Tuesday, December 3, 2019

My Last Duchess final paper Essays - Royalty, Princesses, Nobility

"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is a Victorian poem that demonstrates the power of voice. This poem is narrated by the Duke of Ferrara who uses his voice to gain control of those around him. He even speaks for his deceased wife, only explaining his view of the situation proceeding her death. While the Duke has a voice his former wife is encapsulated by silence and isolation. The Duke determines who is allowed to see her portrait, and decides which part of her story he wants to share. this section will analyze the silence forced upon the Duchess, and will demonstrate how the form of the poem expresses the controlling voice the Duke maintains throughout the work. "My Last Duchess" is a poem that demonstrates the silence enforced upon a Duchess, emphasized by the isolation created by her former husband. From the very beginning of the poem the Duchess is shown as alone and isolated, That's my las Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive' (1-2). The Duchess is physically attached to the wall as a portrait, and cannot interact with those around her. she is a strict observer, watching others interact as she merely looks on. The Duke has even limited the amount of people that can see her, But to myself they turned (since none puts by/The curtain I have drawn for you, but I / And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, /How such a glance came there; so, not the first /Are you to turn and ask thus' (9-13). She is isolated behind a curtain, and cannot control the amount she is hidden or shown. Though there are some select few that are shown her portrait, she cannot speak for herself. They supposedly have questions about her, but t he Duke answers all questions himself. Even while the Duchess was alive, the Duke does not express that she had a voice. He describes her, Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, /Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without /Much the same smile?' (43-45) According to the Duke, she always smiled, but does not make reference to any words that she spoke. On line 13 he makes a similar statement, Sir, twas not /Her husband's presence only, called that spot /Of joy into the Duchess' cheek' (14-15). The Duke describes her physical presence but does not speak about her oral communication. Although it goes without saying that she did indeed vocalize her feelings while she was alive, the fact that the Duke never makes reference to her speaking supports the idea of silence and isolation forced upon the woman. Her words did not seem to matter before her death, nor do they matter now. Because she is never described as having a voice, she is almost forced into being a mere inanimate object even while ali ve, as opposed to a living, opinionated, or interactive human being. An example is Robin Lakoff who explains the importance of language and interaction with woman. Speech about women implies an object, whose sexual nature requires euphemism, and whose social roles are derivative and dependent in relation to men. The personal identity of women thus is linguistically submerged; the language works against treatment of women, as serious persons with individual views' (Lakoff 45). The entirety of the reader's perception of the Duchess is dependent on the men around her. Every representation of her is linked to the actions or perceptions of a man, and never about her as a human being. The men in her life overshadow any of her interests, thoughts, or accomplishments. Lackoff explains the importance of proper representation, In appropriate women's speech, strong expression of feeling is avoided, expression of uncertainty is favored, and means of expression in regard to subject-matter deemed trivial' to the real' world are elaborated'(45). By only expressing that the Duchess smiled often, the Duke portrays her in a trivial manner. He removes any of her strong expressions of feeling, and describes her as flirtatious and trivial. Lackoff continues by explaining how this behavior is detrimental to women, Our use of language embodies attitude as well as referential meanings. Woman's language' has a foundation the attitude that women are marginal

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