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Browning's poems are studies of the character. They are studies of the other men. The poet stands apart and gives his characters a platform and lets them speak to us, and as they speak they unfold their character. It was for this purpose that Browning invented a new genre of poetry known as dramatic monologue or dramatic lyric. It has a few well-defined characteristics. It is a compromise between the drama, the soliloquy and the lyric. The author keeps himself entirely in the background and so it is essentially dramatic. As only one character speaks it is a monologue. The monologue is essentially a lyrical outpouring or a subjective self-examination.
"My Last Duchess" is one of Browning's finest
dramatic monologues. The poem proves
that Browning is a matchless master of this kind of poetry. The poem also reveals the poet's deep
understanding of human character and capacity to present it in the most
dramatic and impressive manner. As in
the other monologues here also the chief character is the speaker of the
monologue. Here there is only one
listener, who does not speak anything at all.
The central character of our poem is an Italian nobleman who intends to
marry the daughter of a rich count, whose agent is the silent listener. As his speech goes on we come to understand
the character and outlook of the man. As
he narrates his relationship with his wife point by point our understanding of
him gets widened. Browning is a master
of delineating the complex inner life of men.
Here we find the Duke talking about his last Duchess, but in fact he
speaks more about himself.
listen to : Short summary of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning
Usually what Browning does in his dramatic monologue is to bring the speaker before us at a crucial moment when he is most likely to reveal his character. In 'My Last Duchess' the apt moment is when the Count's agent has come to conclude the negotiations regarding the proposal of a union between the count's daughter and the Duke. It is quite natural that the Duke would look back into the past and think about his first wife and his relationship with her. The snobbish Duke must have taken the agent around the house and on reaching the art gallery he must have shown the portrait of his last Duchess. Explaining to the agent the reason behind the depth of the passion and earnest glance on the face of the portrait, the Duke briefly reveals the character of his former wife, wand in the process lays bare his own egotism, possessiveness and cruelty.
The dramatic situation and the presence of a listener is
very subtly and cleverly suggested by the occasional direct address made by the
Duke to the count's agent. Indirectly we
see his curiosity to take a look at the curtained portrait and then his desire
to know how such an expression of intense joy happened on the face of the
portrait. This gives occasion to the
Duke to describe his former wife's character and the way in which he treated
her. His cruelty, his egotism, his
jealousy minus love are all revealed to us.
Finally there is a suggestion that the agent stood back as they began to
descend the steps so that the Duke may proceed.
However the Duke invites the agent to walk abreast and as they step down
he points to a bronze statue of Neptune, remarking that it is a rare piece.
The poem is thus a very good
example of a dramatic monologue. It is full of action, not merely
a long soliloquy delivered by a character. It is dramatic, however small
the compass may be, and it projects before us a vivid picture of all the
emotion natural to a character.
listen to : Detailed Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning
