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My Last Duchess
BY: ROBERT BROWNING
‫األخيية‬
‫دوقتيي ر‬
‫يروبرتيبراونن ي‬:‫بقلم‬
‫ج‬

Introduction: “My Last Duchess” is a dramatic monologue written by Victorian poet Robert
Browning in 1842. In the poem, the Duke of Ferrara uses a painting of his former wife as a
conversation piece. The Duke speaks about his former wife's perceived inadequacies to a
representative of the family of his bride-to-be, revealing his obsession with controlling others in the
process. Browning uses this compelling psychological portrait of a despicable character to critique
the objectification of women and abuses of power.
‫ي‬،‫يفيالقصيدةي‬.1842‫”يهويحواريدراميمنيتأليفيالشاعريالفيكتورييروبرتيبراوننجيفيعامي‬My Last Duchess“‫ي‬:‫مقدمة‬
‫ييتحدثيالدوقيعنيأوجهيالقصوريالمتصورةيلزوجتهيالسابقةيلممثلي‬.‫يستخدميدوقيفيارايلوحةيلزوجتهيالسابقةيكقطعةيمحادثة‬
‫ر‬
ً
‫ييستخدميبراوننجيهذهيالصورةيالنفسيةيالمقنعةي‬.‫يكاشفايعنيهوسهيبالسيطرةيعىلياآلخرينيفيهذهيالعملية‬،‫عائلةيعروسهي‬
‫ي ي‬.‫للشخصيةيالدنيئةيلنقديتجسيديالنساءيوإساءةياستخداميالسلطة‬
Browning, of the Victorian age, wrote real-life poetry that reflected upon some of the darkest
aspects of Victorian life. One of those aspects, of course, is the treatment of wives by their
husbands. Everyone is familiar with Henry the VIII and his many wives whom he accused and
executed when he tired of him. Robert Browning reveals that this mentality was widespread during
this time. Wives were viewed as disposable, and their husbands would often accuse them to do
away with them when they desired to marry someone else. The life of a Victorian wife was a
perilous one.
ً
‫ي‬،‫يأحديهذهيالجوانبي‬.‫ايواقعيايانعكسيعىليبعضيمنيأحلكيجوانبيالحياةيالفيكتورية‬ ً
‫يشعر‬،‫يمنيالعرصيالفيكتوريي‬، ‫كتبيبراوننجي‬
.‫يالجميعييعرفيهيييالثامنيوالعديديمنيزوجاتهيالذينياتهمهميوأعدمهميعندمايسئميمنه ي‬.‫يهويمعاملةيأزواجهنيللزوجات‬،‫بالطبعي‬
ُ
‫ي‬،‫يكانيينظريإىليالزوجاتيعىليأنهنييمكنيالتخلصيمنهاي‬ .‫نتشةيخالليهذايالوقت‬‫يكشفيروبرتيبراوننجيأنيهذهيالعقليةيكانتيم ر‬
ً
‫يكانتيحياةيالزوجةيالفيكتوريةيمحفوفةي‬.‫وكثيايماييتهمهنيأزواجهنيبالتخلصيمنهنيعندماييرغبيفيالزواجيمنيشخصيآخر‬ ‫ر‬
.
‫بالمخاطري ي‬
Summary: ‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning is a well-known dramatic monologue. It suggests
that the speaker has killed his wife and will soon do the same to the next. The poet’s inspiration for
this poem came from Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, a town in Italy. who lived in the 16th century
and Duchess Ferarra. The Duchess died under very suspicious circumstances. She was married at
fourteen and dead by seventeen. Browning uses these suspicious circumstances as inspiration for a
poem that dives deep into the mind of a powerful Duke of Ferarra who wishes to control his wife in
every aspect of her life, including her feelings.
‫يتشييإىليأنيالمتحدثيقديقتليزوجتهيورسعانيماي‬‫يوه ر‬.‫اميةيشهية‬
‫ر‬ ‫"يلروبرتيبراوننجيهويمناجاةيدر‬My Last Duchess"‫ي ي‬:‫ملخص‬
‫يالذييعاشيفي‬.‫يوهيبلدةيفيإيطاليا‬،‫يدوقيفياراي‬،‫يمصدريإلهاميالشاعريلهذهيالقصيدةيألفونسوي‬
‫ر‬ ‫ر‬
.‫سيفعليالشءينفسهيمعيالتالية‬
‫ر‬
‫ي‬.‫يالسابعةيعشة‬ ‫ر‬
‫ابعةيعشةيوماتتيف‬ ‫يتزوجتيفيالر‬.‫يماتتيالدوقةيفيظروفيمريبةيللغاية‬.‫يوالدوقةيفيارا‬
‫ر‬ ‫ر‬
‫القرنيالسادسيعش‬
‫يأعماقيعقليدوقيفيارايالقوييالذيييرغبيفيالسيطرةي‬
‫ر‬ ‫يستخدميبراوننجيهذهيالظروفيالمشبوهةيكمصدريإلهاميلقصيدةيتغوصيف‬
‫ي ي‬.‫يبمايفيذلكيمشاعرها‬،‫عىليزوجتهيفيكليجانبيمنيجوانبيحياتهاي‬
‫ي‬

