Use of language and Word Choice in My Last Duchess Essay -- Robert Bro

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue in whichthe Duke of Ferrara is discussing the matter of a dowry with anemissary displace by a Count. The use of dramatic monologue tout ensembleows thepoet to subtly reveal the personality of the persona to the reader.The language used by the speaker allows the poet to evoke unvoicedemotions in the reader.The reader is given an early insight into the personality of the Dukein the very first line of the monologueThats my last Duchess painted on the wallThis early impression portrays the Duke as a very sophisticated manwith a wealth of knowledge in art. This impression is continued whenhe mentions the very artist who painted the Duchess, Fra Pandolf.However, even at this early stage there are some hints that the Dukemay not be all that he claims to be- the use of the word My is verypossessive, perhaps suggesting that the duke sees the Duchess as nomore than an object. Furthermore the use of the word Last impliesthat there ha ve been many Duchesses and that the eponymous individualis just the most recent, suggesting that the Duke may be dishonest.This aspect of the personas character is confirmed later in themonologue, when the Duke saysShe liked whateer she looked onAnd her looks went everywhereHere the Duke is challenging the morality of the Duchess, clearlysuggesting that she has been unfaithful to him, showing his jealousy.This jealousy is aimed principally at Fra Pandolf, who he thinks istrying to seduce his fiance. This seems quite risible to the reader asFra Pandolf is a religious man and so this suggests that the Duke is adeeply insecure and extremely jealous persona. Of course thisinsecurity even... ...Then all smiles stopped togetherThe use of the word commands here yet again shows the possessivenature of the Duke and the alliteration in the phrase smiles stoppedemphasises it, which makes the awfulness of the Dukes actions clearto the reader. Even the use of the personal pronoun I, something which is used repeatedly towards the end of the poem, emphasises thesuperficiality of the Duke and this leaves the reader feeling nothingless than hatred for him.In his dramatic monologue My Last Duchess, Robert Browningsuccessfully uses language, particularly word choice to graduallyreveal the character of the Duke of Ferrara. The reader starts offbeing moderately unsure about the Duke but this quickly turns to hatredas he describes the murder of the Duchess. This revelation ofcharacter make the poem exciting and very pleasurable to read.