The Flight of the Duchess by Robert Browning
An aging servant tells a friend how the Duke and his mother stifled the young Duchess's lively nature. During a hunt, an old Gypsy woman's promise of love and belonging revives her, and the servant helps her ride away with the woman. Thirty years later, he remains in the Duke's service and plans to seek news of her once his master dies.
By Robert Browning · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Dramatic Monologue · 11,135 words
First lines
I
You 're my friend: / I was the man the Duke spoke to; / I helped the Duchess to cast off his yoke, too; / So, here 's the tale from beginning to end, / My friend!
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Rhyming verse follows the Duchess's arrival, her decline under household restrictions, and her departure with the Gypsy woman.
- Dramatic Monologue — A servant addresses a friend, recounting his involvement while revealing his loyalties, prejudices, grief, and future plans.
Tags
marital confinement · aristocratic customs · escape · Gypsies · servant loyalty · dramatic monologue
What this Textopian page supports
The Flight of the Duchess is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Browning, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Browning
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Dramatic Monologue
- Length: 11,135 words
- Structure: 1 section, 35 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Flight of the Duchess by Robert Browning
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