My Last Duchess

Robert Browning
That’s my last duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive, I call
That piece a wonder,
This is the dramatic. That is the portrait of my last duchess painted on the wall,
with the skill of greatness as if she seems to be alive. That portrait seems an
excellence of art.

Now Fra Pandolf’s hands

Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
The duke must have ordered that portrait should be completed in a day, Fra
Pandolf is the artist, who made portrait, he worked very busily and completed in a
day, painting is now completed and there she stands means painting is now on
the wall. This is the piece of wonder as if she appears to be alive.

Will it please you sit and look at her?

Duke seems to be talking with an audience, and he is addressing them,
inviting them will it please them to sit and look at her (duchess’s)
portrait.

I said Fra Pandolf by design for never read

Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
He deliberately asked Fra Pandolf to sit and look at duchess for making portrait,
he has never allowed any strangers to look at her and her facial expressions
created on the duchess’s face. Nobody has the dare to look at the face
expressions and read the countenance of her face.
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned.
For knowing her depth and passion of inner soul, everybody would have to turn to
me or it would be known through me.

Since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I
Nobody was allowed to draw the curtain and have a look at
countenance and interpret the inner soul and mind from the
countenance of duchess.

And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,

How such a glance came there
How the expression came there on the face of duchess, no one would
dare to put that question in front of me. If they are daring and wanted
to know then they would put the question. Duchess is smiling but
nobody has courage to ask me why she is smiling. It’s he the duke who
can only explain her smile.

So not the first are you to turn and as thus.

It’s not only you who has asked about the countenance of the duchess, many
have asked earlier.

Sir it was not her husband’s presence only, called that spot
Of joy into the duchess’s cheek;
If there is a spot of joy a feeling, that indicates that joy, if that spot of joy has been
called in the cheeks of the beloved, it was not because she was looking at the
husband.

Perhaps Fra Pandolf chanced to say, her mantle laps

Over my lady’s wrist too much,
It was not his presence that made her to blush, rather it might have been there
this kind of casual remark, which the painter might have made, painter might
have said that your mangle is either less or more than your wrist that remark
would have possibly made her smile.

Or paint must never hope to reproduce the faint

Half flush that dies along her throat.
Other reason of her smiling or spot of joy could be, painter might have said
countess, that your half flush can’t be painted which is along your throat, first
reason is remark on the mantle on wrist and second is this.

Such stuff was courtesy she thought and cause enough

For calling up that spot of joy.
Fra Pandolf’s remark was courteous, which brought spot of joy on her face that
was courtesy for the duchess. She thought it not much important whereas for
duke it was important, that was something very serious for duke. This is all duke’s
imagination these two remarks could be the reasons of joy on her face.

She had a heart how shall I say, too soon made glad
Too easily impressed she liked whatever
She looked on and her looks went everywhere.
What should I say, how her heart was that is to say how her heart’s bending
towards something was, easily should be made glad on any small remark or any
appreciation, and that heart could have been impressed very easily, how her
heart was that he could not explain, it was mysterious for duke. To consider
courtesy to any remark is blow the dignity of a duchess, specially one who is wife
of the duke. These remarks depict the character of duchess, it seems to feel, she
had a tender heart and kind of humanistic. Being a duchess she was not
distinctive, rather she was an ordinary woman, she could not make difference in
common thing and special thing that was the reason she used to become glad on
every remark. Her looks were not restricted to her husband. Also character of
duke seems to be very jealous and egoistic.

Sir it was all one my favor at her breast,

The dropping of the daylight in the west,
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule
She rode with round the terrace all and each,
would draw from her, alike the approving speech,
Or blush at least.
Here we see the lack of distinction she could make in things gifted by her husband
or any ordinary person, which duke felt very alarming in judging her. She could
not preserve distinction that the gift of the husband is something different, or the
presentation of bunch of cherries by the fool orchard, an ordinary person and the
mule which she was riding, all these things treated alike by the duchess. They
drew from her same kind of appreciation, same kind of happiness and joy. There
lack the distinction of the duke. She had same kind of impressions for everyone
and I didn’t like it. To her husband for gift, or to the fool orchard even to the mule
she rode on, she had same approving speech or remarks for everyone.

