R. Browning

Robert Browning

Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” scared me a little at first. I had to go back and look at the foot notes to make sure I was understanding it correctly. My first impression of the poem was, “Wow, this guy has serious control issues!!” It seemed like Browning was using the other characters in the piece to voice how he felt about his lover. Browning was ‘sheltered’ and ‘spoiled’ growing up, so this didn’t seem too far-fetched.

The poem is, in fact, about the Duke looking at a painting of his last duchess for he is now widowed. The Duke reminisces on the painting sessions of the portrait and also on the past memories he has of her. He was a jealous man, in my eyes and held himself above others simply because he was royalty. He voices his dissatisfaction of his wife, who was very humble and modest, would give strangers the same smile she would give to him for thanks.

She thanked men,--good! But thanked
Somehow—I know not how—as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody’s gift
Although the Duke did have his royal name to be proud of, I feel that he thought a little too much of himself for something he didn’t really earn. Browning did a good job with this piece. It wasn’t difficult to understand or follow and was very well written