Tatters of the King - User contributions [en-gb]

The King in Yellow

2006-05-18T10:46:46Z

202.74.221.232: /* The Real Play */

[[Image:king_in_yellow.jpg|right]]

==The Multiple Meanings of the Title==

The title 'The King in Yellow' applies to several different things

1) A book of short stories by Robert W Chambers

2) A play, assumed to be fictional by most readers, referred to in several of Chambers' stories

3) An ill-defined supernatural entity that appears in the play and whose influence apparently bleeds through to the world of the stories

4) A real French play of which [[Talbot Estus]] owns a copy. It appears to predate Chambers' work. [[Nathaniel Browne]] has borrowed the book and is studying it. It is similar to, but not exactly the same as, Estus's play.

==The Book==

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_in_Yellow The King in Yellow] - a collection of short [http://www.yankeeclassic.com/miskatonic/library/stacks/literature/chambers/stories/kinginye/contents.htm stories] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Chambers Robert W Chambers].

The most notable thing about the book is that Chambers wrote nothing remotely like it before or since. Chambers himself is still living, and is a successful writer of banal romances.

==The Play within The Book==

In Chambers' stories the play is infamous and was widely translated before its suppression. It was banned throughout the world because of its corrosive affect on the human soul.

Those characters who read the play ''The King in Yellow'' go mad or meet horrible dooms. As if to protect his own readers, Chambers quotes only brief passages of the play, like the extract from "[[Cassilda]]'s Song... Act I, Scene 2", that introduces the first story in the collection:


:Along the shore the cloud waves break,
:The twin suns sink beneath the lake,
:The shadows lengthen
::In Carcosa.

:Strange is the night where black stars rise,
:And strange moons circle through the skies
:But stranger still is
::Lost Carcosa.

:Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
:Where flap the tatters of the King,
:Must die unheard in
::Dim Carcosa.

:Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
:Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
:Shall dry and die in
::Lost Carcosa.

Such quotes only come from the first act, allowing Chambers to hint that the second act is far more disturbing: "The very banality and innocence of the first act only allowed the blow to fall afterward with more awful effect."

Otherwise, Chambers gives only scattered hints of the contents of the play, as in this extract from "The Repairer of Reputations":

<blockquote>
He mentioned the establishment of the Dynasty in Carcosa, the lakes which connected Hastur, Aldebaran and the mystery of the Hyades. He spoke of Cassilda and Camilla, and sounded the cloudy depths of Demhe, and the lake of Hali. "The scalloped tatters of the King in Yellow must hide Yhtill forever," he muttered, but I do not believe Vance heard him. Then by degrees he led Vance along the ramifications of the Imperial family, from Naotalba and Phantom of Truth, to Aldones, and then tossing aside his manuscript and notes, he began the wonderful story of the Last King.
</blockquote>

A similar passage occurs in "The Yellow Sign", after the two protagonists read ''The King in Yellow'':

<blockquote>
Night fell and the hours dragged on, but still we murmured to each other of the King and the Pallid Mask, and midnight sounded from the misty spires in the fog-wrapped city. We spoke of Hastur and of Cassilda, while outside the fog rolled against the blank window-panes as the cloud waves roll and break on the shores of Hali.
</blockquote>

==The King Himself==

From the hints given in Chambers' work, the King In Yellow appears to inhabit the city of [[Carcosa]], and to be a much-feared supernatural entity of great power.

The King in Yellow is apparently also known as 'The Living God' or 'the Last King'. His influence is able to extend from the play within the stories to effect the characters in the stories themselves, hence it is probably correct to say that the King exists as a character, or at least a power, in both the play and in the book of stories that refer to the play.

[[The Yellow Sign]] seems to be associated with the King in some way, as are the stars known as the [[Hyades]] and [[Aldebaran]].

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]], also known as 'The Phantom of Truth' attempted to resist the King by the use of the '[[Pallid Mask]]'. It seems this was unsuccessful. In addition, the King dwells in [[Carcosa]] and is feared by the inhabitants of [[Yhtill]] and [[Alar]] and appears as a tall figure in tattered yellow robes, bearing a smoking brand.

