The narrator of "My Last Duchess" is Browning presenting himself as Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, who lived in 16th century Italy. Due to the fact that we know when and where Alfonso II lived we can also deduce the general time frame and location of the poem. The narrator is describing not only the shortcomings of his deceased wife, but also her beauty.

Alfonso is telling this story to an agent who is negotiating the Duke's second marriage to

In the Duke's opinion, in her equal pleasantness toward everyone (Lines 43 through 45), including him, the late duchess failed to entirely recognize the worth of her husband. For example, she appreciated his 900 years old name no more than any other gift she received (Lines 32 through 34). The problem with the Duchess, as far as the Duke was concerned, was that she was no more pleasant to him than to others she encountered.

The Duke, in an attempt to allude the reader into feeling sorry for him, recounts a list of criticisms about the former duchess. The duke criticizes the Duchess for the lovely smile she bestowed on everyone (Lines 13 through 15), her courtesy to others (Lines 20 and 21), and for the way she was easily impressed with the simple kindness shown to her (Lines 22 through 24). The Duke continues his admonition of her by attacking the painting with prose, the branch of cherry blossoms someone brought to her (Lines 27 and 28), and even the white mule she rode on the terrace (Lines 28 and 29).

Some common words found in the essay are:
Duchess Duke, That's Duchess, Duchess Alfonso, Alfonso II, Claus Innsbruck, Count Tyrol, Duchess Lines, Neptune Taming, Duke Ferrara, Browning's Duchess, duchess duke, telling story, duke attempt, painting duchess, alfonso ii,
Approximate Word count = 682
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)