Browning’s poem My Last Duchess explores the idea of sexism and masculine dominance as a central theme.
The poet conveys control through possessive diction. In the first line, the duke says “none puts behind the curtain that I have drawn just for you” symbolically indicating he controls the viewers in the painting. This use of possessive language continues in the entire work. The Duke remarks on his “commands” and how “then, all smiles ceased together”. These lines create sympathy in the audience and cause them to empathize with the Dukess. The last section details the marriage proposal with the “fair daughter” of the Count, who is the “object”. The Duke’s objectification of the girl, reducing her value to her physical attributes, reveals his patriarchal and shallow views. This was common among men in Victorian society. The Duke reflects on his former Duchess, pointing out her annoying traits. He accuses her heart of being “too quickly made glad”, and of being “too readily impressed”. The Duke goes on to describe the faults in her character. He claims that she valued “the boughs she received from some obnoxious fool who broke the cherries in her orchard” as much as she did his expensive gifts. In literature “cherries”, which are often used to refer to forbidden sexual acts in literature, can be seen as a hint that the duchess of the time was not faithful to him. This reference to sexuality in Victorian times raises questions about gender and sexuality.
The Duke addresses the difficulty he has in communicating with the wife: “Even had I skill in speech which I do not have”; however, the use of enjambment shows otherwise, revealing his inability or unwillingness to communicate with her. The Duchess is not able to respond in a positive way to the accusations. The speaker compares his love for his wife to “taming an ocean-horse”, using allusions to Neptune.
The Duke appears to be a trustworthy man with good manners. He addresses his guests as “sir”, gaining the reader’s confidence and representing the average married man of Victorian society. However, the poem uses an unreliable speaker who opensly discusses his wife’s “crimes”. His belief in a justifiable killing due to her inappropriate conduct contrasts with traditional societal values.
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