"My Last Dutchess" In depth analysis

0 That's my last duchess painted on the wall, 02br
00Looking as if she were alive. I call 02br
00That piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf's hands 02br
00Worked busily a day, and there she stands. 02br
00Will't please you sit and look at her? I said 02br
00"Fra Pandolf" by design, for never read 02br
00Strangers like you that pictured countenance, 02br
00That depth and passion of its earnest glance, 02br
00But to myself they turned (since none puts by 02br
00The curtain drawn for you, but I) [10] 02br
00And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, 02br
00How such a glance came there; so not the first 02br
00Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, 't was not 02br
00Her husband's presence only, called that spot 02br
00Of joy into the Duchess' cheek: perhaps 02br
00Fra Pandolf chanced to say "Her mantle laps 02br
00Over my lady's wrist too much" or "Paint 02br
00Must never hope to reproduce the faint 02br
00Half-flush that dies along her throat:" such stuff 02br
00Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough [20] 02br
00For calling up that spot of joy. She had 02br
00A heart - how shall I say? - too soon made glad, 02br
00Too easily impressed: she liked whate'er 02br
00She looked on, and her looks went everywhere. 02br
00Sir, 't was all one! My favour at her ***, 02br
00The dropping of the daylight in the West, 02br
00The bough of cherries some officious fool 02br
00Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule 02br
00She rode with round the terrace -all and each 02br
00Would draw from her alike the approving speech, [30] 02br
00Or blush,at least. She thanked men - good! but thanked 02br
00Somehow - I know not how - as if she ranked 02br
00My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name 02br
00With anybody's gift. Who'd stoop to blame 02br
00This sort of trifling? Even had you skill 02br
00In speech - (which I have not) - to make your will 02br
00Quite clear to such a one, and say, "Just this 02br
00Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss 02br
00Or there exceed the mark"- and if she let 02br
00Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set [40] 02br
00Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse 02br
00- E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose 02br
00Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, 02br
00Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without 02br
00Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; 02br
00Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands 02br
00As if alive. Will 't please you rise? We'll meet 02br
00The company below, then. I repeat, 02br
00The Count your master's known munificence 02br
00Is ample warrant that no just pretence [50] 02br
00Of mine for dowry will be disallowed; 02br
00Though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed 02br
00At starting is my object. Nay, we'll go 02br
00Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though, 02br
00Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, 02br
00Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me. 02br
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00We read this poem in class, and although I have an excellent English teacher…he fails to give feedback on ideas. I was wondering if you guys could read the poem, read my analysis, and just throw some feedback to me, add to the idea if you can. Or tell me if I’m just all together wrong. 02br
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00We can draw from the poem that he views his wife as a prize, whose beauty, “paint could not hope to reproduce”. You can also draw that he thinks his greatest gift to her was his 900 year old name (this noble title), and the wealth that comes with it. 02br
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00If you look at the first part you can see how he views his wife as being beautiful and tells sort of, why he wanted her as his wife. She was beautiful, kind hearted, and easy to please. But as the poem goes on there is a different twist to it. It shows how when she received these lavish gifts of his he didn’t really win over her love, he wasn’t special. 02br
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00My favour at her ***, 02br
00The dropping of the daylight in the West, 02br
00The bough of cherries some officious fool 02br
00Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule 02br
00She rode with round the terrace -all and each 02br
00Would draw from her alike the approving speech, [30] 02br
00Or blush,at least. She thanked men - good! but thanked 02br
00Somehow - I know not how - as if she ranked 02br
00My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name 02br
00With anybody's gift. 02br
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00From this point on, look at the anger that starts to stream out. 02br
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00 Even had you skill 02br
00In speech - (which I have not) - to make your will 02br
00Quite clear to such a one, and say, "Just this 02br
00Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss 02br
00Or there exceed the mark"- 02br
00He has all this money and has her as a prize but through all this, his money has not been able to buy over her love. No matter what he gives her she still looks on him as she does everyone else, no special smile to him. 02br
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00I get a sense that he abused her. Forced her into his submission, forced her to give him a look that she gave to no one else. 02br
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00 Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, 02br
00Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without 02br
00Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; 02br
00Then all smiles stopped together. 02br
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00He reached a point of rage where he couldn’t handle that smile, one of courtesy not of true love, he gave commands, he beat her, both their smiles stopped. 02br
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00He also says that he didn’t like to stoop, but in these cases some stooping was necessary. That beating his wife was something a lowly poor drunk would do, and not a gentleman of his stature. 02br
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00It also explains the look that she has in her eyes, you get the sense of a look of fear…of a dread, that was the look that she behold only to him. 02br
00That depth and passion of its earnest glance, 02br
00But to myself they turned (since none puts by 02br
00The curtain drawn for you, but I) [10] 02br
00And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, 02br
00How such a glance came there; so not the first 02br
00Are you to turn and ask thus. 02br
00You can sort of guess that the “But to myself they turned (since none puts by the curtain drawn for you, but I” Is his control that he has over that look. It is only him who the look is bestowed upon and it his only his right to be able to look upon that look. That look of his control his power. He views that painting as a prize, just as he viewed his wife when she was alive. 02br
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00And going along with the theory of him murdering her, when this abuse didn’t control her, he had her killed, or maybe she died under the abuse. 02br
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00This theory of his abuse, of his control is shown in the last thing he says to his guest. 02br
00 Notice Neptune, though, 02br
00Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, 02br
00Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me. 02br
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00He views Neptune’s taming of the sea-horse, forcing it into submission and then putting it as artwork. He tamed this women, forced her to give him a look that she gave to no one else, and now he has that look captured forever in a piece of art. Just as the Neptune piece. 0-