of the poetic play: the word ‘last’ marks not only end but also the beginning of a new chapter of remarriage. The Duke, at the end of the poem, draws the attention of the bronze sculpture of Neptune taming a sea-horse. It embodies in concreting the cardinal characteristics of the Duke: his sense of power, pride and possessiveness. It suggests that the same fate awaits his next wife. To the envoy, the Duke may be a charmer, a connoisseur of art, a good catch but to the sensitive readers, he is pretentious, selfish and a cold-blooded murderer, thereby making the whole poem a ‘Confession of a Serial Killer’.

 

15. How does the poem ‘My Last Duchess’ present a fine psychological study of character and situation?

Answer: Like the other dramatic monologues of Browning, ‘My Last Duchess’ presents a fine psychological study of characters and situations. In the poem, the Duke reveals his character as well as the character of the Duchess. In describing the beauty of the Duchess and his relationship with her, he discloses, with restrain of emotion and economy of words, his own psychological drama arising out of conflicting situations. His pride, possessiveness, and family name prevented him from coping with that three-dimensional, living, breathing woman. But he appreciates the beauty of the lady as captured by art. While the living Duchess was intolerable to him because of her innate goodness and generosity in dealing with others. She made no distinction between the Duke’s gift and compliments from others. She always responded with a blush on her cheeks and gentle smile. She loved her husband’s gift and presence, the sunset, cherry blossom, and the white mule equally. His egomania and haughtiness did not let him stoop to teach his wife her duties. This situation irritated the Duke. Burning with jealousy and a paranoid possessiveness, the Duke decided to stop her smile forever. The character and personality of the Duchess gives prominence to the disturbing psychological portrait of the Duke in the poem. The same Duke, who did not choose to stoop to rectify his wife, pretends graciously that the count’s fair daughter is his only target, not the dowry he expects. The poem presents the contrary aspects of the psychology of the Duke: his high position as well as his arrogance, cruelty, hypocrisy and selfishness. In all, the poem, with its alternating currents of praise and blame, attraction and revulsion, appeals to the readers for its psychological study of the characters and their situation.

 

16. How effectively does the poet use the poetic devices in ‘My Last Duchess’?

Answer: ‘My Last Duchess’ is a dramatic monologue written in iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets. The whole poem is structured as a long speech limited to one stanza of rhyming couplets containing 56 lines. This precision lends the poem the spell that a good short story or a tragedy in one act casts. But the couplets are not closed couplets that express a complete thought or feeling. Here one line continues into the next line and this technique is called enjambment. It contributes to the unbroken flow of thought processes. The meter is calm and stately reflecting the character of the speaker. The imagery in the poem is rather limited. The ‘blush’ on the Duchess’ cheek, the ‘spot of joy’ and the ‘smile’ are the key images in unfolding the elegance of her personality. The repeated use of the pronoun ‘my’ shows the Duke’s possessiveness and highlights how he objectifies women. The monologue begins and ends with expressions of politeness. The recurrent use of the rhetorical device, alliteration — as in, “Oh, sir, she smiled no doubt, / Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without/ Much the same smile?” — contributes to the musical effect of the poem. The rhetorical questions, as in — “but who passed without/ Much the same smile?” — show the Duke’s art of manipulating language. The ironical tone of the speech reveals the Duke’s skill in speech which he denies to have possessed. The contrasting personalities of the Duke and the Duchess are expressed through the symbol of Neptune taming a sea - horse. The Statue reflects how the Duke views himself as a God-like figure. Browning's art of condensation in the poem is praiseworthy. The tragedy of the Duchess has been compressed to only five words: "Then all smiles stopped together". Browning has employed metonymy, simile, apostrophe, synecdoche and other minor devices to lend beauty and novelty to his finest dramatic monologue.