My Last Duchess SCR

My Last Duchess SCR

3. The Duke eliminated (divorced? sent to a convent? had executed or poisoned?) his last duchess because (he felt) she undervalued him and treated him much as she treated other men. Which trivial incidents in particular seem to have produced this response in the Duke?

            The Duke and Duchess separated at some point of time due to the trivial issues of her eyes looking upon other men, and their eyes on her. On the twenty third line of the poem, “Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er she looked on, and her looks went everywhere,” is written (Browning line 23). The Duchess’ commitment to her Duke is quite obviously non-existing. From this line alone, it is easy to tell that she without a doubt is looking upon other men which is more than adequate of a reason to raise anger in the Duke. On the forty third line of the poem, “Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without much the same smile?” is written (Browning line 43). This line solidifies the idea that the Duchess is in fact interested in other men that are not her Duke. She smiles at all the men she walks by which could suggest that she is interested in them or perhaps just being a kind Duchess. Whatever her anticipations were, these trivial incidents were what produced this response from the Duke.

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