The Haunted Palace

Poe depicts the theme of the loss of reason through the image of the king Thought’s dethronement from his royal position at the hands of evil beings. Before, the king was “well befitting” (Line 23) the dominion, or kingdom, he oversaw. Everything in the palace and valley where it is located was an expression of Thought’s clarity and insight. The music from the palace was “of surpassing beauty” (Line 31). The lute that played music for the ruler was according to the “well-tuned law” (Line 20) of harmony. The atmosphere of order, reason, and hierarchy is described in imagery of harmonious music, dancing, and song directly from the monarch of the kingdom. The group of Echoes “sweet duty” (Line 29) is to do the king’s bidding, showing the strength of his reason.

The “evil things” that ultimately cause the palace to become a terrifying place are never specified, but the description of them in “robes of sorrow” (Line 33) implies that reason is overthrown by melancholy emotions and dark moods. It could be regret, mourning, guilt, but Poe leaves it appropriately ambiguous for the allegorical nature of the poem. The allegory of the loss of reason as a person becomes troubled by destructive, harmful thoughts emphasizes the loss of control that this condition creates. The sixth stanza symbolizes illness and its outward manifestations through diction such as “discordant” (Line 44), “ghastly” (Line 45), and “pale” (Line 46). The imagery of a quickly moving flood of demons symbolizes the way a person who has lost contact with reality speaks and behaves: irrationally, erratically, and without logic or purpose. Poe shows how the loss of reason in a person’s mind leads to destructive impulses that manifest in the person’s inner state as well as their outward actions, speech, and appearance.