My Last Duchess Blog

In reading My Last Duchess there are a few things that the speaker says that might shock the reader. For example, he all but confesses to having his wife killed and despite being considerably wealthy the obvious object of his courtship of another young lady is for yet more money. However, the most shocking part of Ferrara’s tale is his attitude towards women. It is so disconcerting that it leaves the reader feeling nothing but disgust and disdain for this man.

One of the most evident character flaws in Ferrara is his love for objects. This becomes apparent early in the poem when he shows the envoy the painting of his first wife. He begins by discussing not the woman whose death ought to have had a large impact upon his life but the painter and the painting’s detail. Only after this does he go into detail about his first wife. This gives the reader an insight into the man’s priorities. This shows how the man is more interested in the monetary value of objects rather than the emotional value.

Further into the poem Ferrara begins to discuss what bothers him most about the woman. He says that she was overly joyful and, “too soon made glad.” He hints that she may have had other lovers but continues that she also enjoyed sunsets and cherries and other such pleasures. Somehow, he finds this to be offensive and rather than appreciating her warm-heartedness he detests it. Knowing this makes the reader almost understand her unfaithful ways as any man should seem to appear more appealing than a man whose most prized possession is his “nine-hundred-years-old name.” From this section one can deduce that the speaker believes that simple pleasures should not contend with the happiness that a good social standing provides.

Also, Ferrara shares his view on a woman’s position in a marriage. She is to obey her husband and to be pleased to share his name. His digression to his statue of Neptune taming a seahorse is important in showing his feelings towards what an ideal relationship ought to be. The man, in Ferrara’s mind, is to be the god and the one with all the authority whereas the woman needs to act as his obedient and tamed pet. He should be the only one to make her smile, he should be the only pleasure in her life and he should be obeyed at all times. His wife’s failure to comply with what he deemed to be proper was enough to anger him to the point of having her killed.

This stance, that men are the predominant gender and that women should obey, is shocking to the modern audience that lives in a time when equality is increasingly important. Moreover, Ferrara’s belief that women should only show happiness in the presence of their husbands is ludicrous and selfish. The speaker in Browning’s poem is shockingly heartless and his views on women and their “place” in a relationship are offensive.