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Use of language and Word Choice in My Last Duchess Essay

Good Essays

‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue in which the Duke of Ferrara is discussing the matter of a dowry with an emissary sent by a Count. The use of dramatic monologue allows the poet to subtly reveal the personality of the persona to the reader.
The language used by the speaker allows the poet to evoke strong emotions in the reader.

The reader is given an early insight into the personality of the Duke in the very first line of the monologue:

‘That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall’

This early impression portrays the Duke as a very sophisticated man with a wealth of knowledge in art. This impression is continued when he mentions the very artist who painted the Duchess, ‘Fra Pandolf’.
However, …show more content…

This manner is not only continued, but emphasised further still when the Duke reverts to the subject of money, discussing the situation with the
‘dowry’. This shows how superficial and indeed shameful a person the
Duke is.

This shameful personality is brought out further still by the poet’s use of rhyme and rhythm, the very heart of the poem. The poet’s use of style represents the Duke himself- the poem has many example of rhyme, for example ‘Paint’ and ‘Faint’ and, ‘Durst and ‘First’- this would suggest that the persona was articulate. However, this is shown to be nothing more than a façade in the way in which the lines of the poem run together, showing that the poet is not as skilled in language as he would like to make out:

‘but/thanked/Somehow’

The Duke here is seen to be struggling to express himself, showing his lack of skill in language and emphasising that he has tried to create a false impression of himself. Even the rhythm of the poem, iambic pentameter, which is very regular and basic, reflects the simplicity of the speaker himself, in terms of his linguistic ability. The manner in which the Duke tries to cover up this limited ability emphasises his superficiality.

However, it is the poet’s clever use of word choice which is most effective in revealing the Duke’s personality.

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