My last Duchess

Blake Fletcher

AP English

My Last Duchess

1. officious |əˈfi sh əs|

adjective

assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, esp. with regard to petty or trivial matters

 munificent |myoŏˈnifəsənt; myə-|

adjective

(of a gift or sum of money) larger or more generous than is usual or necessary

2. The Duke seems to be talking to a person who has come to negotiate a marriage with the duke. I think that the Duke talking about the duchess is a side story or a digression.

3. The Duke is a scary guy who seems to think himself better than anyone else and everything he does is the right thing to do. The way he thinks of himself is the complete opposite he does think he is better than everyone else and he thinks everything he does and says is just.

4. The duke seems to be dissatisfied with his last duchess because she was a flirt. He seems to be a very settle down type gent. I think that he is upset that maybe his last duchess did not want to be with him and maybe showed it by being more friendly with other guys. It could have been sexual jealousy.

5. The Italian renaissance is shown in this poem by the arranged marriages and the painting showing power. I think that the Duke is genuinely upset looking at the photo but not so much for her death but more because she didn’t love him.

6. I think that the Duke had the duchess killed. I think this because he said “[he] gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together.” That just strikes me as having someone killed. I am glad though that Browning did not reveal what happened because it leaves the poem more capable of being interpreted differently.