A critical appraisal of "my last duchess" Written by Robert Browning
The poem is a dramatic monologue of fifty-six lines. The speaker is the Duke of Ferrara, and the only silent listener is the emissary who has come to him to negotiate his second mirage with the daughter of a count. There are some others who have accompanied the emissary. The negotiation is understood to have taken place on the ground floor of the duke’s palace. To make the demand for him clearer and to give the emissary an elevated idea of his art treasures, the Duke has taken him to the first floor of his art gallery.
Right at this point the poem begins: “That’s my last duchess painted on the wall.” The abrupt opening of this dramatic monologue is traditional. It follows the tradition of keeping secret at first who the speaker is and who he is talking to. Secrets are gradually revealed in the poem. From this traditionally abrupt beginning, the poet has the advantage of creating the suspense that is the essence of a dramatic beginning.
Browning not only begins the poem dramatically, but also manages several dramatic turns in the poem’s development. The duke draws back the curtains on his most prized possession, the portrait of his first wife, and invites the envoy to sit down and look at it. In the manner of a connoisseur, he invites the envoy to contemplate the beauty of the painting, especially the ‘serious look’ and the ‘point of joy’. He focuses on Fra Pandolf’s ability to paint an exquisite facial expression. At this point a drastic change occurs. An overwhelming annoyance working within his mind leads him to create an image very different from the royal lady in the beautiful portrait. He suggests that he suffered from the duchess’s neglect of her social dignity. He says that he is beyond her ability to explain her character type. He had a habit of smiling.
The chill is inherent in the structure of the poem. As the irony unravels, the Duke and Duchess appear just the opposite of what the Duke poses to reveal about himself and his latest wife.
The poem is written in heroic couplets. In other words, each line is a pentameter line and each pair of these rhythmic lines together. The poem is rich in its variety of tones. At first the poet maintains a calm and complacent tone. Then it changes to an annoyed tone. Finally, the tone turns confidently cruel.