Perfection is what many people try to achieve in their lives, but none succeed. It is the ideal result of the hard work and effort that every person puts in, to become greater than what they are now. In literature, characters may seem perfect but, upon closer examination, are deeply flawed. This is the case of the three literary pieces; Oedipus the King, my last duchess and the death of a traveling salesman. All three of these prove the fact that “Perfection is like a dream. When people finally see the flaws, they wake up and the dream ends." "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is a haunting poem that tells the story of a seemingly perfect wife who dies, and is then immortalized in a photo by her sweet and kind wife. loving husband. This appears to be the perfect family that a tragic accident has destroyed. Upon further investigation and analysis of the poem, we discover the imperfections and this perfect "dream family" is shown for what it really was. a relationship without trust. The deceased wife seemed to be completely perfect and caring. She smiled at everyone she spoke to, as a kind woman should (My Last Duchess, lines 43-45). without flaws (My Last Duchess, Lines 13-15). She was a beautiful soul who seemed to love everyone, which is why she wasn't as perfect as she seemed to the world. Her imperfection was that she was too kind, to the point of making it her own husband felt jealous of others. he spoke. She always accepted people's gifts with the same kindness she had used when her husband asked her to marry him (My Last Duchess, lines 32-35). The perfect wife would have valued her marriage above all else, which apparently was not the case. She didn't seem to appreciate... the medium of paper... conducted under the careful scrutiny given to them. This proves the fact that “Perfection is like a dream. When people finally see the flaws, they wake up and the dream ends." Works Cited Gioia, Dana and XJ Kennedy. "My Last Duchess." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Theater and Writing, ed. compact, interactive edition. 5th ed. New York: Longman Publishing, 2007. 432-433. Gioia, Dana and to theater and writing, compact edition. 5th ed. New York: Longman Publishing, 1212-1280. Gioia, Dana e XJ Kennedy fiction, poetry, drama and writing, compact edition, interactive edition. New York: Pearson Longman Publishing, 2007. 887-924.