In the only performance of '[[Carcosa]]', The King in Yellow was played by [[Talbot Estus]].

==The Real Play==

[[Le Roi en Jeune]] - a rare French play, playwright anonymous. Apparently the inspiration for Chambers' work and the direct source for Talbot Estus' work.

According to [[Nathaniel Browne]], you is studying Estus's copy, the play is a deeper, more profound, yet also more complex and difficult to follow than the adaptation performed in London.

The King in Yellow

2006-05-18T10:44:53Z

202.74.221.232: /* The Multiple Meanings of the Title */

[[Image:king_in_yellow.jpg|right]]

==The Multiple Meanings of the Title==

The title 'The King in Yellow' applies to several different things

1) A book of short stories by Robert W Chambers

2) A play, assumed to be fictional by most readers, referred to in several of Chambers' stories

3) An ill-defined supernatural entity that appears in the play and whose influence apparently bleeds through to the world of the stories

4) A real French play of which [[Talbot Estus]] owns a copy. It appears to predate Chambers' work. [[Nathaniel Browne]] has borrowed the book and is studying it. It is similar to, but not exactly the same as, Estus's play.

==The Book==

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_in_Yellow The King in Yellow] - a collection of short [http://www.yankeeclassic.com/miskatonic/library/stacks/literature/chambers/stories/kinginye/contents.htm stories] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Chambers Robert W Chambers].

The most notable thing about the book is that Chambers wrote nothing remotely like it before or since. Chambers himself is still living, and is a successful writer of banal romances.

==The Play within The Book==

In Chambers' stories the play is infamous and was widely translated before its suppression. It was banned throughout the world because of its corrosive affect on the human soul.

Those characters who read the play ''The King in Yellow'' go mad or meet horrible dooms. As if to protect his own readers, Chambers quotes only brief passages of the play, like the extract from "[[Cassilda]]'s Song... Act I, Scene 2", that introduces the first story in the collection:


:Along the shore the cloud waves break,
:The twin suns sink beneath the lake,
:The shadows lengthen
::In Carcosa.

:Strange is the night where black stars rise,
:And strange moons circle through the skies
:But stranger still is
::Lost Carcosa.

:Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
:Where flap the tatters of the King,
:Must die unheard in
::Dim Carcosa.

:Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
:Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
:Shall dry and die in
::Lost Carcosa.

Such quotes only come from the first act, allowing Chambers to hint that the second act is far more disturbing: "The very banality and innocence of the first act only allowed the blow to fall afterward with more awful effect."

Otherwise, Chambers gives only scattered hints of the contents of the play, as in this extract from "The Repairer of Reputations":

<blockquote>
He mentioned the establishment of the Dynasty in Carcosa, the lakes which connected Hastur, Aldebaran and the mystery of the Hyades. He spoke of Cassilda and Camilla, and sounded the cloudy depths of Demhe, and the lake of Hali. "The scalloped tatters of the King in Yellow must hide Yhtill forever," he muttered, but I do not believe Vance heard him. Then by degrees he led Vance along the ramifications of the Imperial family, from Naotalba and Phantom of Truth, to Aldones, and then tossing aside his manuscript and notes, he began the wonderful story of the Last King.
</blockquote>

A similar passage occurs in "The Yellow Sign", after the two protagonists read ''The King in Yellow'':

<blockquote>
Night fell and the hours dragged on, but still we murmured to each other of the King and the Pallid Mask, and midnight sounded from the misty spires in the fog-wrapped city. We spoke of Hastur and of Cassilda, while outside the fog rolled against the blank window-panes as the cloud waves roll and break on the shores of Hali.
</blockquote>

==The King Himself==

From the hints given in Chambers' work, the King In Yellow appears to inhabit the city of [[Carcosa]], and to be a much-feared supernatural entity of great power.