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Form: ‘My Last Duchess‘ by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue that consists of one long
stream of couplets, 28 in all. It is made up of rhyming couplets. The poem is written mostly in
iambic pentameter. The rhyming couplets follow this pattern: AABBCCDD…
‫ي‬.‫يفيالمجموع‬28‫ي‬،‫"يلروبرتيبراوننجيهويمونولوجيدرامييتكونيمنيتياريواحديطويليمنيالمقاطعي‬My Last Duchess"‫ي ي‬:‫يالنموذج‬
‫ي‬:‫يمقاطعيالقافيةيتتبعيهذايالنمط‬.‫يالقصيدةيمكتوبةيفيالغالبيفيخماسيالتفاعيل‬.‫وهيمكونةيمنيمقاطعيمتناغمة‬
‫… ي‬AABBCCDD
Analysis:
“My Last Duchess”
That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf’s hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
The speaker is the duke of Ferrara. He is very much in charge of things, the reader introduced to
him as he is about to show off an unusual painting to an anonymous guest. Who he addresses is
unknown at first but later it becomes clear that the listener is an envoy (marriage broker, emissary)
representing another aristocrat. The woman in question is no longer alive but looks alive in the
painting. The artist's name is Fra Pandolf, the word ‘Fra’ means a brother which links the artist to
innocent monkhood and distances the duchess from any thought of a sexual liaison with him.
‫يبلوحةيغييعاديةيلضيفي‬
‫ر‬ ‫يقدمهيالقارئيلهيألنهيعىليوشكيالتباه‬،‫يإنهيمسؤوليإىليحديكبييعنياألشياءي‬
‫ر‬ .‫المتحدثيهويدوقيفيارا‬
‫ر‬
ً
‫يمبعوث)ييمثلي‬،‫يمنييخاطبهيغييمعروفيفيالبدايةيولكنييتضحيالحقايأنيالمستمعيهويمبعوثي(سمساريزواجي‬
‫ر‬ .‫مجهول‬
ً
‫"ي‬Fra"‫يوكلمةي‬،‫ي‬Fra Pandolf‫ياسميالفنانةيهوي‬.‫يالمرأةيالمعنيةيلميتعديعىليقيديالحياةيولكنهايتبدويحيةيفياللوحة‬.‫أرستقراطيايآخر‬
‫ي ي‬.‫تعتيأخييربطيالفنانيبالرهبنةيالييئةيويبعديالدوقةيعنيأييفكرةيعنيعالقةيجنسيةيمعه‬
Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said
“Fra Pandolf” by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by10
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there; so, not the first
Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, ’twas not
Her husband’s presence only, called that spot
Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek; perhaps
Fra Pandolf chanced to say, “Her mantle laps

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Over my lady’s wrist too much,” or “Paint

