This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together.

Answer: The line is question simply means that the Duke ordered his wife killed. Now he is looking for another wife, and the person he is speaking to in this dramatic monologue is a representative of the father of the young women he is arranging to marry. He is showing this visitor his art collection, which includes a portrait of his former wife. A nobleman of the Duke's status had the power to have people killed in the period in which this scene occurs. It is shocking to think of a man having his wife murdered  because she was too kind and loving, but that is what this proud selfish, wicked man did. In Dante's inferno the poet encounters francesca da Rimini in a circle of hell reserved for adulterers, and she and her lover, the husband's young brother paolo, tell him how they fell in love and where murdered by Francesca's husband, also a powerful italian nobleman. This scene was commemorated by Tchaikovsky in a beautiful tone poem titled " Francesca da Rimini" " My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning is the most famous of his dramatic monologues and also the most frequently anthologized of all his poems.

THAT’S my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive.

Answer:  The opening lines have a lot of history behind them, and speculation. As regards the poem’s greatness or meaning, none of it matters. the first few lines of the poem, which makes it clear that this poem is an example of a dramatic monologue. Note the way in which the speaker is addressing someone, but although he asks this person questions, he does not wait for an answer, as is shown by the fifth line. The speaker quickly continues his narrative and gives no opportunity for the hearer to respond.

These first few lines then establish the setting. From the description of the painting as being of "my last Duchess," we can infer that the speaker is the Duke, and that he has had more than one wife. He also gives testament to the incredible skill involved in the painting, that makes it look as if the dead Duchess is actually alive. We are told that a monk painted her and that very few people actually get to see this painting because a curtain covers it. The portrait of the Duchess bears an "earnest glance." This beginning therefore raises more questions than answers. Why is the Duke showing this portrait to his hearer, and who is his hearer? Answering these questions will help you to unlock the meaning of this rather disturbing poem.

Describe the characteristic of Last Duchess.

Answer:  During the duchess' life, the duke explains, his wife would offer that beautiful smile to everyone, instead of reserving her look of joy exclusively for her husband. She appreciated nature, the kindness of others, animals, and the simply pleasures of everyday life. He might not reveal his explosive emotions to the courtier as they sit and look at the painting, but the reader can deduce that the duchess' lack of worshipfulness infuriated her husband.

He wanted to be the only person, the only object of her affection. The duke self-righteously continues his explanation of events, rationalizing that despite his disappointment it would have been beneath him to talk openly with his wife about his feelings of jealousy.

Some readers believe that the Duchess isn't so innocent, that her "smiles" are really a code word for promiscuous behavior. Their theory is that whoever she smiles is someone she engages in a sexual relationship.

However, if she were sleeping  around with everything she smiled at (the setting sun, a branch from a cherry tree, a mule), then we've got a duchess who is a not only a sexual deviant, but must possess the physical prowess similar to a Greek goddess - how else could she have sex with the sun? Although the Duke is not the most reliable of narrators, he keeps most of his conversation on a literal, not a symbolic, level.

Describe the characteristic of Duke of My Last Duchess.

Answer:  The speaker is the Duke of Ferrara. Browning appears to have modeled him after Alfonso II, who ruled Ferrara from 1559 to 1597. Alfonso was married three times but had no children. The poem reveals him as a proud, possessive, and selfish man and a lover of the arts.

In this dramatic monolog, the Duke shows a portrait of his late wife to a visitor. As he talks of her, demeaning her character, he reveals that she in actuality had been a lovely, sensitive woman, full of joy, while he himself is cruel, jealous, proud, and arrogant. He felt great jealousy because the duchess found joy all around  her and favored others besides himself with her smiles.

The Duke's jealousy and his arrogance are shown in his attitude toward his family name, representative of his social station. When the Duke's jealousy and wounded pride became unbearable, he "gave commands" stopping "all smiles," strongly implying he ordered the duchess be killed. He is both cold and cruel.

An interesting passage concludes the poem. As he shows his visitor downstairs, the Duke directs his attention to a sculpture of Neptune taming a seahorse. It is an ironic metaphor for the Duke's relationship with the duchess. Like the seahorse, his duchess had evinced a free spirit; rather than lower himself to "tame" her, he simply had her destroyed.