Structure

“My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning is structured as a lyrical monologue. This type of structure is, in fact, very similar to dramatic monologues. Consequently, the poem could be just as easily recited on stage or inserted into a longer play. As a matter of fact, the poem has been adapted into a play in 2007 and performed at Kuwait University.

The structure of this lyrical monologue is actually quite simple and can be associated with plot moments from a narrative story. For instance, the inciting action of the poem is the speaker showing the painting of his late wife to an unnamed interlocutor. This sets off a whole backstory about the duchess, starting from the process of painting her to the conflicting relationships the speaker and the woman had, a...