Analysing the poem 'My Last Duchess'

Browning uses art to symbolise the Duke’s craving for power and control. By using the form of a dramatic monologue and rhyming couplets, Browning reflects the Duke’s desire for total control. Enjambment reveals a single person’s capacity to be carried away by passions and anger, subtly revealing instability. Ironically, through his craving for control and power, the Duke reveals himself to be powerless. Browning exposing the Duke as powerless and insecure may reflect his critique of patriarchal Victorian society.