Must never hope to reproduce the faint
Half-flush that dies along her throat.” Such stuff
Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough
The duke asks the second person to sit and study the portrait. Fra Pandolf's name was mentioned
purposefully (by design) because the duke is the one asked by strangers who is the artist, that
looked at the duchess's expressive face (countenance) want to ask - how did the artist get so much
depth and passion in a simple glance?
‫يبشكليهادفي(حسبيالتصميم)يألني‬Fra Pandolf‫يتميذكرياسمي‬.‫يطلبيالدوقيمنيالشخصيالثانيالجلوسيودراسةيالصورة‬
‫يكيفي‬-‫يوالذيينظريإىليوجهيالدوقةيالتعبييي(الوجه)يالذيييريديأنييسألي‬،‫الدوقيهويالشخصيالذييسألهيالغرباءيمنيهويالفناني‬
‫ر‬
‫حصليالفنانيعىليالكثييمنيالعمقيوالشغفيفيلمحةيبسيطة؟ ي‬
‫ر‬
The duke is the only one allowed to move the curtain, implying control and possession over the
duchess, even in death. It seems the broker (emissary) also wanted to ask this same question but
the duke got in there first with his slick answer. He goes on to suggest that the special spot of joy, a
red blush perhaps, on the sitter's cheek could have been caused by the artist, Fra Pandolf. How?
Well, the duke seems to think that it should have been only him who could have made the duchess
blush but what if the artist had wanted her to show a little more flesh ( Her mantle, - or cloak -
covers too much of her wrist) or hinted that such a blush could never be adequately reproduced in
paint.
ً ُ
‫ييبدوي‬.‫يحتيفيحالةيالوفاة‬،‫يمماييعتيضمنايالسيطرةيواالستحواذيعىليالدوقةي‬،‫الدوقيهويالوحيديالذيييسمحيلهيبتحريكيالستارةي‬
ً ً
‫يويذهبيليقيحيأنيبقعةيالفرحي‬.‫أنيالسمساري(المبعوث)يأراديأيضايطرحينفسيالسؤاليولكنيالدوقيدخليهناكيأواليبإجابتهيالرائعة‬
ً
‫ييبدويأنيالدوقييعتقدي‬،‫يكيف؟يحسناي‬.‫يفرايباندولف‬،‫يعىليخديالحاضنةييمكنيأنيتكونيسببهايالفنانةي‬،‫يربماياحمراريأحمري‬،‫الخاصةي‬
‫يلكنيماذايلويأرادتيالفنانةيأنيتظهريالقليليمني‬،‫أنهيكانييجبيأنييكونيهويالوحيديالذييكانيبإمكانهيجعليالدوقةيأحمريالخدودي‬
ً
‫ايإعادةيإنتاجهيبشكليكافيفي‬
ٍ ‫يالكثييمنيمعصمها)يأويالتلميحيإىليأنيهذايالخدوديالييمكنيأبد‬
‫ر‬ ‫يتغط‬،‫يأويعباءتهاي‬،‫اللحمي(عبياءتهاي‬
‫ي ي‬.‫الطالء‬
• In other words, the duke is fabricating a story, attempting to brainwash the emissary or
circumvent the truth by implying that the artist's flattery and compliments caused the duchess to
blush.
ً
‫يمحاوًليغسليدماغيالمبعوثيأويااللتفافيعىليالحقيقةيمنيخاللياإلشارةيإىليأنياإلطراءي‬،‫ييقوميالدوقيبتلفيقيقصةي‬،‫بعبارةيأخرىي‬
‫ ي‬.‫والثناءيمنيالفنانيتسببايفيخجليالدوقةي‬
According to the duke, his wife would have bought the artist's politeness, which is rather
judgemental of him and surely points to an increasing jealousy.
‫ي ي‬.‫يبالتأكيديإىليزيادةيالغية‬
‫ر‬ ‫يوهويباألحرىيحكميعليهيويشي‬،‫ىيأدبيالفناني‬
‫ر‬ ‫يفإنيزوجتهيكانتيستشي‬،‫وبحسبيالدوقي‬
For calling up that spot of joy. She had
A heart—how shall I say?— too soon made glad,
Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.

