“My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning was written in the same era as “Ulysses” and is written in Verse. This poem is different to “Ulysses” as this poem is about a fictional character which is created by Browning. This is a Dramatic Monologue, as the duke (the character created by Browning) is talking to the servant of the father of a possible bride. To create the effect of speech, Browning uses Iambic Pentameter, which helps to imitate the rhythm of conversational speech, and enjambment frequently.
The use of language to present the subject matter is important for both poets. In Ulysses, the poet builds up a picture of the characters inactiveness by using words such as “still”, “dull” and “pause”. These adjectives create an understanding of what life is like for Ulysses, and this is then contrasted with words of his past such as “roaming”, “ringing” and “windy”. These words create a contrast between the activeness of the past, and the stillness of the present. This helps the reader imagine what life was like for the character when he was young. The words associated with the past are positive, whereas the words associated with the present are negative, helping the reader to understand how Ulysses feels about the present. Line 2o –“Gleams that untravelled world whose margin fades” shows how Ulysses believes that he still can go out and do things, as no matter how much he has done, he cannot have done everything. This line is important, as “Gleams” leaves the reader with the impression that it is almost tempting to Ulysses to go and live like he did in the past.
In “My Last Duchess”, Browning allows the reader to understand the Duke through what he is saying and what he is doing. The first two lines introduce us to the main topic of the Duke’s speech which is a painting of his last wife. The lines: "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, looking as if she were alive" hint to us that the duchess is not alive anymore, but Browning has made us unsure, and therefore invites us to read more into the poem. Browning engages the reader by inviting them to make their own judgements about the Duke, and hinting on what he is like but not giving us the full picture. An example of this is when the Duke says “since none puts by, the curtain I have drawn for you but I”. This shows that literally only the Duke pulls back the curtain, but it tells the reader of the Dukes possessiveness towards the painting of his last Duchess. This line shows one of the many negative qualities that the Duke has, but there are very rarely negative words used. This is cleverly used by Browning, as it helps create the image of a Duke who feels no shame or guilt in his past actions.
Both poems have similar subject content as both narrators of the poem are reflecting on the past. In “Ulysses” the narrator is talking about his past and what he has done, whereas in “My Last Duchess” the narrator is talking about his past wife. Both poems are about the narrator and evolve around the narrator, but Browning creates this cleverly by naming the poem “My Last Duchess” when the poem is mainly about the Duke. All the way through the poem, the Duke says of his displeasure from his wife and why, almost acting as a warning to his next wife. So a poem about the “Last Duchess” is actually a poem about the Duke’s likes and dislikes, which again helps to subtly build up the self centred nature of the character without revealing too much and loosing the readers’ interest.
Both poems are similar and different in many different ways. The most obvious similarity to both poems is their form, but if we look deeper into the poem we see that their content and their characters are very similar. However, some differences still remain in the poem. The main subject matter for both poems is death, but the two poems have different feelings towards death. For the Duke, it is something ordered and controlled by him, but for Ulysses, even though he has encountered death within his life so much he cannot accept that he will die.