She thanked men-good! but thanked

Somehow I know not how as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred years old name
With anybody’s gift.
Thanking is good, but she treated my gift which is nine hundred years old ancestry
with the same impressions she thanked an orchard who presented any
ordinary bunch of cherries, and the mule she rode on. She should have
treated like a duchess, not being too much humanistic. No distinction
she had observed in the gift she had received from her husband which
was nine hundred years ancestry. This was duke’s false ego he was
entertaining and the sense of pride that he had.

Who’d stoop to blame

This sort of trifling? Even had you skill
In speech which I have not to make your will
Quite clear to such an one and say just this
Or that in you disgusts me here you miss
Or there exceed the mark
Why she should not know the distinction in ordinary things and the things which
are related to me which are special, if I tell her to make distinction in things that
would be stoop for me she is the duchess she by herself have clear sense of the
things. She should know that nine hundred years of aristocracy is something
different and a gift from an ordinary orchard is something different, she should
know by herself, this is stooping for me to tell the difference, and he says that this
stooping he would never like. She should have sense of discrimination to whom
she should say something and to whom she should not say something, how she
should respond to an ordinary person’s gift and to the gift of duke which is nine
years old ancestry. Further he is saying there are some people or husbands who
have skill to warn and instruct their wives, what to respond and what not to
respond, but I did not the skill to say such words, words are “just this or that”.
All these things disgust me. He cannot choose to become an instructor or
educator, that he should point out every moment, meaning here she is wrong
here she is right, here she is missing here she is exceeding, or something is
approvable by him or not. She is the duchess she much know her position and
status, and she must care her status and should try to maintain by bringing our a
distinction between an ordinary person and whatever that ordinary person says
and the duke who is her husband and everything related to her husband, she
should value more to the things which are related to her husband. Specially
aristocracy of nine hundred years.
…………….and if she let
Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set
Her wits to yours, forsooth and made excuse
Even then would be some stooping and I choose
Never to stoop.
If duke had lessoned her and then she would have done that and made excuses,
even though it was stooping for me. And I never choose to stoop in both the cases
it would be stooping if I lessoned her and she did even, or I would have
admonished her. Neither duke would give her lessons nor he would admonish she
by herself.

……….Oh, sir she smiled, no doubt

Whenever I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew;
When duke passed near her, she smiled even when any ordinary person
passed near her she smiled, where was the distinction how he could
feel that he was her husband or any ordinary person. This attitude of
duchess grew meaning it continued since he did not like to instruct her
and it grew.

………..I gave commands;

Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive. Will it please you rise?
Duke commended and she dies, she was so tender hearted that she
could not bear the harshness of duke. Duke has no love, care, emotions
or feelings for her duchess, this is very casual attitude this is like a
business as if he was in a marriage contract with her wife. What
important is that duke is jealous he thinks that wife is his personal
property and he could treat her, as he likes.
………..we will meet
The company below, then. I repeat.
The count your master’s known munificence
Is ample warrant that no just pretense
On mine for dowry will be disallowed;
Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed
At starting, is my object.
And marrying the duchess is the generosity of the duke, whatever demand duke
makes for dowry it will not be rejected though the great asset is the wife or
duchess.

……..Nay, we will go
Together down sir. Notice Neptune, though,
Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,
Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!
In mid nineteenth century, there was growing interest in art. This is what
Browning’s own interest in art appears, as Neptune is trying to tame the horse so
is he trying to convince his father in law. This painting is something very rare,
duke tries to convince that he has special choices, his love for art, and he loves
things which are costly, and therefore he is more interested in wealth and dowry.