“My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning is a Victorian poem that demonstrates the power of the voice. This poem is narrated by the Duke of Ferrara who uses his voice to gain control of those around him. He also speaks on behalf of his deceased wife, explaining only his point of view on the situation before her death. While the Duke has a say, his ex-wife is encapsulated in silence and isolation. The Duke determines who can see his portrait and decides what part of his story he wants to share. This essay will analyze the silence imposed on the Duchess and demonstrate how the form of the poem expresses the dominant voice that the Duke maintains throughout the work. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay “My Last Duchess” is a poem that demonstrates the silence imposed on a duchess, emphasized by the isolation created by her ex-husband. From the beginning of the poem the Duchess is shown alone and isolated: “This is my last Duchess painted on the wall, She seems alive” (1-2). The Duchess is physically attached to the wall like a portrait and cannot interact with those around her. She is a rigorous observer, watching others interact while she simply watches. The Duke even limited the number of people who can see it: “But to me they addressed (for no one casts aside/The curtain I drew for you, but I/And they seemed to ask me, if they dared,/How is got there such a look? So, not the first? her portrait, she cannot speak for herself. Supposedly they have questions about her, but the Duke answers all the questions himself. Even when the Duchess was alive, the Duke does not claim that she had a voice smile, without a doubt, / every time I passed her; who passed without / more or less the same smile?" (43-45) According to the Duke, she always smiled, but he does not refer to any words she spoke . In line 13 he makes a similar statement: “Sir, it was not / only the presence of your husband, that called that spot / Of joy on the Duchess's cheek (14-15). The Duke describes his physical presence, but does not speak of his oral communication. Although it is obvious that she actually expressed her feelings while she was alive, the fact that the Duke never refers to her way of speaking supports the idea of ​​the silence and isolation imposed on the woman. His words didn't seem to matter before his death, nor do they matter now. Because she is never described as having a voice, she is almost forced to be a mere inanimate object even while alive, as opposed to a living, opinionated, or interactive human being. Robin Lakoff explains the importance of language and interaction with women: “Discourse about women implies an object, whose sexual nature requires euphemism, and whose social roles are derivative and dependent on men. Women's personal identity is thus linguistically submerged; language opposes the treatment of women, as serious people with individual opinions” (Lakoff 45). The reader's entire perception of the Duchess depends on the men around her. Every representation of her is linked to the actions or perceptions of a man, and never to her as a human being. The men in her life overshadow all her interests, thoughts or achievements. Lackoff explains the importance of adequate representation: "In appropriate female speech, a strong expression of feelings is avoided, the expression of uncertainty is favored, and means of expression regarding topics are elaboratedconsidered 'trivial' to the 'real' world" (45). By only saying that the Duchess smiled often, the Duke portrays her in a banal manner. He removes any strong expressions of feelings on her part and describes her as flirtatious and banal. Lackoff goes on to explain how this behavior is harmful to women: “Our use of language embodies referential attitudes and meanings. “Woman's language” is based on the attitude that women are marginal to the serious concerns of life, which are anticipated by men. The marginality and powerlessness of women is reflected both in the way women are expected to speak and in the way women are spoken about” (45). control the way in which she is spoken of. The Duke spares no words in describing her through his perception, demonstrating the powerlessness she possesses. Shifra Hochberg adds: “The countertext of the Duchess's feminine desire, as this essay will demonstrate, reveals many of the paradoxes, underlying tensions and unresolutions of gender struggles for power and domination within a patriarchal cultural matrix” (Hochberg 77). While alive, she was expected to act with rigorous virtue and naivety, exactly as the Duke expected of her. Once she dies, all memories of her are determined by the man in her life. She had no voice when she was alive, nor does she have one now that she is dead. The Duke of "My Last Duchess" portrays men as much freer than their counterparts, although also manipulative and possessive through their ways. of communication. This poem is written as a monologue through the voice of the Duke of Ferrara, meaning that every idea revealed in this poem belongs to the Duke himself. In essence, it is a long, uninterrupted walk by the Italian Duke. Although this monologue is presented as a conversation between the Duke and the emissary who has come to negotiate the Duke's marriage, the Duke is the only character who speaks. The idea that the Duke's words are the only ones shared could mean that the Duke can consider his words the only ones that are valid and that he is the only authoritative figure. Because of this display towards another male, it is entirely possible to entertain the idea that he treated his duchess the same way, and perhaps even worse. The Duke's need for control and authority is also represented through the rhyming scheme used throughout the poem. Rhymes are formed in couplets, a very structured and concise form of communicating ideas. They appear very controlled, just as the Duke appears through his described mannerisms. The couplets are a more controlled and aurally appealing system: they are an interesting representation of the Duke's character. He speaks so eloquently about his dead wife and his home, that it's almost easy to forget the fact that he killed his wife. While the words he says are aurally pleasing, the message he portrays is controlling and manipulative. Just as the couplets express, although the events of his life do not flow perfectly, he still talks about them in a very controlled and systematic way. He brings together contrasting ideas that have few unifying factors, yet he doesn't interrupt his speech. Talking about his ex-wife, he says, “There she was / Like she was alive. Will you please get up? We'll meet / The company below, then” (46-48). In the space of three lines the Duke talks about his dead wife and then invites the emissary to accompany him to meet his new wife. The Duke demonstrates controlled emotions through enjambement as he stitches many of these conflicting ideas together, sparing any emotion normally present. As Kevin J. Gardner says about the use of enjambement: “Despite its speciousness 170)..