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My Last Duchess
by
Robert Browning
Home
Poetry
My Last Duchess
Literary Devices
Symbols, Imagery, Wordplay
Intro
The Poem
Summary
Analysis
Themes
Quotes
Study Questions
Best of the Web
How to Read a Poem
Symbolism, Imagery, Wordplay
Frà Pandolf's Painting of the Duchess
That Spot of Joy
Smiles
Stooping
Neptune Taming a Seahorse
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Table of Contents
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My Last Duchess Symbolism, Imagery & Wordplay
There’s more to a poem than meets the eye.
Frà Pandolf's Painting of the Duchess
The most obvious symbol in "My Last Duchess" is the one that the Duke spends most of his time talking about – the portrait of the Duchess painted by Frà Pandolf on the wall of his privat...
That Spot of Joy
When the Duchess is happy about something – and we really mean anything, her marriage, her dinner, the weather, anything at all – she smiles and blushes, and the Duke describes her blus...
Smiles
Along with blushes, the Duchess bestows pleased smiles on anyone and anything that brings a little bit of joy into her life. The Duke thinks of these smiles almost the way you might think of collec...
Stooping
It’s important to notice that when the Duke describes something that he thinks of as inappropriate or base for him to do, he does so by calling it "stooping." He considers himself to be on a...
Neptune Taming a Seahorse
The final art object that the Duke points out to the Count’s servant as they leave his gallery is a bronze statue of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, taming a seahorse. The Duke emphasizes...