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Sir, ’twas all one! My favour at her breast,

The duke insists that the former duchess thought that polite comments like those were reason
enough to blush, and criticizes her, in a halting way, for being too easily made happy or impressed.
He also claims that she liked everything and everyone she saw, although his description suggests
that she was ogling everyone who crossed her path. The duke objects that, to his former duchess,
everything was the same and made her equally happy,
ً ‫يرصيالدوقيعىليأنيالدوقةيالسابقةياعتقدتيأنيالتعليقاتيالمهذبةيمثليتلكيكانتيسبب‬
‫يبطريقةي‬،‫يوينتقدهاي‬،‫ايكافيايلتحم يريوجههاي‬ ً
‫يبأنهاي‬ ‫ر‬
‫يعىليالرغميمنيأنيوصفهييوح ي‬،‫يأنهايأحببتيكليسءيوكليشخصيرأتهي‬ ‫يكماييدع‬.‫يلسهولةيجعلهايسعيدةيأويمبهرة‬،‫متوقفةي‬
‫ر‬
‫يكانيعىليحالهيوجعلهايسعيدةي‬،‫يبالنسبةيلدوقتهيالسابقةي‬،‫ييعيضيالدوقيعىليأنيكليسءي‬.‫كانتيتقضيعىليكليمنيعييطريقها‬
‫ ي‬،‫بنفسيالدرجةي ي‬
The dropping of the daylight in the West,
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule
She rode with round the terrace—all and each30
whether it was a brooch or present from him that she wore at her chest, the sun setting in the
West, a branch of cherries which some interfering person snapped off a tree in the orchard for her,
or the white mule she rode on around the terrace.
ً
‫يأويغصنيالكرزيالذييقطعهيشخصي‬،‫يأويغروبيالشمسيفيالغربي‬،‫سواءيكانتيبروشايأويهديةيمنهيكانتيترتديهايعىليصدرهاي‬
‫ ي‬.‫يأويالبغلياألبيضيالذييركبتهيحوليمصطبةي‬،‫متدخليمنيشجرةيفيالبستانيمنيأجلهاي‬
Would draw from her alike the approving speech,
Or blush, at least. She thanked men—good! but thanked
Somehow—I know not how—as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
He claims that she would say the same kind words or give the same blush in response to all of
them. The duke also objects to her manner of thanking men, although he struggles to describe his
concerns. Specifically, he complains that she values his pedigree and social position (his 900-year-
old name) as equally important to anyone else’s gifts to her.
ً ً
‫ييعيضيالدوقيأيضايعىليأسلوب هايفيشكري‬.‫ينفسيالخدوديللرديعليهايجميعا‬ ‫يدعيأنهايستقولينفسيالكلماتياللطيفةيأويتعط‬
‫ييشتكيمنيأنهايتقدرينسبهيومكانتهياالجتماعيةي(اسمهيالبالغي‬،‫يعىليوجهيالتحديدي‬.‫يرغميأنهييكافحيمنيأجليوصفيمخاوفه‬،‫الرجالي‬
‫ ي‬.‫يعام)يعىلينفسيالقدريمنياألهميةيبالنسبةيلهدايايأييشخصيآخريلهاي‬900‫منيالعمري‬
With anybody’s gift. Who’d stoop to blame
This sort of trifling? Even had you skill
In speech—which I have not—to make your will
Quite clear to such an one, and say, “Just this

