Last Duchess

An Analysis of Browning's "My Last Duchess"

Browning's "My Last Duchess" begins with an informal construction ("That's my last duchess") establishing the wistful, conversational tone with which Browning's Alfonso speaks of his late wife in the dramatic monologue style so frequently employed by the poet. This paper will analyze the poem from the standpoint of a formalist literary critic, evaluating Browning's "Duchess" according to language, structure, tone, imagery, plot, and other devices.

The plot of Browning's dramatic monologue is simple: Alfonso is strolling both literally and figuratively down memory lane -- a hall which houses a painting (by Fra Pandolf, we are told) of his late wife. The recollections stirred by the painting's viewing reveal the characters of both Alfonso and his "last duchess," and end suddenly, as though the narrator were content to muse only a moment. Ironically, the poem ends as it begins -- seemingly spontaneously...
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