The Bad Duchess

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?

     Trivial incidents in particular that seemed to have produced this response in the Duke is that he thought she was manipulating men and just wanting every single one of them while she was his wife. This is because he says, "She thanked men,-good! but thanked somehow- I know not how-as if she ranked." This shows that he was sensitive when knowing that his Duchess had ranked men like how she wanted them. Of course this would make him a bit mad at her. The Duke also would say that,"She had a heart-how shall I say?-too soon made glad, too easily impressed; she like whate'er she looked on. and her looks went everywhere." This also was a flaw that the Duke had pointed out in his last duchess because it made him mad because she would treat him like she would do to other men. She would practically flirt with all the other men while being with the Duke. She would infatuate men. "Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, whene'er I passed her; but who passed without much the same smile?" This does show that men would become attracted to her whenever she walks by, and she would eventually take advantage of that man. Because of the actions of the Duchess, she was eliminated by the Duke. The Duke hated how she would take advantage of men and just use them all the same, she treated them all the same. That means that the Duke must have realized that she was in fact using him too meaning that she sees him as she sees all the other men. Once the Duke realized this, he was too mad at this and decided to eliminate his Duchess.

-David Lai