Answer:
The speaker is the Duke of Ferrara. Browning appears to have
modeled him after Alfonso II, who ruled Ferrara from 1559 to 1597. Alfonso was
married three times but had no children. The poem reveals him as a proud,
possessive, and selfish man and a lover of the arts.
In this dramatic monolog, the Duke shows a
portrait of his late wife to a visitor. As he talks of her, demeaning her
character, he reveals that she in actuality had been a lovely, sensitive woman,
full of joy, while he himself is cruel, jealous, proud, and arrogant. He felt
great jealousy because the duchess found joy all around her and favored others besides himself with
her smiles.
The Duke's jealousy
and his arrogance are shown in his attitude toward his family name,
representative of his social station. When the Duke's jealousy and wounded
pride became unbearable, he "gave commands" stopping "all
smiles," strongly implying he ordered the duchess be killed. He is both
cold and cruel.
An interesting passage concludes the poem. As
he shows his visitor downstairs, the Duke directs his attention to a sculpture
of Neptune taming a seahorse. It is an ironic metaphor for the Duke's
relationship with the duchess. Like the seahorse, his duchess had evinced a
free spirit; rather than lower himself to "tame" her, he simply had
her destroyed.
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