The Poet

"It was a long head.

"It was a wedge, a sliver, a grotesque slice in which it seemed the features had been forced to stake their claims, and it appeared that they had done so in a great hurry, and with no attempt to form any kind of symmetrical pattern for their mutual advantage.

"...the mouth opened and a voice as strange and deep as the echo of a lugubrious ocean stole out into the morning. Never was a face so belied by its voice."

Although only a minor character in the stories, the Poet plays an important part in the rituals of Gormenghast, and after Steerpike is killed by Titus, the Poet takes over as the Master of Ritual.

The Poet is played by Sean Hughes in the BBC series

Other Characters

• Titus
• Flay
• Swelter
• Sepulchrave
• Doctor Prunesquallor
• Steerpike
• Countess Gertrude
• Fuchsia
• Sourdust
• Cora &. Clarice
• Irma Prunesquallor
• Barquentine
• Pentecost