The King in Yellow is apparently also known as 'The Living God' or 'the Last King'. His influence is able to extend from the play within the stories to effect the characters in the stories themselves, hence it is probably correct to say that the King exists as a character, or at least a power, in both the play and in the book of stories that refer to the play.

[[The Yellow Sign]] seems to be associated with the King in some way, as are the stars known as the [[Hyades]] and [[Aldebaran]].

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]], also known as 'The Phantom of Truth' attempted to resist the King by the use of the '[[Pallid Mask]]'. It seems this was unsuccessful. In addition, the King dwells in [[Carcosa]] and is feared by the inhabitants of [[Yhtill]] and [[Alar]] and appears as a tall figure in tattered yellow robes, bearing a smoking brand.

In the only performance of '[[Carcosa]]', The King in Yellow was played by [[Talbot Estus]].

==The Real Play==

[[Le Roi en Jeune]] - a rare French play, playwright anonymous. Apparently the inspiration for Chambers' work and the direct source for Talbot Estus' work.

Its contents remain a mystery to the investigators.

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:42:18Z

202.74.221.232: /* Appearances of thre Sign */

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Chambers Robert W Chambers]' story '[http://www.sff.net/people/DoyleMacdonald/kiy_ys.htm The Yellow Sign]' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==Appearances of the Sign==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the Yellow Sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]]. He reveals it, to great effect, as the climax of the first act.

The Sign is embossed on the cover of [[Talbot Estus]]'s copy of [[Le Roi en Jeune]].

On several occasions the Sign has been seen in unexpected places:

- As part of a piece of graffiti, by [[Doctor Frederick Bartlett]]

- On sheet music, in the dreams of [[Nathaniel Browne]]

- In the explosion of a firework, again by Browne

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the Yellow Sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]]. These effects seem to include vivid dreams and even hallucinations.

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:41:19Z

202.74.221.232: /* Appearances of thre Sign */

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Chambers Robert W Chambers]' story '[http://www.sff.net/people/DoyleMacdonald/kiy_ys.htm The Yellow Sign]' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==Appearances of thre Sign==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the Yellow Sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]]. He reveals it, to great effect, as the climax of the first act.

The Sign is embossed on the cover of [[Talbot Estus]]'s copy of [[Le Roi en Jeune]].

On several occasions the Sign has been seen in unexpected places:

- As part of a piece of graffiti, by [[Doctor Frederick Bartlett]]

- On sheet music, in the dreams of [[Nathaniel Browne]]

- In the explosion of a firework, again by Browne

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the Yellow Sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]]. These effects seem to include vivid dreams and even hallucinations.

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:21:20Z

202.74.221.232: /* Unusual Properties */

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Chambers Robert W Chambers]' story '[http://www.sff.net/people/DoyleMacdonald/kiy_ys.htm The Yellow Sign]' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==Appearances of thre Sign==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the yellow sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]].

The Sign is embossed on the cover of [[Talbot Estus]]'s copy of [[Le Roi en Jeune]].

On several occasions the Sign has been seen in unexpected places:

- As part of a piece of graffiti, by [[Doctor Frederick Bartlett]]

- On sheet music, in the dreams of [[Nathaniel Browne]]

- In the explosion of a firework, again by Browne

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the Yellow Sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]]. These effects seem to include vivid dreams and even hallucinations.

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:21:03Z

202.74.221.232: /* Unusual Properties */

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Chambers Robert W Chambers]' story '[http://www.sff.net/people/DoyleMacdonald/kiy_ys.htm The Yellow Sign]' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==Appearances of thre Sign==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the yellow sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]].

The Sign is embossed on the cover of [[Talbot Estus]]'s copy of [[Le Roi en Jeune]].

On several occasions the Sign has been seen in unexpected places:

- As part of a piece of graffiti, by [[Doctor Frederick Bartlett]]

- On sheet music, in the dreams of [[Nathaniel Browne]]

- In the explosion of a firework, again by Browne

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the yellow sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]]. These effects seem to include vivid dreams and even hallucinations.

