'My Last Duchess' Summary

In the poem, the Duke, a wealthy and powerful art patron, reveals his disdain for his late wife's cheerful and welcoming nature, which he perceived as a threat to his self-importance. His resentment and jealousy ultimately lead him to command her silencing, leaving a vacancy he now seeks to fill with a new bride. As he negotiates with the envoy sent to arrange a new marriage, the Duke's manipulative and controlling nature is laid bare, exposing the dark underbelly of his gilded world.