Customer center

We are a boutique essay service, not a mass production custom writing factory. Let us create a perfect paper for you today!

Example research essay topic: Duke Of Ferrara Fra Pandolf - 812 words

NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote

Robert Brownings My Last Duchess begins appropriately with a literary deception. The title suggests that the poem is about the Duke of Ferrara's former wife. However, after second and later readings, it becomes apparent that the subtitle Ferrara truly depicts what the poem is really about, for we learn more about the Duke of Ferrara than we learn about the Duchess. As the Duke talks about the Duchess, he really reveals his own controlling characteristics.

This irony is significant, because it sets up the paradoxical nature of the rest of the poem. My Last Duchess is based upon a series of ironic twists and deceptive appearances, which are supported by the poems form and literary devices. The general form of My Last Duchess betrays the Dukes true demeanor. The poem is a dramatic monologue, written in heroic couplets. In a dramatic monologue, the speaker addresses a silent listener, revealing himself in the context of a dramatic situation at hand (Bedford 97). In the case of My Last Duchess, the Duke is speaking to an envoy of a count whose daughter he is trying to wed; with his words, the Duke reveals himself to be a questionable and potentially dangerous match who is very controlling and yet out of control.

This obsession is evident in the dramatic monologues use of heroic couplets. Heroic couplets should be rhymed and end-stopped. But in My Last Duchess, many of the lines feature enjambment, with the Dukes controlling words pushing over the line as illustrated in lines two, three, five, and six. The enjambment is not pure coincidence; the enjambment exemplifies that the Duke is out of control. The caesuras-breaks in the lines-seem to implicate that the Duke is struggling to make his point as he tells the envoy 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. (lines 31 - 34). Here the Duke is frantic about the idea that the Duchess is treating him in the same manner she treats ordinary men. The repetition of certain words, such as Fra Pandolf and smile, suggest that the Duke has some sort of jealous fixation. The Duke does not mention Fra Pandolf to show admiration; he repeats the name to suggest that perhaps Fra Pandolf chanced to say, Her mantle laps Over my Ladys wrist too much in an attempt to seduce the Duchess (lines 15 - 17). The word, smile, is tied to the Dukes suspicions about the Duchess behavior toward men. This is demonstrated when the Duke tells the envoy Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt, Wheneer I passed her; but who passed without Much the same smile? (lines 43 - 45).

With these two lines, the Duke is obviously hinting at the seductive behavior carried out by the Duchess. Certain phrases in My Last Duchess are very crucial to the poem. For example, the Duke says he is not a master of speech, yet ironically his words betray him, for he is speaking through a very elevated poetic form which he mishandles with broken speech and encamped lines. But at the same time, we know that he used language to give commands which ultimately put an end to the Duchess smiles.

Thus, the control he has over the language is a dangerous one. Through several readings of the poem, we see that the Duke is a collector-of brides, of art, and of statues. At the beginning of the poem the Duke reveals that he has a gallery in which he has his last Duchess painted on the wall (line 1). In a final attempt to exercise his control, the Duke controls who sees the painting, since none puts by The curtain he draws.

The symbolism hidden within the painting of his Duchess is closely stranded together with the symbolism in the sculpture of Neptune Taming a sea-horse (line 55). The image of Neptune taming the sea horse suggests that the Dukes view of art and women are the same. Thus, the sculpture depicts the Dukes control he intends to have over his future wife which he refers to as his object (line 53). A formalistic approach to literature involves a close reading of the text.

Formalists believe that all information necessary to the interpretation of a work must be found within the work itself; there is no need to bring in outside information. I found this approach to be very frustrating, however, for I had to view the text in isolation. This was rather difficult, for I felt an urge to look up information about the history, society of the time, and about the authors life, in order to successfully analyze the poem. However, one advantage to the formalist approach was that I was able to analyze the work through the lens of a formalist, without much research.


Free research essays on topics related to: dramatic monologue, sea horse, fra pandolf, duke of ferrara, duke

Research essay sample on Duke Of Ferrara Fra Pandolf

Writing service prices per page

  • $18.85 - in 14 days
  • $19.95 - in 3 days
  • $23.95 - within 48 hours
  • $26.95 - within 24 hours
  • $29.95 - within 12 hours
  • $34.95 - within 6 hours
  • $39.95 - within 3 hours
  • Calculate total price

Our guarantee

  • 100% money back guarantee
  • plagiarism-free authentic works
  • completely confidential service
  • timely revisions until completely satisfied
  • 24/7 customer support
  • payments protected by PayPal

Secure payment

With EssayChief you get

  • Strict plagiarism detection regulations
  • 300+ words per page
  • Times New Roman font 12 pts, double-spaced
  • FREE abstract, outline, bibliography
  • Money back guarantee for missed deadline
  • Round-the-clock customer support
  • Complete anonymity of all our clients
  • Custom essays
  • Writing service

EssayChief can handle your

  • essays, term papers
  • book and movie reports
  • Power Point presentations
  • annotated bibliographies
  • theses, dissertations
  • exam preparations
  • editing and proofreading of your texts
  • academic ghostwriting of any kind

Free essay samples

Browse essays by topic:

Stay with EssayChief! We offer 10% discount to all our return customers. Once you place your order you will receive an email with the password. You can use this password for unlimited period and you can share it with your friends!

Academic ghostwriting

About us

© 2002-2024 EssayChief.com