My Last Duchess By Robert Browning
An exemplary dramatic monologue set in “ Ferrara” , the capital of a province in Italy that was famous for its high culture during the Renaissance . Two main characters (speaker and listener) involved in the poem are – the main character, speaker, Duke Alfonso II of Ferrara , and the other person listening to him is the envoy (marriage agent) sent by the Count of another place called Tyrol. The duke is talking about a painting on the wall while preparing to meet Tyrol, the father of the new proposed girl (he had murdered his previous wife, the duchess, the reasons of which are exposed in this poem) The poem is an exposition of oppression, pride, jealousy, corruption, possessiveness, murder, and avarice for dowry ! The poem uncovers the wide gap between the high culture and the obnoxious low personal behavior of the upper ruling class of Renaissance Italy. Robert Browning exhibits the true character of the duke and satirizes/mocks the culture through him. The ...