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The duke rhetorically asks whether anyone would actually lower themselves enough to argue with
someone about their behavior. The duke imagines a hypothetical situation in which he would
confront the former duchess: he says that even if he were good with words and were able to clearly
say,
ً ً
‫ييتخيليالدوقيموقفاي‬.‫يسأليالدوقيخطابيايعمايإذايكانيأييشخصيسييليمنينفسهيبماييكفيليتجادليمعيشخصيمايحوليسلوكه‬
ً ً ً ‫افي‬
‫ ي‬،‫ايبالكلماتيوكانيقادرايعىليالقوليبوضوحي ي‬ ‫ييقوليإنهيحتيلويكانيجيد‬:‫اضياييواجهيفيهيالدوقةيالسابقة‬
Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,
Or there exceed the mark”—and if she let
Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set
Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse—
"This characteristic of yours disgusts me," or, "Here you did too little or too much"— and if the
former duchess had let herself be degraded by changing, instead of being stubborn and making
excuses—
‫ر‬ ً
‫يوإذايكانتيالدوقةيالسابقةيقديسمحتي‬-‫ايأويأكييمنيالالزم"ي‬ ‫يأوي"هنايفعلتيالقليليجد‬،‫لخاصيةيالخاصةيبكيتثيياشميازي"ي‬
‫ر‬ ‫"هذهيا‬
ً
‫ ي‬-‫يبداليمنيأنيتكونيعنيدةيوتختلقياألعذاري‬،‫لنفسهايباالنهياريمنيخالليالتغييي‬
‫ر‬
E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose
Never to stoop. Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
that even then the act of confronting her would be beneath him, and he refuses to ever lower
himself like that. The duke then returns to his earlier refrain about his former wife’s indiscriminate
happiness and complains to his guest that, while the duchess did smile at him whenever they
passed, she gave everyone else the same smile as well.
‫ييعوديالدوقيبعديذلكيإىليامتناعهي‬.‫يوهوييرفضيأنيييليبنفسهيهكذا‬،‫يذلكيالحبيفإنيفعليمواجهتهايسيكونيتحتهي‬
‫ر‬ ‫أنهيحت‬
‫يفقديأعطتي‬،‫السابقيعنيالسعادةيالعشوائيةيلزوجتهيالسابقةيويشكويلضيفهيمنيأنهيبينمايكانتيالدوقةيتبتسميلهيكلمايمرواي‬
ً
‫ي ي‬.‫اآلخرينينفسياالبتسامةيأيضا‬
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive. Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet
The company below, then. I repeat,
The Count your master’s known munificence
Is ample warrant that no just pretense
Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;
The duke explains that she began smiling at others even more, so he gave orders and all her smiles
stopped forever, presumably because he had her killed. Now she only lives on in the painting.

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‫ر‬
‫ياآلنيهي‬.‫يعىلياألرجحيألنهيقتلها‬،‫يلذلكيأصدرياألوامريوتوقفتيابتساماتهايإىلياألبدي ي‬،‫أوضحيالدوقيأنهايبدأتيتبتسميلآلخرينيأكيي‬
‫ ي‬.‫تعيشيفقطيفياللوحةي‬
The duke then asks the guest to stand up and to go with him to meet the rest of the guests
downstairs. He also says that the Count, revealed here as the guest's master and the father of the
duke's prospective bride-to-be, is so known for his generosity in matters of money that no request
the duke could make for a dowry could be turned down.
ً
‫يالذييتمي‬،‫يويقوليأيضايإنيالكونتي‬.‫ثمييطلبيالدوقيمنيالضيفيالوقوفيوالذهابيمعهيللقاءيبقيةيالضيوفيفيالطابقيالسفىل‬
ً
‫يمعروفيجدايبكرمهيفياألموريالماليةيبحيثيالييمكنيرفضي‬،‫الكشفيعنهيهنايبصفتهيسيديالضيفيووالديالعروسيالمرتقبةيللدوقي‬
‫ ي‬.‫يي‬.‫أييطلبييمكنيللدوقيتقديمهيللحصوليعىليمهر‬
Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed
At starting, is my object. Nay, we’ll go
Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,
Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,
Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!

The duke also adds quickly that he has always insisted since the beginning of their discussions that
the Count’s beautiful daughter, and not the dowry, is his primary objective.
ً ً
‫ي ي‬.‫يهيهدفهياألساس‬،‫يوليسيالمهري‬،‫ايبشعةيأنهيأرصيدائمايمنذيبدايةيمناقشاتهميعىليأنيابنةيال يكونتيالجميلةي‬‫يضيفيالدوقيأيض‬
The duke ends his speech by demanding that he and the Count's emissary go downstairs together,
and on their way, he directs the emissary’s attention to a statue of the God Neptune taming a
seahorse, which is a rare work of art that Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze specifically for him.
ً
‫ييوجهيانتباهيالمبعوثيإىليتمثاليلإللهينبتوني‬،‫يوفيطريقهماي‬،‫ليهويومبعوثيالكونتيمعاي‬ ‫أنىهيالدوقيحديثهيبالمطالبةيبأنييي‬
ً
‫ي ي‬.‫يمنياليونزيخصيصايله‬.‫يوهويعمليفتينادريقاميبهيكلوزيإنسيوك‬،‫يروضيفرسيالبحري‬