Deep corruption and wild behavior consume the royal court. Instead of focusing on leadership, bravery, or justice, the kingdom's highest officials sink into heavy drunkenness and mockery, completely losing their moral direction. The occasion for this behavior is a major national event. The primary approach among commentators is that the gathering marks a joyous milestone, such as the king's birthday or the anniversary of his coronation. However, a contrasting perspective views this occasion not as a celebration, but as the night of the king's downfall, marking the exact moment a rebellion erupts against him [מלבי״ם].
During this gathering, the drinking reaches such an extreme level that it causes physical illness. Opinions differ on who actually falls ill and how. Some explain that the government ministers simply drink themselves sick [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Others suggest that the ministers are the ones pouring the drinks, intentionally intoxicating the king until he becomes ill [אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. Following the narrative of a rebellion, another interpretation suggests that the conspirators deliberately ply the king's guards and ministers with alcohol, weakening them so they are unable to defend the throne [מלבי״ם].
The intense consumption of alcohol is detailed in two primary ways. Some understand the description as the physical heat of the wine burning intensely within the bodies of those drinking [רש״י, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, many others explain that the revelers consume massive quantities, drinking from entire leather wineskins until they are completely intoxicated [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, אבן עזרא, רד״ק, אברבנאל].
As the intoxication takes hold, a tragic shift in behavior occurs. The primary approach among commentators is that the king withdraws his support from honest, capable people. He abandons his responsibilities to the state and instead joins the company of fools and mockers. This decline is highlighted by the observation that the very men who begin the evening as respected government ministers are reduced to mere mockers by the end of the night [רד״ק]. Alternatively, the spread of this foolishness is attributed to the alcohol itself, which acts almost like an independent force, reaching out and overpowering the entire group [מלבי״ם].