"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning

"My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning, a dramatic monologue spoken by the Duke of Ferrara. The Duke is addressing an envoy of a Count whose daughter he intends to marry, and he uses the opportunity to discuss a portrait of his deceased wife. He describes his former Duchess as too easily pleased, citing her indiscriminate appreciation for all things, which he interpreted as a slight to his prestigious name. The poem subtly reveals that the Duke ordered her death ("I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together") due to his possessiveness and unwillingness to "stoop" to correct her behavior. Finally, the Duke shifts the conversation to the dowry and the artistic treasures he possesses, underscoring his wealth and controlling nature.