Give the substance of the poem My Last Duchess

Q: Give the substance of the poem.

Ans. A stern, severe, Italian nobleman, with a nine-hundred-year's name, is showing his picture gallery to the envoy of a count whose daughter he is about to marry. He is standing before the portrait of his last duchess; he is a widower and is telling his companion that his last duchess paid attention to all. The depth and passion of her earnest glance was not reserved for her husband only. The slightest courtesy or attention was sufficient to call up the spot of joy in her face. Her heart was too soon made glad, too easily impressed. She smiled on her husband - she was his property and that was right; she smiled on others, and that was a violation of the rights of property which the duke could not tolerate. So he gave commands and then all smiles stopped together. He ordered to kill the lady and she was killed. The heartless duke dismisses the memory of the duchess. He asks the ambassador to go down together. As they descend he draws his guest's attention to a fine bronze statue and discusses the question of the dowry he is to receive with the woman who is to succeed his last duchess.

Easily 

The Duke of Ferrara narrated the story of his deceased wife while showing her portrait to an envoy.(The duke shows a painting of his late wife to an envoy sent by a count.) He described her behavior and said that she smiled at everyone. Her kind and cheerful nature made him unhappy. He felt she did not respect him enough. The duke thought her smiles and attention should be reserved only for him. He felt insulted because she treated everyone equally. This angered the duke, and he gave an order to stop her behavior. As a result, the duchess was killed. The duke spoke about this calmly, showing no regret. The heartless duke dismissed the memory of the duchess. He asked the ambassador to go down together. As they descended, he drew his guest's attention to a fine bronze statue and discussed the question of the dowry he was to receive with the woman who was to succeed his last duchess.