"My Last Duchess" is Robert Browning's most popular dramatic monologue. The Duke in the poem is an arrogant, possessive, and demanding man. I wonder if he knows that he is being way too proud and self-centered in order to quickly establish a sense of power and pride that is sure to follow after the marriage, or he is just arrogant in nature he doesn't even notice it himself? By mentioning his last duchess' death which is potentially caused by him - "I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together" (45-46) - he is increasing the chance of the marriage engagement being cancelled when the envoy reports back to his master. Or can he somehow be a good man? He is showing the envoy what his expectations of a good wife are, and so if this wife-to-be is not suitable or ready for this kind of marriage, there is still a chance to call of the engagement and he won't destroy the girl's life.....?
Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnet 14 carries a straightforward message: "love me for love's sake" (13). Nowadays, we always hear what the speaker asks her lover not to say: "I love her for her smile - her look - her way / Of speaking gently" (3-5). While some see this as a shallow love for beauty or youthful appearance, I think this is not entirely true. When you love someone, everything about that person becomes ten times as good or beautiful as it normally does. For example when parents look at their new born baby, every move, every little noise, every change in facial expression becomes just one more reason to love the baby more. Being the apple of someone's eye can also be a way to be loved.
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