Figurative Language In My Last Duchess

649 Words3 Pages
In Robert Browning´s "My Last Duchess", the duke, the main character, presents himself as an estimable and powerful man. In the poem he shows his feelings towards the painting of his last duchess, who´s coquettishness aroused her stern´s husband’s suspicions (John D. Rea web) He reveals that the duchess had incurred his displeasure by her expansive friendliness and her refusal to acknowledge his superiority in all things. It becomes apparent at last that he himself brought about her death (Hossein Alikhan Pour Shah Abadi, Sahar Taheri Mohammad Abadi web). The poet is able to portray his twisted and ironic message by the use of figurative language, and concrete imagery and symbolism. Figurative language is very prominent throughout the poem, as helps reveal the message told by the author through symbolism, personification, hyperbole, allusion, metaphor, and alliteration. The first sentence of the poem "That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive"(1-2) symbolizes the duchess as merely an object owned by the duke, granting him full control, as she is now a painting behind closed curtains only he can open. The duke personifies the painting throughout the poem by giving it human characteristics, such as "there she stands", and "looking as if she were alive". "The…show more content…
This symbol is used all along the play, "That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall" "There she stands as if alive". Another symbol Browning uses is Neptune taming a sea-horse, again this is a symbol for him controlling his duchess, him being the powerful and in control Neptune and the woman being the wild untamable

    More about Figurative Language In My Last Duchess

      Open Document