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:20:21Z

202.74.221.232:

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Chambers Robert W Chambers]' story '[http://www.sff.net/people/DoyleMacdonald/kiy_ys.htm The Yellow Sign]' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==Appearances of thre Sign==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the yellow sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]].

The Sign is embossed on the cover of [[Talbot Estus]]'s copy of [[Le Roi en Jeune]].

On several occasions the Sign has been seen in unexpected places:

- As part of a piece of graffiti, by [[Doctor Frederick Bartlett]]

- On sheet music, in the dreams of [[Nathaniel Browne]]

- In the explosion of a firework, again by Browne

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the yellow sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]].

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:18:17Z

202.74.221.232: /* Appearances of thre Sign */

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [[Robert W Chambers]]' story 'The Yellow Sign' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==Appearances of thre Sign==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the yellow sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]].

The Sign is embossed on the cover of [[Talbot Estus]]'s copy of [[Le Roi en Jeune]].

On several occasions the Sign has been seen in unexpected places:

- As part of a piece of graffiti, by [[Doctor Frederick Bartlett]]

- On sheet music, in the dreams of [[Nathaniel Browne]]

- In the explosion of a firework, again by Browne

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the yellow sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]].

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:18:05Z

202.74.221.232: /* Unusual Properties */

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [[Robert W Chambers]]' story 'The Yellow Sign' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==Appearances of thre Sign==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the yellow sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]].

The Sign is embossed on the cover of [[Talbot Estus]]'s copy of [[Le Roi en Jeune]].

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the yellow sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]].

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:17:39Z

202.74.221.232: /* Appearances of thre Sign */

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [[Robert W Chambers]]' story 'The Yellow Sign' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==Appearances of thre Sign==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the yellow sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]].

The Sign is embossed on the cover of [[Talbot Estus]]'s copy of [[Le Roi en Jeune]].

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the yellow sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]].

On several occasions the Sign has been seen in unexpected places:

- As part of a piece of graffiti, by [[Dr. Bartlett]]

- On sheet music, in the dreams of [[Nathaniel Browne]]

- In the explosion of a firework, again by Browne

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:17:26Z

202.74.221.232: /* In the Play */

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [[Robert W Chambers]]' story 'The Yellow Sign' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==Appearances of thre Sign==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the yellow sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]].

The Sign is embossed on the cover of [[TAlbot Estus]]'s copy of [[Le Roi en Jeune]].

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the yellow sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]].

On several occasions the Sign has been seen in unexpected places:

- As part of a piece of graffiti, by [[Dr. Bartlett]]

- On sheet music, in the dreams of [[Nathaniel Browne]]

- In the explosion of a firework, again by Browne

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:16:07Z

202.74.221.232: /* Unusual Properties */

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [[Robert W Chambers]]' story 'The Yellow Sign' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==In the Play==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the yellow sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]].

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the yellow sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]].

On several occasions the Sign has been seen in unexpected places:

- As part of a piece of graffiti, by [[Dr. Bartlett]]

- On sheet music, in the dreams of [[Nathaniel Browne]]

- In the explosion of a firework, again by Browne

The Yellow Sign

2006-05-18T10:13:48Z

202.74.221.232:

[[Image:Yellowsign.gif|right]]
The yellow sign is some sort of occult symbol. Its appearance appears to be related to [[The King in Yellow]]. Apparently in [[Yhtill]] seeing the yellow sign means that the [[King in Yellow]] is about to make an appearance.

In [[Robert W Chambers]]' story 'The Yellow Sign' a young artist finds a brooch emblazoned with the Sign, after which his life rapidly descends into madness, horror and death.

==In the Play==

In the play [[Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger]], [[The Stranger]] wears the yellow sign, apparently in defiance of the [[King in Yellow]].

==Unusual Properties==

The appearance of the yellow sign appears to have had a profound effect on some of the viewers of the [[play]], especially [[Nathaniel Browne]].