Last Duchess by Robert Browning

¶ … Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is an horrifying poem about jealousy and rage, and the extent to which the narrator acted out towards his wife. In the poem, the narrator objectifies his last wife, and nonchalantly recounts the nature of their marriage and how it came to an end. The narrator points out how the painting has captured his wife's beauty, "[looking] as if she were alive." The narrator's possessive nature extends not only to those that could interact with his wife while she was still alive, but also prevails after her death; the narrator has the ability to control who can and cannot see his wife's countenance as he tells his visitor, "none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I." The narrator exhibits jealous tendencies towards his wife's frivolous nature, and though he does attempt to curb her behavior, he is not convinced of her loyalty.

In what appears to be a sociopathic turn of events, the narrator commands that his wife be killed. His bizarre behavior towards his wife continues to indicate that he did not see her as an individual, or as an equal, rather an object which he could easily dispose of should he tire of it. He does not seem to exhibit any remorse for what he has done, rather is proud to have been able to add her to his collection stating, "his fair daughter's self, as I avowed/at starting, is my object." This is not a good quality of character considering he is currently meeting with a representative who is to arrange his next marriage.

In "The Debt" by Maupassant and "The Bet" by Chekhov, the characters take different attitudes towards sanity of mind and money. In "The Bet," the banker tries to exploit a young man's position on capital punishment, while in "The Debt," "tall" Fanny was looking to exploit men but was faced with an ethical dilemma in which a young man felt forever indebted to her.

"The Bet" focuses on the banker's bet with a young lawyer regarding the severity of capital punishment and whether the death penalty is more or less humane than life imprisonment. In order to prove their point, the banker and the lawyer enter into a 15-year bet in which the young agrees to give up his freedom in exchange for $2 million. In an attempt to curb his boredom, the imprisoned lawyer spends his time reading, writing, and playing music, while the banker slowly loses his money. Realizing that if the lawyer fulfills his part of the deal, the banker will lose the remainder of his fortune, he plots to murder him. Unbeknownst to the banker, the lawyer has developed a disdain for material things and has counter-plotted in favor of the banker to leave his prison five minutes before the deadline. During his imprisonment, the lawyer has learned to appreciate non-material things, whereas the banker's pride nearly led to his downfall. In this regard, the banker should be eternally grateful towards the lawyer for having spared him the guilt that would come with committing a murder, and allowing him to keep his money.