COVE

Introduction

Robert Browning’s poem “My Last Duchess” features a peculiar Duke who, in speaking to the representative of his potential wife’s family, is overwhelmingly fixated on a portrait of his deceased wife. Throughout the Duke’s dramatic monologue, his characteristics bring into question his morality. The Duke, for example, states, “Notice Neptune, though, / taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity” (Browning, lines 54-55), and “I gave commands; / then all smiles stopped together” (Browning, lines 45-46). These lines within the poem emphasize the controlling nature of the duke, especially as he compares himself to a god. The lines can also bring about a cruel reality. The idea of the duke giving orders provides the image of his ordering his wife’s death. This underlying implication of the poem points toward a dark and grim reality of the violence within marriage in the Victorian era.

 Many speculate the inspiration for Browning’s “My Last Duchess” is Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara. Philip Allingham’s “Browning’s Portrait of a Renaissance Man: Alphonso II D’este, Duke of Ferrara, in ‘My Last Duchess’ (1842)” emphasizes this idea by explaining that Browning’s poem is a “psychological portrait of the Duke of Ferrara” (1). The likelihood of a real individual inspiring a poem with underlying references of moral turpitude emphasizes a reality of violence within a marriage. While the inspiration for Browning’s poem comes from the 16^th Century, violence within relationships was common in Browning’s time. In fact husbands being violent toward their wives was very common at the time “My Last Duchess” was published in the Victorian era.

In Victorian England, violence in marriages, or domestic abuse, was extremely prevalent within marriages. The frequency of marriages with domestic abuse can be seen in the concept of wife beating. Jenna Dodenhoff emphasizes this prevalence in “A Dangerous Kind: Domestic Violence and the Victorian Middle Class” through a statement from the Victorian era which states, “Wife-beating exists in the upper and middle classes rather more, I fear, than is generally recognized” (1). The domestic abuse women faced within their marriages in the Victorian era is just one form of oppression women faced in this period. The four images within this gallery are an exploration of this domestic oppression. Each image explores a different aspect of the domestic abuse and oppression of women, moving from the abuse used as humor to the justification of the abuse within the society. Click through to see this form of oppression throughout the Victorian period.

Works Cited

Allingham, Philip V. “Browning's Portrait of a Renaissance Man: Alphonso II D' Este, Duke of Ferrara, in ‘My Last Duchess’ (1842).” Browning's Portrait of a Renaissance Man: Alphonso II d' Este, Duke of Ferrara, in "My Last Duchess" (1842), https://victorianweb.org/authors/rb/duchess/pva313.html.

Browning, Robert. “My Last Duchess.” COVE Studio, 1842, https://studio.covecollective.org/anthologies/sp22-eng-l302-anthology/do.... 

Dodenhoff, Jenna. “‘A DANGEROUS KIND’: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE VICTORIAN MIDDLE CLASS.” TCNJ.edu, Apr. 2008, https://joss.tcnj.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/176/2012/04/2008-Dodenhof.... 

Images in this Series

Fig. 1. David, Jules. “Vice and Virtue: Misery.” Fine Art America, 22 Jan. 2015, https://fineartamerica.com/featured/vice-and-virtue-misery-jules-david.html. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.

This image is a painting titled Vice and Virtue: Misery and was created by Jules David. While this painting is undated, Jules David lived from 1809-1892, so the painting was likely created around the time of the Victorian period. In this painting, the most prominent figure, the man standing, has his arm drawn back in what appears to be a motion intended to hit the woman sitting down. The man’s features seem to be filled with some type of strong emotion, likely anger, while the woman and the children seem to be fearful. This painting depicts the reality many women faced in their marriages at this time. Domestic abuse, as mentioned before in this gallery, was extremely prevalent, and it was especially relevant in the private arena of the home. In the home, there were no social repercussions of a man being violent toward his wife, if there would be any at all, so this is where women faced the most oppression and abuse. The private arena is one that is subtly emphasized in Browning’s “My Last Duchess” as the duke keeps a portrait of his deceased wife to himself most of the time. By keeping her portrait relatively private, he is able to keep her in the private arena of life, and this is no coincidence. The private aspect of life allowed men to rule in any way they saw fit, including being violent, and this is oppression at its finest.

