The Marriage Portrait Literary Elements

Historical Fiction

The novel is set in the year 1561 in Florence.

Third-person narration from the point of view of an anonymous narrator.

Suspicious, Apprehensive, Fearful, Anxious

The protagonist is Lucrezia di Medici and the antagonist is Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara.

The major conflict in this novel is between Lucrezia de Medici and her husband, Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara. Lucrezia is well aware that her husband is planning to murder her, and she is frantic to go. Alfonso is determined to keep her in Ferrara and forces her to undergo reproductive treatments, even though he is infertile. To escape Alfonso's grasp and take control of her fate, Lucrezia must rely on her wits as well as the help of her faithful maid Emilia and the artist Jacopo.

The novel's climax happens when Lucrezia discovers Alfonso is plotting to kill her and makes plans to flee with the help of Jacopo. She executes her plan and departs the Fortezza, leaving Alfonso and Leonello to strangle Emilia in her place. This is the turning point in the novel, as Lucrezia is now safe and ready to begin a new life in Venice with Jacopo. The climax is a critical point in the story since it signifies the end of Lucrezia's captivity and the start of her newfound independence. It is also a triumphant moment, as Lucrezia outwits Alfonso and Leonello and escapes their grasp.

The novel foreshadows Lucrezia's suspicions about her husband's plans to kill her. He looks to be chatting to her with a false familiarity, heightened by his movements of stroking her wrist and leaning in close. "You will be blamed," her sister-in-law says, hinting at the danger she is in. His description of going to the lodge as a youngster, as well as the recall of the long, laborious ride they had to take to get there, implies that he has brought her here to murder her.

The statement "it is of no consequence" when Lucrezia is referring to Alfonso leaving her at the table for so long is an understatement because it downplays the impact that his leaving had on Lucrezia when in reality she was likely feeling quite hurt or frustrated.

This novel has an allusion to the narrative of Adam and Eve. Lucrezia compares her husband's attempt to murder her to Adam and Eve's punishment for eating the cursed apple. This allusion is made while she is thinking, "The certainty that he means for her to die is like a presence beside her as if a dark-feathered bird of prey has alighted on the arm of her chair." A dark-feathered bird is frequently used in the account of Adam and Eve to represent the presence of God and his retribution for their transgression. This connection emphasizes the gravity of the predicament Lucrezia is in, as she faces a sentence equal to that of Adam and Eve.

Imagery is employed to depict the protagonist's physical sensations and environment. The image of her body being pinched and folded in an "ungainly way" like a "cicada" depicts the physical agony of the scenario. The depiction of her hands as "ravenous animals" and "searching for something lost in the crevices of her" creates a sense of violation and uneasiness. The image of her being "pressed between mattress and another person, like a sheaf of papers between the covers of a book" communicates an overwhelming sensation of helplessness. The wind "frisking against the shutters, sliding narrow fingers between the slats" evokes disorder and uncertainty.

The paradox in the novel is that the narrator expected to have to enter into a marriage contract, and thus expected to have to engage in certain painful and uncomfortable sexual acts, yet she was still surprised when it happened. Although she had known what to expect, she was still taken aback by the pain and discomfort of the experience. This paradox of being both prepared and unprepared simultaneously highlights the inescapable and often contradictory nature of the realities of marriage contracts.

The parallelism in this novel is the contrast between Maria and Lucrezia. Maria is described as flushed and nervous, whereas Lucrezia is described as a young child with a flat and featureless body. Maria is clinging to her fiancé's sleeve, whereas Lucrezia is clutching her pet mouse. Maria is described as talking nervously, whereas Lucrezia is quiet and observant. This comparison highlights the differences between the two sisters and the way they are treated by their future husbands.

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The sun is described as throwing down "gentle, probing arrows"; "the skin prickle and seethe"; the flowers have "thick purple blooms, which undulate and vibrate"; the fountain has a "sea monster joyfully gargling water"; the sky is "hazed by smoke or mist". These are all examples of personification, as they attribute human characteristics to non-human objects and animals.