Comparison Between My Last Duchess and Ulysses Both poems, "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning and "Ulysses" by Alfred Lord Tennyson, are examples of monologues dramatic, as they consist exclusively of the protagonist's speech. As a result, they have few or, in the case of "My Last Duchess", only one verse. Many interlocking lines and many irregularities in the basic form of iambic pentameter also hide the rhyming couplets of this poem. “My Last Duchess” is set in Renaissance Italy and sees the Duke of Ferrara talking to a servant of his future father-in-law about a painting of his ex-wife. The narrator of "Ulysses" is the man of the title, an ancient Greek hero, who speaks of his disdain for his royal position and his desire to travel again before his impending death. Although they are both powerful men speaking about their pasts, there are notable differences between the two poems, both in the protagonists themselves and in the poetic devices used to present them. One of the most obvious differences between Ferrara and Ulysses is the source of their power and the type of power they wield. Ferrara's power derives from its "nine-hundred-year-old name", that is, from its position as ruler of one of the many city-states that make up the current Italian nation. This was a position he was born into, not a position he earned. He evidently places great value on his hereditary status, as he calls it a "gift" and objects when his wife does not consider it more valuable than the gifts other people have given her. He feels that he was very generous by making her his duchess, and thinks that his wife should have ranked this generosity above that of others. She gives examples of other gifts that she considered of equal value, such as: “The white mule he rode around the terrace” “The dimming of daylight in the west.” The Duke does not think that these things, which are trivial to him, should bring her as much joy as the gifts he gives her. He is also slightly jealous that other things can make his wife happy. He thinks she should love him and him alone. This is especially noticeable when referring to someone else. "The cherry branch: a pushy fool".