Purposes of the Dramatic Monologue in My Last Duchess by...

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue spoken by the Duke Ferrari. It highlights the jealous and sadistic nature of his character and the weirdness that surrounds his late wife’s demise. A dramatic monologue is a kind of poem whereby a single fictional or historical character other than the poet is made to speak to a silent audience, in this case, only the main character is allowed to talk. The purpose of the monologue is to not to disclose the poet’s own ideas but the thoughts of the lead character in the poem. (Christopher Baldick 1) .In the process, personality of the main character is revealed by the poet. In My Last Duchess, the duke is speaking to a aristocrat of a wealthy count. Before the commencement of†¦show more content†¦However, he betrays some aspects of his character by the manner in which the Duke gaily skims over the subject of the portrait, his last duchess.† It implies to the reader that though, he has lost a spouse, he does not seem aggrieved by the said loss. He speaks in a inconsiderate, dismissive manner such that, within his first line of speech, reveals him to be useless and very materialistic, and undisturbed with the loss of his previous duchess. While describing the duchess, the Duke further reveals his scrofulous character by unconsciously contrasting it against her more admirable nature. Qualities in the duchess that the duke perceives as improper are, in fact, aspects of her character that humanize her and make her more compassionate to the reader. For example, the duke was flabbergasted at the duchess outlook on life, her joie de vivre, adage, She had a heart - how shall I say?/ too soon made glad (ll. 21-22). The duchess capability to take pleasure in the simplest aspects of life, such as a bowl of cherries, her white mule, or the sunset angered the duke and filled him with hate. He felt that he should be the only one to make her happiness, but he failed to do so because the simplest gestures of kindness or beautiful things could. What seems most shocking of all to the speaker is that she appreciated others for their kindness in a way that to him seemed to demean his greatest gift: his title. SheShow MoreRelatedRobert Browning and the Dramatic Monologue1390 Words   |  6 Pages2004 Robert Browning and the Dramatic Monologue Controlling Purpose: to analyze selected works of Robert Browning. I. Brief overview of Browning A. Greatest Poet B. Family Life II. Brief overview of My Last Duchess A. Descriptive adjectives B. Cause for death C. Description of his wife III. Definition of Dramatic Monologue IV. Comments by Glenn Everett A. Point of View B. Tone C. Audience Imagination V. 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