Poem Analysis

Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee” was written in a grim setting as the author mourns over the death of his lover. Growing
up with a troubled family and enduring many hardships, some aspects of Poe’s life may have served as inspiration for his
poem, “Annabel Lee.”
The story of his poem is obvious that it was written about the death of the author’s lover. In Poe’s life, he secretly married
his cousin, Virginia Clemm, and didn’t go public with their marriage until a year later, Virginia Clemm was thirteen years
old (Wilson). Virginia Clemm died of at the age of twenty four due to tuberculosis (Wilson.) Virginia Clemm is the
possible inspiration for “Annabel Lee” because in this poem, Poe talks about his relationship with Annabel Lee and how
they were so in love with each other that even the angels were jealous. Poe made this comparison when he wrote: “The
angels, not half so happy in heaven, Went envying her and me-Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,In this kingdom
by the sea)That the wind came out of the cloud by night,Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.” By comparing his love for
Annabel Lee to the angels in heaven, Poe is telling the reader that the love he had was deep and this is important because
Annabel Lee dies, and Poe is saying the reason of her death to be because everyone around them and even the angels in
the sky didn’t want to see them together.
In the second stanza, Poe writes that, “I was a child and she was a child.” This can be reference to Virginia Clemm
because when she and Poe were married she was thirteen and Poe was twenty six (Wilson). Since the author and Annabel
Lee were so young, there were probably strong objections from their families against their love for each other.
Also throughout the poem, Poe writes that apart from the angels being jealous, the thing that killed Annabel Lee was a big
gust of wind. Poe writes: “And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud,
chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee.” In Poe’s time, the reason for Virginia Clemm’s death being tuberculosis might’ve
been unknown (Wilson). So for Edgar Allan Poe, his wife’s death may have actually seemed like a cold wind because the
reasons were so unknown. Also, Poe describes the wind as “cold” so he’s saying that the wind that killed Annabel Lee was
out of hate and not death from a natural cause. Since Annabel Lee and he were so young, Poe is saying her death was
planned for.
Even though, Annabel Lee is dead, Poe writes that the love for her is still as strong as ever: “But our love it was stronger
by far than the love, Of those who were older than we-Of many far wiser than we-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.” By writing
about the strength of this love, Poe emphasizes on how strong the love is by saying that even beings that word under god
like demons and angels don’t have the strength to tear them apart. Poe’s choice of character’s shows his strong and
everlasting love for Annabel Lee.
His love for Annabel Lee might also be seen as an obsession of love because with the way the poem is written, there is
rhyme scheme and constant repetition “Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;” This repetition shows that the beauty of Annabel
Lee is always on the author’s mind even as he’s describing her death. When someone is mourning over their loved ones
death they find the idea hard to accept and might show unusual behaviors. By repeating the name of Annabel Lee over and
over again, the narrator gives off that sound of someone’s whose crazy and can’t continue their story without mentioning
again the beautiful Annabel Lee. When the author shows obsession towards Annabel Lee he is continuing to show how
strongly he feels for Annabel Lee.
The strength of this love is also shown in the last stanza when Poe writes: “And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the
side, Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding
sea.” The man is in love enough to sleep by his bride’s tomb every night, either he is contemplating suicide to join his
Annabel Lee or he’s so affected by her death that he must sleep next to the tomb each night to comfort Annabel Lee. With
both reasons, Poe confirms again, the love the man has for his Annabel Lee.

Artwork Analysis
I choose to draw the castle by the sea since this is the greatest image I can grasp from the poem. The different layers of
shading in the castle symbolize the ground that Annabel Lee is buried in. There are many layers underneath the castle like
there are many mysteries about this man’s love for Annabel Lee. The sky is grey and water is grey to show the mourning
mood of the poem. The picture is supposed to give off a grim feeling because of the death of Annabel Lee. There are no
people in this picture because it takes place in the night, where both Annabel Lee and her lover are sleeping beside each
other in her sepulcher.
 Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,

Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
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.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

By Edgar Allan Poe