Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”. I believe this quote can be representative of the Duchess’s life – her life before marrying the Duke being her birth, and her life after matrimony being in chains. In Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess”, the Duke’s possessiveness has little to do with his wife and everything to do with his need for power. Characteristics such as dominance, arrogance, pride, and jealousy create evidence to support his narcissism. In fact, the Duke’s lack of remorse is regretful situations hints to possible sociopathic tendencies.
The most prominent characteristic of the Duke is his controlling nature and need to assert power. He chooses his words tactfully in a way that most highlights his authority. In the beginning of his soliloquy to the envoy he tells him “Will’t please you sit and look at her? (Browning line 5)” and nearly ends with “Will’t please you rise? (Browning line 47)”. These repeated requests are a way for the Duke to puppeteer his guest and assert which one of them is in charge.
Furthermore, he states that only he has the authority to showcase the artwork by pulling aside the curtain. However, this was an unnecessary statement, as the painting resides in his home and is his property. The way he treats the Count’s envoy is symbolic parallelism with his marriage. He saw his wife as a beautiful piece of artwork to be seen and hidden away at his will. The Duke takes every opportunity presented to him that allows an accentuation of his control and power.
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There is no questioning the Duke’s arrogance and pride. He felt a certain gratitude was owed to him for graciously bestowing his wife with “his gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name (Browning line 33)” and believes she was ungrateful for her acquired title. The Duke mentions his lineage to boast about his wealth and nobility. An article by Robert James Reese states, “The way in which the duke repeatedly mentions the name Frà Pandolf suggest a self-pride in the fact that he was able to hire such a famous painter.”
The Duke chooses to repeatedly say the artist’s name when a simple replacement noun would suffice ensures both his refinement and ability to hire such a famous painter are noticed. Additionally, I view the attention directed towards the bronze statue of Neptune taming a seahorse holds more meaning than a simple warning for his wives to come tame. This bronze statue is another way for the Duke to showcase his wealth and fine taste.
The Duke is a jealous man, and this becomes apparent during the speech he gives the envoy. He viewed his wife as an object and a piece of artwork to be placed on display. The Duchess is described as having been too nice and too easily impressed by others. He makes certain gibes at his late wife, such that the blush on her cheeks was never only caused by her husband. It made the Duke angry to see his wife’s joy fulfilled by cherries brought by some “officious fool” and did not wish to share her with anyone. According to the Duke, even the smile she bestowed upon him supposedly differed from the lovely smile she bestowed upon others. And while the Duke is inclined to place all the blame on his late wife, he never attempted to voice his concerns with the Duchess. Instead, he prefers a union that reflects the statue of Neptune taming a seahorse.
During Browning’s time women were allotted little regarding legalities. In no election could they vote or even possess a copyright of their own works. By marrying, a woman essentially became her husband’s property – they both held the man’s signature and any property she owned as a maiden or from her dowry became his (Clough 2018). And being granted a divorce during this time was a literal act of Parliament. Therefore, how could Victorian women – especially those of higher station, like the Duchess – expect to be anything but mere objects and property when law condemned them to such a fate? The Duchess was inevitably facing a life of submission, with the card of life stacked against her.
There is no mistaking the Duke’s controlling nature and need to be in charge. His own desires, as well as the discrimination placed on women by society, ultimately leads to the potential death of the Duchess. During his soliloquy to the Count’s envoy, the Duke says, “I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together.”. This statement suggests once the Duke grew tired of watching his wife share smiles with others, he decided it was no longer an issue he needed to tolerate. Hence, he ordered the murder of his last Duchess.
There is no evidence to suggest the Duke has any remorse for his actions. The lack of control over the Duchess was the only reasoning he had for commandeering such a heinous crime. The Duke condemns his Duchess for her flirtatious behavior. He places all fault on his wife for not being the perfect, obedient ornament he desired. It is my belief that he cares little for his wives, and cares everything about their submissiveness. A normal man, even in rage, would likely feel regretful after having a hand in the murder of his wife. The fact the Duke does not suggests certain signs of Sociopathy. Though the Duke expresses no anti-social behaviors, it is clear he harbors no moral compass or conscience. He views his action as righteous, and that is terrifying in and of itself.
The Duke is also a very conceited man. He believes that his title, lineage, and wealth place him above others. Small annoyances – like killing his wife, apparently – should not fall directly on his shoulders. This is a man too important to bother himself with communicating to his wife of his unhappiness. Instead, he simply has her killed.
