Tuesday, October 10, 2017

My Last Duchess

"My Last Duchess" When reading "My Last Duchess" at first it was quite confusing. The narrator doesn''t finish his thoughts at the ending of every line which kept me guessing and trying to piece it all together. After reading it the third time I finally came to understand exactly what he was trying to say. The narrator was a troubled powerful man who was showing Offa piece of art to another man, but little did he know at first what exactly that painting meant. First, I would like to describe a little bit about the poem.

The narrator was a Duke, and his last duchess was a beautiful young woman, but she as too intrigued by everything she saw. She was also, "too nice" in his eyes, because the smile she always gave him for his brilliance, he could see she would also give it to the world. In the beginning of the poem the narrator is already speaking toa man and showing off his painting on the wall done by Fra Pandolf. He makes sure he states the artist name because he know he will soon be asked the question of how he captured such a wonderful painting. The Duke goes on to say: "How such a glance came there; so, not the first Are you to turn and ask thus.

Sir, ''twas not Her husband''s presence only, called that spot Of Joy into the Duchess'' cheek: perhaps Fra Pandolf chanced to say "Her mantle laps Over my ladys wrist too much," or "Paint Must never hope to reproduce the faint Half-flush that dies along her throat": such stuff Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough For calling up that spot of Joy. " (12-21) The Duke is there stating how he knows his duchess was so naive and so delighted by such flirting and by a man Just simply being nice enough to give her a compliment that she would suddenly blush and smile.

You can then come to see that the narrator is a Jealous man and probably insecure as well. He did not like to share, nor did he like to be belittled or made a fool. I wouldn''t say that he was a bad man, but more of a complicated soul. Why? He says: "Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, Whene''er I passed her; but who passed without Much the same smile? " (43-45) Those words are clearly stating his trouble with Jealousy. He needs to be in control and the one and only. Possession even comes to mind. Because of such Jealousy, and such pride he let it all get the best of him.

He is a moral man and in high command. Such high command that he knows of what his powers allow him to do. Which such power shows that he is unsympathetic. I believe his biggest conflict throughout the poem was him coming to realize what exactly he had done, and why exactly he had done it. By saying the words out loud and hearing them being spoken he could see what kind of man he truly was, or at least I could. He didn''t know how to control his duchess of being such an intrigued naive beauty, nor did he know how to deal with it emotionally and mentally.

Which leads me to the ending of the poem, while the duke and explaining how he lost the first one. I quote, Robert Brownings states in the following lines, "This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together. " (45-46) Here he shows his power and his Jealousy. He says how he gave commands to have her killed so that her beautiful smile which she gave to all who intrigued her would no longer be. This was his way of keeping himself sane and at peace and to know he had the last say, he control over her.

I guess you could call this man in love, and one who is troubled in his own green monster of Jealousy. Up until that last part, which I stated above, I thought of him as a troubled man, in love, and confused on how to handle his Jealousy. I didn''t think of his as cruel or crazy, Just a little thoughtless, which is ironic because clearly he gave a lot of thought in his last commands. The part of the poem which made me think of his being a little crazy was the ending of the poem, where he switches off like a light. Stating: " There she stands As if alive. Will''t please you rise? We''ll meet

The company below, then... ... Nay, we''ll go Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though, Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me! " (46-56) He is there, reminiscing almost, about his old beautiful wife, in front of the man who is negotiating his new marriage to another young girl, and you can see how he pours his old life out to this man and then completely Just stops and starts to talk about a meaning sculpture as if nothing has happened, as if he didn''t have his last wife killed. That is what made be believe he is almost heartless.

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