Free Response: My Last Duchess

Following our class discussion and interpretation of Browning's My Last Duchess I began to think about whether or not the speaker (the duke) killed his wife and why he would confess to killing his wife. The duke appears to be a very boastful, controlling man who could not find a way to control his wife. She was quite flirtatious and very independent, which seemed to upset the duke on many levels. I believe the lack of control over his wife, led the duke to kill her (or have have her killed).  Throughout the poem, the duke had no intention of telling the listener about how or why he killed his first wife. The duke starts on a tangent and tells the reader about his first wife. I think he confesses out of guilt and maybe even regret. I see regret and remorse in the line: "There she stands as if alive. Will't please you rise?" I think the duke allowed his self-centeredness to get in the way of his relationship with his wife.  Towards the end of the poem the duke is speaking of being remarried to a very rich and powerful lady. The duke doesn't seem to be genuinely interested in the new girl, he seems to be more intrigued by the connections and amount of money she has. The speaker in Browning's My Last Duchess seems to be emotionally unstable do to the remorse and guilt he feels from killing his first wife.