What is the poem 'My Last Duchess' about?

A dramatic monologue is by definition one person's speech, it is offered without over analysis of commentary, placing emphasis on subjective qualities that are left to the audience to interpret. This technique originally achieved its distinction through Robert Browning's literature. La belle dame sans merci is a literary Ballad in twelve short stanzas of four lines and is structured like a dialogue between the knight and an unknown person. Equally from both Browning poems they are from single speakers (which is not the poet) illustrating a certain stipulation and from this we learn a lot of information that regard the narrators character and personal views on the caution. All three poems have been written in a male point of view and I feel they have done this to involve the reader more because it depicts strong emotions (such as jealousy and hate) and sudden changes in moods. Both Browning poems have alike appearances but receive different reactions from the readers once they have been read this style of writing receives different interpretations. The Duke reveals himself to be a questionable and potentially dangerous match who is very controlling and yet out of control. This obsession is evident in the dramatic monologue's use of rhyming couplets because they should be rhymed and end-stopped but many of the lines feature enjambment, with the dukes Words pushing over the lines:

"Looking as if she were alive. I call

That piece a wonder, now: Fra Pandolf's hands

Worked busily a day, and there she stands.

Will't please you sit and look at her? I said

"Fra Pandolf" by design, for never read"

This is not pure coincidence browning has set out to do this. The emjambment exemplifies that the duke is out of control.

The rhyme scheme of the poem helps to establish the mindset of the lover. Upon first glance, the rhyme scheme seems odd and disjointed. More careful inspection reveals an

Pattern of ABABB: every two non-indented lines rhyme and every three indented lines rhyme. So there is in fact logic behind the somewhat chaotic structure. This mirrors the lover's own mindset. He is obviously disturbed (chaotic) but within his own mind there is a very strict logic, and he can justify his actions to himself. The repetition of certain Words, such as Fra Pandolf and smile, suggest that the Duke has some sort of jealous fixation. The Duke does not mention Fra Pandolf to show admiration; he repeats the name to suggest that "perhaps Fra Pandolf chanced to say, 'Her mantle laps Over my Lady's wrist too much'" in an attempt to seduce the Duchess. The Word, smile, is tied to the Duke's suspicions about the Duchess' behaviour toward men.