Annabel Lee
By;
Edgar Allan Poe
Virginia Eliza Poe (née Clemm; August 15, 1822 –
January 30, 1847) was the wife of American writer
Edgar Allan Poe. The couple were first cousins and
publicly married when Virginia Clemm was 13 and
Poe was 27. Biographers disagree as to the nature of
the couple's relationship. Though their marriage was
loving, some biographers suggest they viewed one
another more like a brother and sister. In January
1842, she contracted tuberculosis, growing worse for
five years until she died of the disease at the age of
24 in the family's cottage, at that time outside
New York City.
Type of
Poem
As a narrative poem, "Annabel
Lee" draws on the conflict of the
speaker's emotions and travels
through a narrative arc from
Annabel Lee's death to the
speaker finding a way to live
with his grief by joining Annabel
Lee in her
Annabel Lee, lyric poem by Edgar
Allan Poe, published in the New
York Tribune on Oct. 9, 1849, two
days after his death. Thought to be
written in memory of his young
wife and cousin, Virginia, who died
in 1847, the poem expresses one
of Poe's recurrent themes—the
The tone of “Annabel Lee”
is melancholy and distraught.
The conditions of Annabel Lee's
death are tragic, and the
speaker's evident grief over his
lost beloved casts a dark cloud of
mournfulness over the entire
poem. As he casts his mind back
to the time when she died, the
speaker grows increasingly
The Story:
The poem tells the story of a
narrator who is consumed by
grief over the death of his
beloved, Annabel Lee. They
lived in a kingdom by the sea,
where their love was so
intense that even the angels
envied them. However, a
chilling wind from the sea
brought illness to Annabel
Lee, and she died.
The
Themes:
Unwavering Love: The narrator’s
love for Annabel Lee is described as
pure and unwavering, even after her
death. He claims that “no mortal
could be so fair” and that their love
was “stronger than the love of
men.” This suggests a love that
transcends the physical realm and
endures even in the face of death.
Romantic Idealism: The poem
embodies the Romantic ideal of love
as a powerful and transformative
force. The narrator’s love for
Annabel Lee is idealized and
presented as a force that
transcends the limitations of the
physical world.
The Power of Memory: The poem
suggests that memory can keep love
alive even after death. The narrator
constantly remembers Annabel Lee,
and her presence lingers in his
thoughts and dreams. This suggests
that love and memory can provide
solace and comfort in the face of loss.
The Inevitability of Death: The
poem acknowledges the inevitability
of death and its power to disrupt even
the strongest bonds. The narrator’s
love for Annabel Lee is ultimately
powerless against the forces of nature
and fate.
Symbolism:
The Sea: The sea represents both the beauty
and the danger of life. It is a source of both love
and death in the poem.
The Wind: The wind symbolizes the forces of
nature that can bring both joy and sorrow. It is
the wind that brings illness to Annabel Lee and
ultimately leads to her death.
The Angels: The angels represent the jealousy
and envy that can accompany great love. They
are envious of the narrator and Annabel Lee’s
love and ultimately contribute to her death.
But we loved with a love
that was more than love
I and my Annabel Lee
With these lines, the speaker intends to
ensure the readers that just because
they were children does not mean that
their love was not very real. The speaker
certainly felt this love at the deepest
level and is certain that Annabel Lee
feels it no less. The repetition of her
name also serves to further acquaint the
reader with the subject of the poem so
that the reader can relate to the speaker
in sentiments toward Annabel Lee.
