Question

Who is the speaker of the poem 'My Last Duchess' and who is he talking to?

1) The speaker is the Duke of Ferrara and he is talking to an envoy.
2) The speaker is the Duke of Milan and he is talking to his late wife.
3) The speaker is the Duke of Ferrara and he is talking to his late wife.
4) The speaker is the Duke of Milan and he is talking to an envoy.

Answer 1

The speaker of 'My Last Duchess' is the Duke of Ferrara, who is speaking to an envoy about a portrait of his late wife.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Robert Browning's poem 'My Last Duchess', the speaker is the Duke of Ferrara, which makes option 1) the correct answer: The speaker is the Duke of Ferrara and he is talking to an envoy. This dramatic monologue involves the Duke showing a portrait of his late wife to the envoy and revealing through his dialogue not only the character of the Duchess but his own possessive and authoritative nature. The envoy, to whom the Duke is speaking, is understood to be representing a count whose daughter the Duke intends to marry next, which becomes apparent as the poem unfolds.