Fig. 2. Merry, Tom. “Parnell's Puppets.” Victoria and Albert Museum, https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/thats-the-way-to-do-it-a-history-of-punch.... Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.

This image was created by Tom Merry and printed for the St. Steven’s Review in November of 1884, and it depicts a puppet show featuring two very famous puppets, Mr. Punch and Judy, who were first introduced in England in the 16^thCentury. These puppet characters were depicted as husband and wife, and this dynamic of marriage that they represent is interesting to consider when one begins to unpack the image itself. Within the image, the most prominent element is the scene between the two puppets themselves. The puppet known as Mr. Punch is throwing Judy, his wife, out into the crowd in what appears to be a violent manner. While the puppet show is a means of entertainment, especially in Victorian England, this depiction of domestic abuse in such a public display alludes to the prevalence of domestic violence within the society at the time. Another important aspect to the image is the almost all-male audience. As men commonly were the ones acting in violence toward their wives, it is not very surprising to find that men find entertainment value in this act. The abuse of a wife in this society, even in entertainment, caused what seems to be no discomfort among most audiences. As this is the society Browning was part of when “My Last Duchess” was written, it becomes less shocking that he would create the character of the duke who potentially acted in a violent manner the duke’s own wife. Through this image, the normalcy of the oppression of women through marital violence becomes more apparent.

Fig. 3.Punch. “The Expressions of the Hand.” Punch Historical Archive, https://go-gale-com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Newspape...¤tPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CES700215647&docType=Article&sort=Pub+Date+Forward+Chron&contentSegment=ZPHA-MOD1&prodId=PNCH&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CES700215647&searchId=R2&userGroupName=iulib_iupui&inPS=true. Accessed 2 Mar. 2022.

This image is from the Punch Historical Archive, and it was originally published in October of 1856 by Punch. The image is seemingly simple as it depicts the change from before marriage to after marriage; however, unique to the image at the time of publication is the article below the image which focuses on the validation of violence toward women through the church. Below the image, it is essentially emphasized that God justifies and provides permission for a man to beat his wife in order to instill obedience. This concept of obedience of a wife to her husband is one that has strong ties to the church as the belief that a man is under God but over a wife and children is strong. By the endorsement of a member of the church, many likely accepted the idea of using physical force to force a wife into submission or obedience. The use of physical force to keep women under the power and rule of the husband is the epitome of what oppression is, especially for women. The image of the change in the hands is a simple yet powerful way to explain the claim and power men feel as though they obtain over a woman one married to her. This feeling of entitlement is what ultimately leads to the domestic violence so prevalent in the Victorian era, and it corresponds to the power the duke feels in Browning’s poem when he compares himself to a god and his deceased duchess to an animal being tamed. This entitlement is what encourages the oppression of women in their marriages in the Victorian era.

Fig. 4. Humphey, W. “Judge Thumb.” JamesGilray.org, https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/thats-the-way-to-do-it-a-history-of-punch.... Accessed 2 Mar. 2022.

The image provided above was originally created in 1782 and was printed in the Daily Advertiser and Morning Herald. While this image was created prior to the Victorian era, it was relevant to the times of the Victorian period as it was a reference for many when discussing the oppression of women through domestic abuse in marriages. According to the original articles and conversations on the image itself, the image was created after an unnamed judge ruled it acceptable for a husband to correct his wife in a physical manner; however, many say that if the husband physically corrected his wife with an object such as a stick, the stick is to be no wider than the husband’s thumb. While some say this retelling is fact and others fiction, the overall idea of the image is that the law and society supports husbands physically correcting their wives. In the image, the judge is essentially watching over as the man chases the woman with a stick, attempting to correct her. At the same time, the judge is carrying the sticks men would use in their correction and oppression of women. This image carries the weight of an acceptance of violence as a means of correction within relationships and marriages, and this idea of accepting the use of violence toward wives carried over into the Victorian period. From the idea of wife correction being acceptable, one might only question whether the duke in Browning’s poem felt his potential correction was justified.