The Haunted Palace Madness Quotes

This is the first sign of trouble in the poem, the first hint that the happy world of the palace isn't going to last. Something is attacking the palace-head, but it isn't quite clear what yet. We're sort of creeped out by how fast this happens. We were just getting into the rhythm of the happy sections, and suddenly that all gets swept away.

This is a great word to describe the madness of the king. Someone who is "desolate" is miserable, alone. What better way to describe a mind taken over by madness? That feeling is reinforced by the fact that he's somehow outside of time now—as the speaker puts it, the poor king will never see another "morrow."

The windows-eyes that were once "luminous" (18) are now terrifyingly red. It's not just that they've turned red (this isn't just a case of allergies!), it's that they are lit with red. They're glowing red from the inside. That's bad news, another sign of the terrible, tragic disorder that has taken over the palace.

This is the crushing final image of madness, the proof that everything that was once beautiful and sane has become ugly and deranged. In a normal world, and in a normal state of mind, it should be impossible to laugh without smiling. In the new world of madness and evil at the end of this poem, though, laughter and smiles don't go together. The insane laughter goes on and on, but the spirits will never smile. It's not just that this is a chilling image; it's that it all seems so permanent. Joy is gone forever, and madness is running the show.