The Mad King. It is the unluckiest of unlucky lands to be ruled by a Mad King. Madness - "severe mental illness," an "inner darkness," "foolish, dangerous, extreme folly, intense anger."
A high office. Imbued with power and prestige. Sullied by an unsound, unkempt, unmade mind. What a terrible, terrible thing.
Terrible for the King, and terrible for the Kingdom.
Unreason is spread throughout the land. The Common Folk ask each other, "Is the King well?" The answer, "No, unfortunately, the King is mad."
Some look for method in the madness. But there is really only madness in the madness. It is like a plague, a rain of locusts, a dark forbidding cloud that descends upon the land. Nothing, no one is untouched by the darkness.