Throughout history, men have attempted to subjugate women by limiting their rights, limiting their freedoms, and, when all else fails, killing. In "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning, Duke Ferrara kills his wife in retaliation for the fact that he could not control his being - actions and feelings - as evidenced by his description of his last duchess, by his curtain on her portrait and by his deft control over syntax and conversation. Through this poem, Robert Browning addresses a larger question regarding the extent to which men will be able to maintain control. Through Duke Ferrara's description of his late Duchess, it is evident that he is a controlling individual whose dissatisfaction with the Duchess's dissolute behavior led to him arranging her death. When Duke Ferrara was telling the marriage negotiator about the portrait he has of his last duchess, he states, "sir, it was not only the presence of your husband that called the spot of joy on the duchess's cheek" (13-15). Duke Ferrara, commenting on his late duchess's expression in the painting, states that the blush of pleasure on her cheeks was caused by numerous individuals, not just him. Summarizing the duchess's tragic flaw later, Duke Ferrara states: “a heart – how shall I put it? – too soon cheered,/too easily impressed; she liked whatever she looked at, and her looks went everywhere” (23-24). With these words, Duke Ferrara claims that too many things surprised the Duchess, which displeased him. Also through “her gazes went everywhere” (24), Duke Ferrara uses a reference to sexual promiscuity to demonstrate his anger towards her lack of emotional control. At the end of his monologue, Duke Ferrara discusses the repercussions of the Duchess's flirtation: “Or…half of the paper…her host's actions on how the Duchess behaved. Because the Duchess was dissolute in her behavior, Duke Ferrara eventually tried to control her through murder. In conclusion, through the use of caesura and rhetorical questions, Duke Ferrara exposes his controlling and selfish character. Through his description of the Duchess and the account of her reactions to the gifts of others, Duke Ferrara reveals the reason for the Duchess's murder. Through his side comment regarding the curtain, Duke Ferrara connects the two together and brings his crime to light before the audience. Through the exaggerated example of the Duke killing his Duchess in an attempt to control her, Robert Browning successfully demonstrates a social commentary: men go to extremes to maintain control. By casting the Duke as an evil individual, Browning actually makes the audience receptive to his message.