My Last Duchess Essays

The poems “The Laboratory” and “My Last Duchess” written by Robert Browning in 1845 are both set in different periods and places in history and of even different cultures, yet both tell a story of the destructive effect harmful emotions can have. These emotions of jealousy and greed, mixed with …

A duke had killed his seventeen-year-old spouse following three long stretches of marriage, and wedded another young lady. The principle character and speaker of the lyric is Duke Alfonso II of Ferrara. The other individual tuning in to him (his recipient) is the emissary (marriage operator) sent by the Count …

Robert Browning was one of the great poets of the Victorian age in two of his poems, ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ he gives us an insight into the minds of two abnormally possessive lovers. In these dramatic monologues, both personas seek control over the women they love and …

Although the two poems have a fundamental similarity, their tone and uses of language are dramatically different. Both women die in the poems, but the reasons for their death and the way they are killed highlight the differences in the tone of the two poems. In ‘Porphyria’s Lover’, you can …

The stereotypical representation of love in a love poem is a feeling of mixed emotions, cheerful feelings that generally brighten up your day. A love poem should typically have a genuine romance that concludes with a jubilant ending. However this is only the portrayed idea of love, as love can …

One would believe that the primary reason for becoming emotionally involved with a partner in the form of marriage would be love, and my perception of love between two human beings is an intense feeling of deep affection or fondness for their partner. However “My Last Duchess” completely contradicts this …

Browning was writing at a time in the early Victorian Era, (around six years before Victoria came to the thrown) when most poets were moving away from traditional Georgian styles of writing and more into the recognisably modern literature. This allowed Browning and other such poets to take advantage of …

‘How sad and bad and mad it was – but then, how it was sweet! ‘ (Robert Browning – Confessions). The very form of these poems – dramatic monologues – lends itself to an exploration of psychology. In both ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’, the character of a solitary …

The poem “My Last Duchess” was written by a famous 19th century poet called Robert Browning. “Salome”, on the other hand, is a modern 20th century poem written by Carol Ann Duffy. Both poems focus on the topic of killing lovers, but the two poets take different attitudes towards this. …

Robert Browning’s poem “My Last Duchess” is a splendid poem achieve within the format of the dramatic monologue, a poetic form in which there is only one speaker. Because there is only one speaker, we the reader must wonder carefully what the Duke is telling us, and we often have …