The Bull and the Old Duke
Disclaimer: I'm on my first re-read of dune and haven't read any of the sequels yet so if anything is wrong or inaccurate sorry about that.
On my first read of Dune, I didn't really understand why the reader kept being told about the Old Duke and how he died in a matador fight. I could tell it was something we were supposed to think about, but was too busy grappling with the world building and plot to really give it much thought. However, on re-read, I have some thoughts as to why it might be referenced the way it is.
1. Foreshadowing the death of Leto
I think the first and most significant reason for learning about the Old Duke is to foreshadow how Leto is fated to die. The first time the death of the Old Duke is discussed is also the first scene in Arrakis, when the Atreides' fate is truly sealed. At this point, the tragedy awaiting Leto has been established and I think seeing the bull horns stained with ducal blood, is such a stark reminder that these people are only fragile humans despite their high status and in some cases, incredible powers.
I also think the foreshadowing runs deeper than just, oh look, the old Duke died in a grisly way, and soon so will you. I think the manner of the Old Duke's death could foreshadow how and why Leto dies. Through the killing of the bull and the assumption of power over Arrakis, both Father and son attempt to subdue a powerful force of nature and are swiftly punished. Taking this idea even further, they both attempt to manipulate and corral an innocent party (the fremen/the bull) for their own selfish ends and to a certain extent, put on a show. Leto had the option of going renegade and attempting to flee, but instead he wants to seize more power and demonstrate that power to the Landsraad.
Ultimately, both Father and son display incredible hubris in attempting to manipulate much greater forces into doing their bidding, and both are killed at the hands of beasts as a result.
2. Propaganda and the Atreides mythos
Herbert repeatedly informs us HOW the old Duke dies. However, I think more interesting information can be gleaned from the method he uses to tell us of the old Duke's death, namely the portrait and the bull's head.
I said previously the blooded horns remind us of the Atreides' fragility and I think this is true. However, I think the in-story reason for them having kept the head and the portrait is actually the opposite. They keep these things to memorialise and glorify the Old Duke, to give him some grand mythos of how only a great beast was able to bring him down. The Shadout Mapes even expresses when she sees the head "what a great beast it must have been to carry such a head". We know the Atreides utilise propaganda effectively in their pursuit of power and I think the bull's head acts an effective demonstration of this. Despite the negative implications the old Duke's death has for his character, the Atreides twist it into a glorious end for a glorious leader.
Interestingly, we receive several hints outside of his manner of dying that suggest the glorious Old Duke wasn't as good as his mythos suggests. Namely, Jessica seems to have an incredibly low opinion of him, suggesting that every negative trait of Leto's, (coldness, callousness, selfishness etc) is "the man shaped by the father". She even goes so far as to wish he had died when Leto was born.
Finally, similarly to the manner of death, the manner of remembrance of Leto and the Old Duke is the same. Both are used even after they're death to further the Atreides mythos of supremecy, the old Duke with his bull, and Leto with (excuse the rhyme) his skull.
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