Annabell Lee

ANNABEL LEE

Edgar Allen Poe's "Annabel Lee" is a romantic poem written back in 1849. It is one of Poe's more famous or well known works. It tells a story of love between a young man and a young woman. (We later find out that the "young man" is not as young as he would like us to believe, shame on you Mr. Poe.) As the poem goes on, the lovely Annabel Lee succumbs to the black hand of death. The cause of her death is not known, but The speaker has his theory as to why she was taken from him. He believed that the angels in the heavens were jealous of the love the two shared. The angels then took the life of Annabel, and in doing so, also took the life out of The speaker. But surely with a love as strong as this, not even death can keep them apart.

In the first stanza, the "stage" is set for the reader. The time "was many and many a year ago". (line 1) The place, "a kingdom by the sea".(line 2) And who else would the story involve but the fair "Annabel Lee"? She apparently "lived with no other thought, Than to love and be loved by me" (lines 5-6) "Me" in this case would of course be the narrator.

The second stanza informs the reader that both the narrator and Annabel Lee were "children". (line 7) Now in this case "children" probably more closely means teenager rather than seven or eight years old. Nevertheless, they still loved each other so much that the angels in Heaven were envious of them.

Because of this, the narrator believes that the angels killed his Annabel Lee during the night. He believes that the angels were so jealous of their love that they must take her from him. "Yes That was the reason (as all men know...) That the wind came out of the cloud, chilling, And killing my Annabel Lee. "(lines 23-26)

Wait just a minute though. Do not count our main man out just yet. He professes that their love is stronger than the love of those that are older and wiser than they are. "And neither the angels in Heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul, Of the beautiful Annabel Lee" (lines 30-34)

The final stanza provides one last affirmation of our narrators love. "For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams...And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes, Of the beautiful Annabel Lee" (lines 34-37) Also add in a very creepy cemetery slumber