My Last Duchess by Robert Browning, written in 1842, is an intriguing poem that reveals an unexpected interpretation when analyzed closely. The poem is based on real incidents that occurred in the life of Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara. Ferrara's first wife, Lucrezia, died mysteriously in 1561, with much speculation afterward that it was Ferrara who murdered her. The poem takes place in the media of the Duke consulting and arranging his second marriage. A portrait of the former Duchess is shown and the Duke begins to remember her personality and behavior. The genre is a dramatic monologue. Browning uses various techniques and means to get the reader to scrutinize what the speaker is saying in order to discover the true intention and meaning of the poet. The Duke is a manipulative character, in which his dramatic monologue attempts to convince himself that he is not responsible for the murder of his wife. The poem is written primarily in rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter. The rhyming couplets form a strict structure with: "the regular use of cluttered verse throughout the poem may suggest an inability to control either his wife or his own language, but his disruptive caesuras create a rhetorical violence that allows him to reassert his sovereignty and command” (Gardener 170). The Duke attempts to manipulate the envoy into seeing him as a victim. The Duke fails because he tries too hard to be normal and seems guilty. Nevertheless, he tries to control "his own language" to make his version of the story more plausible. The “disruptive caesuras” highlight the extent to which the Duke must control what he says and manipulate his words. He tends to use the word "I" in the middle of his wife's ......th paper. A clear indication that precautions must be taken when meeting the Duke, otherwise the consequences will be serious. Works Cited Adler, Joshua. "Structure and Meaning in Browning's 'My Last Duchess'" Victorian Poetry. West Virginia University Press 15.3 (1977): 219-27 JSTOR. Web.Gardner, Kevin J. “Was the Duke of Ferrara Powerless? Anq: a quarterly journal of short articles, notes and reviews. 23.3 (2010): 166-71. Academic research completed. Web.Jerman, BR "Browning's Witless Duke." PMLA. Modern Language Association 72.3 (1957): 488-93. JSTOR. Web. Monteiro, George. “My Last Duchess of Browning” Victorian Poetry. West Virginia University Press 1.3 (1963): 234-37. JSTOR. Web.Pipes, BN, Jr. “The Portrait of “My Last Duchess”” Victorian Studies. Indiana University Press 3.4 (1960): 381-86. JSTOR. Web.