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我的前公爵夫人墙上的这幅面是我的前公爵夫人，看起来就像她活着一样。如今，我称它为奇迹：潘道夫师的手笔经一日忙碌，从此她就在此站立。你愿坐下看看她吗？我有意提起潘道夫，因为外来的生客（例如你）凡是见了画中描绘的面容、那真挚的眼神的深邃和热情，没有一个不转向我（因为除我外再没有别人把画上的帘幕拉开），似乎想问我可是又不大敢问；是从哪儿来的——这样的眼神？你并非第一个人回头这样问我。先生，不仅仅是她丈夫的在座使公爵夫人面带欢容，可能潘道夫偶然说过：“夫人的披风盖住她的手腕太多，”或者说：“隐约的红晕向颈部渐渐隐没，这绝非任何颜料所能复制。”这种无聊话，却被她当成好意，也足以唤起她的欢心。她那颗心——怎么说好呢？——要取悦容易得很，也太易感动。她看到什么都喜欢，而她的目光又偏爱到处观看。先生，她对什么都一样！她胸口上佩戴的我的赠品，或落日的余光；过分殷勤的傻子在园中攀折给她的一枝樱桃，或她骑着绕行花圃的白骡——所有这一切都会使她同样地赞羡不绝，或至少泛起红晕。她感激人．好的！但她的感激（我说不上怎么搞的）仿佛把我赐她的九百年的门第与任何人的赠品并列。谁愿意屈尊去谴责这种轻浮举止？即使你有口才（我却没有）能把你的意志给这样的人儿充分说明：“你这点或那点令我讨厌。这儿你差得远，而那儿你超越了界限。”即使她肯听你这样训诫她而毫不争论，毫不为自己辩解，——我也觉得这会有失身份，所以我选择绝不屈尊。哦，先生，她总是在微笑，每逢我走过；但是谁人走过得不到同样慷慨的微笑？发展至此，我下了令：于是一切微笑都从此制止。她站在那儿，像活着一样。请你起身客人们在楼下等。我再重复一声：你的主人——伯爵先生闻名的大方足以充分保证：我对嫁妆提出任何合理要求都不会遭拒绝；当然．如我开头声明的，他美貌的小姐才是我追求的目标。别客气，让咱们一同下楼吧。但请看这海神尼普顿在驯服海马，这是件珍贵的收藏，是克劳斯为我特制的青铜铸像。RobertBrowning:afamous19thcentury(Victorian)Britishpoet,particularlywell-knownforhisearlymonologueMyLastDuchess(《我的已故的公爵夫人》).Inthepoem,adukespeaksabouthisdeadwife.Thepoemisaboutmurder,mysteryandintrigue,butallinindirectallusions(暗示).Readersmaysensethatthedukekillshiswifeorcausesherdeath,butnoevidenceisshown.Thelanguageofthepoemisdifficulttounderstand.Theuseofdramaticmonologueforcesreaderstoworkhardtofindthemeaningbehindtheduke'swords.WhentalkingaboutRobertBrowning,wehavetomentionhiswife,ElizabethBarrettBrowning.Shewasafamouspoet,too.Shewrotemanysonnets,atypeof14linepoem,thesameasShakespearedid.ElizabethandherhusbandRoberthadagreatloveaffair,almostlikeamovie.Browningwassixyearsyoungerthanhiswife.TheyranawaytoItalytogetmarried.SummaryThispoemislooselybasedonhistoricaleventsinvolvingAlfonso,theDukeofFerrara,wholivedinthe16thcentury.TheDukeisthespeakerofthepoem,andtellsusheisentertaininganemissarywhohascometonegotiatetheDuke’smarriage(hehasrecentlybeenwidowed)tothedaughterofanotherpowerfulfamily.Asheshowsthevisitorthroughhispalace,hestopsbeforeaportraitofthelateDuchess,apparentlyayoungandlovelygirl.TheDukebeginsreminiscingabouttheportraitsessions,thenabouttheDuchessherself.Hismusingsgivewaytoadiatribeonherdisgracefulbehavior:heclaimssheflirtedwitheveryoneanddidnotappreciatehis“giftofanine-hundred-years-oldname.”Ashismonologuecontinues,thereaderrealizeswithever-morechillingcertaintythattheDukeinfactcausedtheDuchess’searlydemise:whenherbehaviorescalated,“[he]gavecommands;/Thenallsmilesstoppedtogether.”Havingmadethisdisclosure,theDukereturnstothebusinessathand:arrangingforanothermarriage,withanotheryounggirl.AstheDukeandtheemissarywalkleavethepaintingbehind,theDukepointsoutothernotableartworksinhiscollection.Form“MyLastDuchess”comprisesrhymingpentameterlines.Thelinesdonotemployend-stops;rather,theyuseenjambment—gthatis,sentencesandothergrammaticalunitsdonotnecessarilyconcludeattheendoflines.Consequently,therhymesdonotcreateasenseofclosurewhentheycome,butratherremainasubtledrivingforcebehindtheDuke’scompulsiverevelations.TheDukeisquiteaperformer:hemimicsothers’voices,createshypotheticalsituations,andusestheforceofhispersonalitytomakehorrifyinginformationseemmerelycolorful.Indeed,thepoemprovidesaclassicexampleofadramaticmonologue:thespeakerisclearlydistinctfromthepoet;anaudienceissuggestedbutneverappearsinthepoem;andtherevelationoftheDuke’scharacteristhepoem’sprimaryaim.CommentaryButBrowninghasmoreinmindthansimplycreatingacolorfulcharacterandplacinghiminapicturesquehistoricalscene.Rather,thespecifichistoricalsettingofthepoemharborsmuchsignificance:theItalianRenaissanceheldaparticularfascinationforBrowningandhiscontemporaries,foritrepresentedthefloweringoftheaestheticandthehumanalongside,orinsomecasesintheplaceof,thereligiousandthemoral.ThusthetemporalsettingallowsBrowningtoagainexploresex,violence,andaestheticsasallentangled,complicatingandconfusingeachother:thelushnessofthelanguagebeliesthefactthattheDuchesswaspunishedforhernaturalsexuality.TheDuke’sravingssuggestthatmostofthesupposedtransgressionstookplaceonlyinhismind.LikesomeofBrowning’sfellowVictorians,theDukeseessinlurkingineverycorner.ThereasonthespeakerheregivesforkillingtheDuchessostensiblydiffersfromthatgivenbythespeakerof“Porphyria’sLover”formurderPorphyria;however,bothwomenareneverthelessvictimsofamaledesiretoinscribeandfixfemalesexuality.ThedesperateneedtodothismirrorstheeffortsofVictoriansocietytomoldthebehavior—gsexualandotherwise—gofindividuals.Forpeopleconfrontedwithanincreasinglycomplexandanonymousmodernworld,thisimpulsecomesnaturally:tocontrolwouldseemtobetoconserveandstabilize.TheRenaissancewasatimewhenmorallydissolutemenliketheDukeexercisedabsolutepower,andassuchitisafascinatingstudyfortheVictorians:workslikethisimplythat,surely,atimethatproducedmagnificentartliketheDuchess’sportraitcouldn’thavebeenentirelyevilinitsallocationofsocietalcontrol—geventhoughitputmenliketheDukeinpower.Apoemlike“MyLastDuchess”calculatedlyengagesitsreadersonapsychologicallevel.BecausewehearonlytheDuke’smusings,wemustpiecethestorytogetherourselves.Browningforceshisreadertobecomeinvolvedinthepoeminordertounderstandit,andthisaddstothefunofreadinghiswork.Italsoforcesthereadertoquest