My Last Duchess

“My Last Duchess” is exemplary of the kind of psychological portraiture Browning accomplished in his dramatic monologues. The speaker is a Duke delivering a narrative about his late wife, and through it emerges the picture of a cold, proud man, with an exaggerated need for power and control.

At the very outset the duke is presented as a proud man. He shows off a portrait of his late wife, a “wonder” (Line 3) created by a reputed painter. He even admits to name-dropping the artist “by design” (Line 6), and it is evident he takes pride in the art. A similar pride is reflected in the duke claiming the pedigree of a “nine-hundred-years-old name” (Line 33) or later displaying a sculpture cast in bronze by yet another famous artist.

This pride translates into a degree of self-importance. For instance, the duke expects a large dowry from the father of his potential bride—not because he needs the money but because it befits his status. This self-importance is seen within his marital relationship as well. He confesses to being displeased by his late wife’s similar treatment of everything she encounters. Her smiles and blushes bestowed equally upon receiving a simple gift from a visitor, being paid an innocent compliment, and the duke’s affection himself, are insulting to the duke, who expects unique and elevated treatment; he is deeply jealous of his wife’s undiscerning attention to all and sundry.