The Last Duchess by Robert Browning

Robert Browning (1)
    Robert Browning was a poet, who was born on May 7, 1812, in Camberwell, England (1). Browning's written work was widely unpopular but was known for his dramatic monologues. However, his techniques of diction, rhythm, and symbol became incredibly inspirational to aspiring writers of the twentieth century. 
    One of Browning's most notable works in the Bell's and Pomegranates series was unsuccessful at the time, yet captured one of his most popular poems, I. Italy later got retitled as The Last Duchess (2). In 1838, Browning traveled to Italy, where his infatuation with the art and the cultural environment developed behind his inspiration for his many works (3) (4). However, Browning's inspiration for The Last Duchess came from the Renaissance Duke, Alfonso II of Ferrara, who had married his second wife by the name of Lucrezia de Medici (2). Lucrezia de Medici was from a family that was becoming one of the most powerful families in Europe during the mid-1500s (2). Rebecca Balcarcel provides a great analysis of Robert Browning's The Last Duchess and each line could relate back to the Duke of Ferrara and his last Duchess behind the curtain. (The Last Duchess Anaylsis) (7).
Lucrezia de'Medici (6)
    Lucrezia de Medici was chosen to marry Alfonso II after her oldest sister, Maria de Medici, died right before they were about to get married. Lucrezia was fourteen at the time of their wedding and it was known that she was chosen immediately to create a political alliance between their families (2). However, Alfonso decided to leave three days after the wedding, while Lucrezia remained living with her sister, Isabella in Florence (5). 
    Three years after their marriage, Alfonso returned to Florence where he became the official Duke of Ferrara, Modena, and Reggia and Lucrezia became his Duchess Consort at seventeen years old (2). It was shortly after a year, she allegedly passed away from tuberculosis after reportedly suffering for months (5). Although her father knew about her illness and reportedly sent a Florentine doctor to care for her, there were rumors that circulated over time that she was poisoned (2) (5).  Alfonso and Lucrezia did not conceive any children, but it was known that he had sought out the oracle, Nostradamus, which told him that his third wife would be the one that would continue his family lineage to the throne. It was also reported that the motive behind his decision to poison his wife stemmed from jealousy of the Medici empire and the prophecies of the oracle, Nostradamus (2). Browning took this ancient story and turned it into what we know as The Last Duchess. The idea that Alfonso II left his newlywed, Lucrezia three days after their wedding suggests he may have been unhappy with the arranged marriage and may have decided to start poisoning her when he returned to Florence three years later. In the poem, The Last Duchess, the Duke expresses his disgust and short temper, which can reflect how Alfonso could have felt toward Lucrezia after knowing that the prophecy would go against passing down his "nine-hundred-year-old name" to an heir. 

Sources:
1. "Robert Browning" Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, https://poets.org/poet/robert-browning.
2. Friedland, Louis S. "Ferrara and 'My Last Duchess.'" Studies in Philology, vol. 33, no. 4, 1936, pp. 656-84. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4172343.
3. Anam, Aishwarya. Of Pictures and Poets: The Humanist Interpretation of Renaissance Art in Browning's Dramatic Lyrics and Walter Pater's Studies in the History of the Renaissance. Oxford University, http://open.conted.ox.ac.uk/sites/open.conted.ox.ac.uk/files/resources/Create%20Document/Of%20Pictures%20and%20Poets_Aishwarya%20Anam.pdf
4. "Timeline Robert Browning." Snappynotes, 10 Dec. 2020, https://www.snappynotes.net/post/robert-browning-bio.
5. Pitti, Palazzo. "Lucrezia De'Medici Biography." Biography of Lucrezia De'Medici, https://www.palazzo-pitti.net/lucrezia-demedic-biography.html.
6. "Lucrezia De' Medici (1545-1561) (Obra De Arte)." Lucrezia De' Medici (1545-1561)-NCMALearn, https://learn.ncartmuseum.org/es/artwork/lucrezia-de-medici-1545-1561/.
7. Balcarcel, Rebecca, director. Understanding "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning. Youtube, 9 Nov. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvWCoyA6XJM. 

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