Compare my last duchess and Porhyrias lover considering in particular

Compare my last duchess and Porhyria's lover considering in particular how the 2 central characters are presented. Both poems, "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover" have similarities and differences. This can be seen in the two central characters, content and language. In "My Last Duchess" the duke, a rich upper class man, is talking to a messenger of a count whose daughter he wishes to marry. This poem begins in front of his last Duchess painting which is on the wall in the Duke's home. Throughout the poem, we discover the characteristics of the Duke and learn about the murder of the Duchess. "Porphyria's Lover" however begins in the lover's cottage. The poem describes a night they spent together and the murder of Porphyria. Throughout this poem, we also learn about the characteristics of the Lover. Both poems are linked through the murder of Porphyria and the Duchess. Firstly, in "My Last Duchess", the Duke is controlling. This can be seen in "The curtain I have drawn for you, but I". This tells us that the duke was in control over who saw the painting because there was a curtain present over the painting. This can also suggest that the Duke, still, thought that he had control over his late wife. This also shows the Duke being selfish and powerful. The Duke's selfishness can also be seen later in the poem. This can be seen in "A heart, how shall I say? - too soon made glad, /Too easily impressed" and "She looked on and her looks went everywhere." It would appear that the Duke was not impressed by the supposed flirtatious actions of the Duchess. This is because he wanted the Duchess to be completely his. Therefore we can see that the Duke was also a jealous man. Another characteristic of the... ...hat Porphyria, now completely belongs to the Lover. The language used here can help us establish something about the metal state of the lover. We can see that, unlike the Duke, he has psychiatric problems. His looking up to God could suggest he was trying to justify his actions by gaining God's support or he felt no guilt over what he had done. In conclusion, both poems are dramatic monologues. This is when one speaker relates the entire poem as if it was another speaker presenting the speaker. They both carry a question of ambiguity. For example we are not certain whether the Duchess was flirtatious or whether Porphyria was proud. We are not told what exactly happens in both poems. Therefore, it is up to us to intrrreperate what is happening in the two poems. Finally, any information which we are given comes from the narrator and this may not reliable.