The higher up in the social class one was, the higher the expectations. Considering the poem is circled around the Duke, he wants to make sure he has his household under control. Therefore, the Duke is all about power. That is evident in not only speaking about the last Duchess, but when he speaks to the servant. When speaking to the servant, he will use questions and then continue on with the command. For example, “Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet the company below, then” (43). Since he is talking to the servant that is expected. It is also expected with the Duchess because of gender roles. When the Duke says, “Somehow – I know not how – as if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody’s gift” (42), he is saying that she should not treat everyone else as she treated him because he gave her his last name which also gave her title. Basically, just any other commoner did not give her the power he gave her. He also asked a question, “Who’d stoop to blame this sort of trifling?” (42). He was asking rhetorically to make a point that no one would. Again thinking in terms
The higher up in the social class one was, the higher the expectations. Considering the poem is circled around the Duke, he wants to make sure he has his household under control. Therefore, the Duke is all about power. That is evident in not only speaking about the last Duchess, but when he speaks to the servant. When speaking to the servant, he will use questions and then continue on with the command. For example, “Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet the company below, then” (43). Since he is talking to the servant that is expected. It is also expected with the Duchess because of gender roles. When the Duke says, “Somehow – I know not how – as if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with anybody’s gift” (42), he is saying that she should not treat everyone else as she treated him because he gave her his last name which also gave her title. Basically, just any other commoner did not give her the power he gave her. He also asked a question, “Who’d stoop to blame this sort of trifling?” (42). He was asking rhetorically to make a point that no one would. Again thinking in terms