My Last Dutchess Character Analyzing

My last Duchess

"That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, looking as if she were alive." The duck of Ferrara starts his monologue with a sight of regret that raises the sympathy of the readers and makes them feel that he had lost his beloved wife and is very upset about that. However, in the next few sentences he reveals the dark side of his character and brings the readers to a realization that the Duck of Ferrara is not a noble gentle man. In fact, he is a hysteric murderer who has killed his wife and is very arrogant, possessive, and oppressive.

Like many other renaissance Ducks, The duck of Ferrara is very arrogant and selfish. He is very proud of himself and his ancestors. He believes it is his wife's privilege to be married with him and she should be thankful for "the gift of a nine-hundred -year's-old name" that he gave her. The fact that "[his] favor at her breast, the dropping of the daylight in the west, the bough of cherries some officious fool broke in the orchard for her...all and each would draw from her alike the approving speech" disgusts him. He thinks he should be treated specially not like anyone else and with "Much the same smile," but he can not stoop "to blame this sort of trifling."

Duck of Ferrara is very materialist, possessive and greedy. He has a sense of ownership and a strong desire to control everything. He thinks of his wife's picture only as a fine art work and refers to it as "a piece of wonder." Her pure emotions and sentimental nature are more disgusting for him rather than fascinating. He thinks that her heart was "too soon made glad, too easily impressed." He even wants to control her looks and complains, "She liked whate'er she looked on, and her looks went everywhere." He thinks his wife is a part of his belonging "My duchess" and wants to monopolize her both physically and emotionally. "Sir, 'twas not her husband's presence only, called that spot of joy into the Duchess's check" When the Duchess was alive, the Duck could not control her smile and her love for life and nature. Therefore, he kills her and places the picture behind a curtain so that "... none puts by the curtain [he has] drawn for [her], but [him]." He also has a complete control upon the conversation and guides the listener by telling him what to do: "will it please you sit and look at her", "Will you please rise," and after talking about the picture