Intro to Literature Paper II . My analysis of the setting in My Last Duchess and Dover BeachAt first glance the setting of a poem is the psychological and physiological environment in which the story takes place. In some instances, the setting is used to develop the characters. Robert Browning and Matthew Arnold use the setting to expose their character traits. “My Last Duchess” and “Dover Beach,” respectively, portray the weaknesses of the characters using elements from the setting. The text, page 629 and 630, tells us that the setting in “My Last Duchess” displays a valuable art form that exposes his greed and cruelty. “Dover Beach” demonstrates changeability and impermanence. The speaker’s solution is to establish personal fidelity as a fixture against change, dissolution, and brutality. Even though the text tells us the main use of setting in these two poems, I believe that many individual words used in the poems help describe the surroundings and the feelings that the speaker is trying to get across.Robert Browning, the author of “My Last Duchess”, uses the setting to show the Dukes greed, cruelty, and jealousy. The development of the setting begins with the Duke showing an agent for the Count of Tyrol the curtained picture of his deceased Duchess. Count of Troy sent an agent in order to see if the Duke is worthy to marry his daughter. The fact that he keeps the picture behind closed curtains and deems it a privilege to view the Duke’s last Duchess illustrates his possessiveness and greed. “She thanked men--good! But thanked somehow--I know not how--as if she ranked my gift of nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody’s gift”. This line lends to the setting by showing his greed and ho...
