'My Last Duchess' is a dramatic monologue by Robert Browning, depicting a duke speaking about a portrait of his late wife. The poem explores themes of power, control, jealousy, and pride. Set in a Renaissance-era Italian palace, the duke reveals his demeanor and attitudes through his words, often hinting at underlying cruelty. Browning uses subtle hints and irony to show how the duke perceives his wife and his authority. The poem's tone is authoritative yet sinister, with the duke’s words revealing more than he intends. Notable phrases include 'That piece a wonder, now,' which hints at his feelings about the portrait, and 'I gave commands; then all smiles stopped,' suggesting his role in her demise. Students should focus on how Browning’s tone, word choice, and poetic structure convey the complex dynamics of power and manipulation in relationships.

‘That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, / 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 / Strangers like you that pictured countenance, / The depth and passion of its earnest glance, / But to myself they turned, since none puts by / The curtain I have drawn around my lady / And I have not / The heart — how shall I say? — / Too soon made glad, / Too easily impressed; she liked whate'er / She looked on, and her looks went everywhere / Sir, 't was all one! / My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name / Is but a trifling matter; / But I / Decide / The temper of my lady’s disposition / In the very window of my palace / Tell / The depth and passion of her glance, / She liked whate'er / She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.