The duke virtually suffered of megalomania, as he considered himself to be an almost supernatural being which had been endowed with the power to control other people's lives. The duke did not consider his wife to be more than a simple object, as he almost identified her with a painting. Furthermore, he believed his wife to be similar to something that could simply be replaced when it finished serving its purpose.

It seems that the duke does not actually want his listener to become acquainted with the fact that he had been responsible for his wife's death. Being captured in the monologue, he constantly gives clues that have the audience become more and more certain that the duke's dissatisfaction with his wife behavior had materialized in her death. Because of the stressful situation, the duke's speech is disorganized and full of anger, revealing the fact that "his" duchess had performed...
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