Professor PapicaEnglish 1BApril 4, 2014My Last Duchess by Robert Browning: Pretentious KillerRobert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess" is not as sad and heartbreaking as the title suggests. In fact, the poem is extremely dramatic and disrespectful towards women, making them seem like stupid and senseless objects. Many have questioned the disposable aspects of women in the 1840s and the objective view men had of them at the time. Browning's poem describes the idea of ​​men's misogynistic views towards women in the 1840s. At the time the poem is set in the 1500s, it was considered the norm to view women as inferior beings. This idea of ​​irrational male dominance in a relationship is also represented in the poem "My Last Duchess", through the inexplicable and irrational actions. of the duke (the speaker of the poem). The Duke is a disrespectful, pretentious and mean man who has the power to dispose of whomever he wants and the ability to attract and obtain whatever he wants. The Duke is portrayed as a wealthy and lavish individual with expensive tastes and is known to be a very mysterious and cold-hearted man, shedding any imperfection in his self-image. He justifies his actions against his duchess as reasonable because he claims she did not meet the proper criteria for the prestigious position of being his wife. The narrator creates a dubious and mysterious atmosphere with all his remarks which suggest that he is not satisfied with his wives and the dark innuendo actions he has taken to address them. Throughout the text it presents itself as a very prestigious view that men had towards women in the past by showing how little she mattered in their relationship and how easily and mercilessly he disposed of her. of her without leaving a trace. Unfortunately, the speaker also showed signs of disrespect towards his person, demonstrating that he was a terrible person. An example of his rude ways is how he would address people in the most degrading way imaginable. He doesn't have a specific group that he mistreats. For him, it doesn't matter whether they are peasants or nobles, he will always treat them as inferior beings. All of this proves that the Duke is actually a terrible person and has no respect for anyone, not even his wife. Throughout the end of the story, the audience realizes how misogynistic and pretentious the speaker is by noticing the way he mistreats others and becoming aware of the murderous act he committed against his wife..