A half-filled auditorium, per Robert Frost

HELL

Think of the poet’s famous line about fire and ice—this answer is the fiery opposite of heaven, often linked to emptiness in his work.

This clue plays on a famous line from Robert Frost’s poem "Fire and Ice", where he writes, "Some say the world will end in fire, / Some say in ice. / From what I’ve tasted of desire / I hold with those who favor fire. / But if it had to perish twice, / I think I know enough of hate / To say that for destruction ice / Is also great / And would suffice." The phrase "a half-filled auditorium" hints at "half of full," which sounds like "hell"—a clever nod to Frost’s theme of destruction. The wordplay relies on the homophone between "half of full" (H-E-L-L) and the literal word "hell," tying back to Frost’s grim imagery.