My Last Duchess

"My Last Duchess", by Robert Browning, is a poem telling a story, [?wealthy of - I think you mean rich in] various poetic techniques and literary devices. The title of this poem reveals that the speaker, a duke, [?which is - or 'i.e.'] "a sovereign prince who rules an independent duchy in some European countries" according to dictionary.com, is referring to his last wife. The story of this poem perhaps has a historical allusion: a reference to a similar occurrence in history. The speaker, in "My Last Duchess", talks about his last wife pointing to a painting of her on the wall. Personification is used when the speaker says, "Looking as if she were alive", [I wouldn't really call this personification. Look up 'pathetic fallacy'. It's only a very mild case of p.f., though, as one would expect a portrait to 'look alive'] in order to describe the painting's beauty since it looks so real. This could also suggest that the duchess is not alive. The speaker goes on [?to utter about - not really idiomatic; 'to talk about'] the painting, as he, again, uses personification which is symbolizing the "depth" and "passion" of the painting, and revealing his last wife's glamour. [Think 'irony' here. Do you notice anything about the way the duke talks about the painting, and the way he talks about the actual person?] The duke discloses his protectiveness of his wife as he uses a metaphor, in the parentheses in lines eight and nine, about curtains that only he has permission to draw. The phrase "spot of joy" in lines fourteen and fifteen is a metaphor comparing the splendour and beauty of the duchess's cheek which caught a lot of attention. [Perhaps she just blushed very easily.] The speaker later employs personification [?to describe how the duchess looked at everything and everywhere - You may want to reconsider this.]. This had seemingly bothered the duke [very much so - not really idiomatic; either 'very much' or 'a great deal']. The imagery and examples provided in lines twenty-five throughout thirty-one let [?the leader - 'the reader'?] know that the duchess was too flirtatious and friendly for the duke's liking. [I should say so.] The simile??, in lines thirty-one and thirty-two, contrast the way she thanked men to the way she supposedly disvalued the duke's family history and prestige. [?This further portrays - 'This is further evidence of'] her flirty nature in the eyes of the duke. The speaker, then, presents irony as he articulates he has no speech skills, despite the rhyme scheme in which he speaks in. [I don't think we're meant to think that the duke is conscious of speaking in rhyme. It is indeed deliberate irony, on the duke's part, though: he has been extremely eloquent so far.] Browning

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