The Theme of Madness in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”
The most noteworthy theme in Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, “The Raven” is the theme of madness and its effects on individuals who are emotionally and mentally weak. The poem depicts the speaker in his room brooding over the loss of “the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore” (Poe 10). As he is brooding, he encounters a raven that is tapping his door. Amused by the raven, he would ask the raven questions only to have it reply a single answer: “Nevermore” (Poe 48). As the speaker continues to ask questions, the questions take a turn for the worse. He starts to think that the raven is of a higher knowledge and asks him questions expecting a different answer: “Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, / It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore” (Poe 94–95). Finally, after concluding that the raven is of a devilish presence, he requests angrily that it leaves, only to have it stay and repeat the word, “Nevermore” (Poe 102) as his mental state deteriorates. Initially starting out as a depressed man, his weak mental state lures him into madness as he desperately seeks a different answer to his question.
To begin with, in each stanza the first 5 lines have 10 or more syllables. The …show more content…
The raven doesn’t follow the speaker’s orders and stays on the bust, “his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming, / And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor” (Poe 105–106). Earlier in the poem, the speaker expects the bird to leave him like his other friends. In the end, the bird doesn’t leave, but instead, decides to stay. The raven doesn’t leave like his other friends because it isn’t his friend. As said earlier, the raven is the physical embodiment of the speaker’s sorrow. It’s decision not to leave mimics the persistence of the speaker’s sorrow over the loss of
The most noteworthy theme in Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, “The Raven” is the theme of madness and its effects on individuals who are emotionally and mentally weak. The poem depicts the speaker in his room brooding over the loss of “the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore” (Poe 10). As he is brooding, he encounters a raven that is tapping his door. Amused by the raven, he would ask the raven questions only to have it reply a single answer: “Nevermore” (Poe 48). As the speaker continues to ask questions, the questions take a turn for the worse. He starts to think that the raven is of a higher knowledge and asks him questions expecting a different answer: “Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, / It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore” (Poe 94–95). Finally, after concluding that the raven is of a devilish presence, he requests angrily that it leaves, only to have it stay and repeat the word, “Nevermore” (Poe 102) as his mental state deteriorates. Initially starting out as a depressed man, his weak mental state lures him into madness as he desperately seeks a different answer to his question.
To begin with, in each stanza the first 5 lines have 10 or more syllables. The …show more content…
The raven doesn’t follow the speaker’s orders and stays on the bust, “his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming, / And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor” (Poe 105–106). Earlier in the poem, the speaker expects the bird to leave him like his other friends. In the end, the bird doesn’t leave, but instead, decides to stay. The raven doesn’t leave like his other friends because it isn’t his friend. As said earlier, the raven is the physical embodiment of the speaker’s sorrow. It’s decision not to leave mimics the persistence of the speaker’s sorrow over the loss of