Why did the Duke kill the lady?
Why did the Duke kill the lady?
Introduction
There are certain poems which are beautiful in terms of poetic structure but depict a gruesome tale of barbarism and conservatism. One of such works is The Last Duchess by Robert Browning which was written in the first half of 19th century ("Applying Modern Critical Theory to Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess"”, Allingham). When one reads along the rhythm of its iambic pentameter, it seems like a poetic essence on drift. But, the fact is that these mesmerising lines are telling the story of a fanatical Duke who was displeased with his wife’s jolly nature. It has been indicated that the Duke got the Duchess killed. And the poem is voicing his sick perspective on the entire issue (The Poems of Browning: 1841-1846, 1991). This short essay explores the reasons behind why the Duke got the Duchess killed. And that reason can be summed up as follows: Duke was obsessed and could not stand the idea of his wife being happy with anyone other than him. So, to confine her smiles and pleasures to himself, he got the Duchess killed and let a painting of hers adorn a wall behind a curtain so that no one he could see her smile.
The Male Ego
When a line-by-line analysis is done, there are numerous instances in the poem which shows a
major reason behind the Duchess’s killing- male ego. The Lines 13, 14 and 15 depict how angry and offended the Duke became to see the Duchess happy with people other than him-
'twas not// Her husband's presence only, called that spot// Of joy into the Duchess' cheek: perhaps-’. Also, he showed the violent aspect of his reaction to this behaviour of duchess in lines 17 to 19- "Paint// Must never hope to reproduce the faint//Half-flush that dies along her throat".
Demeaning Womanhood
The best possible proof of no respect for womanhood in the poem is line 31- ‘She thanked men, — good!’. The Duke believed the man should be thanked for everything but she was wrong in choosing who to thank. In lines 37 to 41, it is clearly shown how the Duke imposed his ideology on her- ‘"Just this//Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,// Or there exceed the mark" — and if she let// Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set // Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse/”. He has shown that the Duchess crossed the limit and so she should be punished for it severely. He again indicated in the following 2 lines that it was not the man but woman who should has to debase herself and surrender- “--E'en then would be some stooping, and I chooseNever to stoop..”.
Killing the Duchess for a disillusioned possession
It is very clear how the Duke feels triumphant to confine the smile of Duchess and disillusion of her loyalty to him by hanging her painting on wall, behind the curtain. There is an indirect indication of that he gave orders for killing her which put an end to the smiles (lines 45-46).
Conclusion
It was a sick male ego and violent obsession of keeping the wife completely under one’s control was the root cause behind the Duchess’s killing.
References
- The Victorian Web. Philip V. Allingham. "Applying Modern Critical Theory to Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess"”. Retrieved on 29 April 2013 From Web http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/rb/duchess/pva264.html
- Robert Browning, John Woolford, Daniel Karlin. The Poems of Browning: 1841-1846, Pearson Education 518 pages. p. 157. (1991).
