Final answer:
Edgar Allan Poe's “The Haunted Palace” narrates the rise and fall of a majestic palace, paralleling the decline of the mind into madness, with detailed descriptions of the setting contributing to its chilling atmosphere.
Step-by-step explanation:
The poem “The Haunted Palace” presents a vivid narrative that utilizes elements of a grand yet eerie setting to convey a story of decline and madness. Originally part of Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the poem metaphorically describes a once beautiful and grand palace, which stands in a verdant valley. It details the palace's transformation from a place of beauty, wherein a king lived 'in the olden time' amidst happiness and song, to a place haunted by 'evil things, in robes of sorrow,' where no pleasant melodies linger but only a discordant sound from wandering ghosts through the palace's desolate halls.
The descriptions of the palace's architecture, the vibrant stained glass, and the sublime landscape capture the glory of the palace in its prime. The colors and sounds mentioned in the text, such as 'banners yellow, glorious, golden,' contribute to a rich representation of the setting. As the poem progresses, however, the tone changes with the palace falling to decay, which parallels the descent into madness of its inhabitant, symbolizing the mind succumbing to insanity.