OK Mandarine - your turn. Here follow some thoughts about My Last Duchess. Try to find some more references, as I have only used Lancashire (below) and my own interpretation! Don't forget to reference
Reference: Online text copyright © 2003, Ian Lancashire for the Department of English, University of Toronto.
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(Some of the stuff is my own interpretation, so please read Lancashire, & anything else.)
• Arrogance
The Duke’s arrogance is clearly shown in the 1st line
“That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall”
He reduces his late wife to an object and a mere possession (“that’s my”). Is she simply the 1st in a collection of “trophy wives”, or objects d’art? (“last”). He has certainly put her in her place (“hanging on the wall”).
He stresses his status and superiority over the envoy (and over his master, a mere Count) by using his wife’s title “Duchess”. He never refers to her by name, though he proudly tells the envoy the name of the painter (Fra Pandolf) and the name of the artist who cast the bronze sculpture (Claus of Innsbruck).
He despises the Duchess for her lack of discrimination “t’was not her husband’s presence only, called that spot of joy …..) (14-15) She was “too soon made glad, too easily impressed” (22-23) He implies that she should have reserved such looks for him in gratitude for the honour he has deigned to impose upon her by raising her to the status of not simply a Duchess, but his duchess, and giving her the “gift of a nine hundred years old name” (33).
The envoy is totally subject to the Duke’s will, and stands, sits or walks at his command. (5, 47, 53)
He is a man accustomed to being obeyed without question – it is enough to say “I gave commands” (45); there is no necessity to state that these were obeyed – that goes without question.
He states “I chuse never to stoop” (42-43). He is a man of great pride and arrogance. Although he confesses he does not have “skill in speech” to reprove the duchess for her behaviour, he would not do so even if he had this skill: “who’d stoop to blame this sort of trifling?” (34-35) Even though he despised his wife for her behaviour (38) it is beneath his dignity to respond to it. “… and even if she let Herself be lessoned so ….. E’en then it would be stooping” (39-42)
He states to the envoy “no just pretence of mine for dowry will be disallowed” (50-51) intimating that the Count will obviously be delighted to award any sum he names for the honour of marrying his daughter to the Duke with his ancient name.
He also implies that he has no need of the dowry “Though his fair daughter’s self … is my object”. His aim is to marry the Count’s daughter, but will she too be reduced to the status of an ‘object’ in his collection? Perhaps, as he immediately changes the subject and turns the envoy’s attention to the bronze sculpture, showing greater regard for his possessions and status than for his potential wife.
Control / manipulation.
The most obvious example of control is the painting itself. This is kept upstairs, away from the public rooms, and is kept behind a curtain which only he can open “none puts by the curtain … but I” (9-10) He chose “not to stoop” to control his wife in life, but now maintains complete control over her representation in death, deciding who may see the painting, and when the painting itself may be revealed. Is this a hint of his expectations for his second wife – total subjugation to his power?
The duke controls the situation and manipulates the envoy, telling him where and when to sit, whilst he himself remains standing. His physical presence thus dominates the envoy and maintains his position of power and dominance over the painting hanging on the wall.
The envoy never speaks. The duke controls the direction of his monologue, and manipulates the envoy into silence with a veiled threat “Strangers ……. seemed as they would ask me, if they durst ..” (7-11)
He controls the envoy’s gaze by directing him to objects he wishes him to see, and after viewing the painting, invites him to “go together down”(54). This places the envoy in the potentially uncomfortable position, of walking beside a man of high rank, rather than behind him.
The conversation about the dowry may also said to be manipulative. Is the Duke making the Count “an offer he can’t refuse”? He speaks of the Count’s “known munificence” (49), a statement which he apparently made before ( “ I repeat”) (48)
Cruelty
The Duke is certainly a cold man. He shows neither regard nor regret for the 1st duchess, and little for the potential second, referring to her only once in passing as the Count’s “fair daughter’s self”.
His behaviour and demeanour appear cruel to modern eyes, but this was common behaviour for Italian aristocrats. Dante describes various true stories of the cruelty of Italian nobles.
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He treated his last duchess with contempt, and she “disgusts” him; rather than teach her the correct way to behave he has her killed. He displays no other feeling, apart from his contempt, and moves easily from the suggestion of her murder to inviting the envoy to “meet the company below” (48), on the way casually pointing out another valuable possession “Notice Neptune, though, training a sea horse, thought a rarity,” (54)
Cowardice
The fact that the Duke “gave commands” for his wife’s murder must not be interpreted as cowardice. He is a man accustomed to being obeyed, and would feel such an act beneath the dignity of one who chooses “never to stoop” (43)
Lancashire suggests that he “betrays his obsessions by nervous mannerisms”; he repeats “there she stands” and “as if alive”. Is this pure admiration of the artist’s work, or does he feel some fear for his soul? Does his last duchess haunt his mind? He certainly keeps her curtained off so the she cannot “look everywhere” (24)
He relies upon his physical stature as well as his status to dominate and overpower others. Lancashire tells us that he is a tall man, so by standing whilst the envoy sits, and insisting they walk together down the stairs he demonstrates and emphasizes his physical dominance.
Sinister / macabre
Lines 1-5 could be the beginning of a love poem, a man mourning the loss of his beautiful young wife, but suddenly the tone changes. His conversation focuses upon a beautiful, playful and naïve innocent whom he despises for those very qualities. Rather than allow his young wife to mature in to womanhood, he orders her death at the age of 17.
Veiled threats are apparent; “ask me if they durst” – is this a warning to the envoy not to speak?
His repeated emphasis that the last duchess is “looking as if she were alive” give a macabre feel to the poem, particularly in conjunction with his statement “I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together” (45-46). The duke proudly intimates that he is responsible for his wife’s death, and yet insist others look at her portrait with that knowledge, and imagine her alive. It could perhaps be compared with hunters hanging stuffed heads of their prey on the wall!
In speaking repeatedly of the dowry (48), is there a veiled threat to the Count not to refuse the demands of a man of such status as the Duke? Talk of the dowry and the Count’s daughter follow immediately from the dukes tacit admission the he murdered his last duchess. Is this another threat? Will the Count’s daughter suffer the same fate should she not prove to be all he requires?
The cold demeanour of the duke, and his apparent lack of feeling for anything but his status and his possessions also give a macabre and sinister air to the poem. He speaks offhandedly about the death of the 1st duchess, but requires others to admire his painting and sculpture.
Finally, it is very macabre that the Duke should take the envoy to see the picture at all and regale him with a a long diatribe on his last duchess' shortcomings. The duke is wanting to marry the Count's daughter, and is (presumably) negotiating with the envoy. (think of this from your own perspective; how would your parents feel if someone wanted to marry you, but spent the entire time showing photographs of their late spouse, talking about how inadequate they were and then hinting that they were responsible for their death. What if you had no option but to marry this person - surely you might think it a bit sinister and macabre, and wonder if the same thing would happen to you!)