Duchess about how disgusted he was with her actions, he would not stoop to her level. (“Who’d stoop to blame This sort of trifling? Even had you skill In speech – which I have not – to make your will… Just this Or that in you disgusts me…E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose Never to stoop.”). (35-43) Back in that time, the thought was that a woman was not equal to a man so he could never stoop to talking to her about this matter, especially given the fact she might say something back and make an excuse, and make him look like a fool. He should be able to make the command and she would obey.“This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together.” Evidently, it only got worse. He must have been raging inside -- he couldn’t bare the thought of her not worshipping only him any longer so he was willing to destroy her. He doesn’t say specifically, but one could only imagine that he gave orders to have her killed, another sign of his controlling and commanding nature. (One might think that he lost control, however, when he had her killed – another possibly irony).At this point, as described in lines 47-53, the Duke looks back to the portrait once again. He finally mentions that the listener is a servant of the Count, the father of the woman he is planning to marry next. He mentions the large dowry that he wouldn’t mind accepting, obviously negotiating the terms of a new marriage agreement. As they turn away from the portrait and go to join the rest of the company, the duke casually points out one of his other possessions, a bronze statute of Neptune taming a sea-horse. (54-56) Again, he mentions the sculpter’s name, obviously trying to make an impression. And it is obvious that he likes this sculpture because he compares the power and associated with it, with how he wanted to appear with his power and control over women.After reading th...
