Edgar Allan Poe: A tragedy
Edgar Allan Poe, the poet that brought us gruesome tales, has a traumatic history that found its way into his writing. Although his poems and short stories are well known in the literary world, Poe himself remains much a mystery. His dark past and never ending struggles are the bases of his writing.
Poe’s childhood, like the rest of his life, was not the picture of perfection. “Edgar was the second of three children born to traveling actors”(poemuseum). “His father left the family early on, and his mother passed away of tuberculosis when he was only three years old” (Bio.com). From very early on Edgar Allan Poe experienced death and loss of a loved one, one of many to come, that in his writing is clearly shown. …show more content…
In the poem Tamerlane, Tamerlane is on his deathbed confessing his sins to a priest. In stanza seven he talks about his boyhood and "women 's weakness". Tamerlane, just like Poe, fell in love at a young age. Of course, like Poe Tamerlane lost his love. In stanza twelve Tamerlane states “yet more than worthy of the love my spirit struggled with, and stove, when, on the mountain peak, alone, ambition lent it a new tone". Tamerlane 's ambition for power drove him away from his love. Poe 's ambition of being a great poet drove him away from his fiancé, and he lost her to another man. In many of Poe 's poems tragedy and loss is common theme.
“Two years later he heard that Frances Allan, the only mother he had ever known, was dying of tuberculosis and wanted to see him before she died. By the time Poe returned to Richmond she had already been buried. Poe and Allan briefly reconciled, and Allan helped Poe gain an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point” (poemuseum). She was now the second woman in Poe’s life that passed away from the horrible …show more content…
Poe wrote the poem “Annabel Lee” two years after Virginia’s death. In the poem you can very clearly see the everlasting love the two have. In “Annabel Lee” it reads “But we loved with a love that was more than love I and my Annabel Lee”(9-10). The repetition of the word “love” forces the reader to think about and imagine the kind of unconditional love Poe and Annabel Lee, Virginia, had.
The amount of grief that Edgar endured throughout his life is portrayed in the poem “A Dream within a Dream.” “O God! Can I not grasp them with a tighter clasp? O God! Can I not save one from the pitiless wave?”(stanza 2 lines 8-11). This phrase can be interpreted as Poe being unable to save the three women he lost in his life. No matter how hard he tried to “grasp them with a tighter clasp” they still managed to slip away.
“Poe died on October 7, 1849 at the age of forty. The exact cause of Poe’s death remains a mystery. He was found in the bar room of a public house that was being used as a polling place for an election”(poemuseum).“He was taken to Washington College Hospital where he died on October 7. His last words were "Lord, help my poor soul." Poe’s dark writing, coupled with his mysterious death has made him one of the most famous macabre figures in
Edgar Allan Poe, the poet that brought us gruesome tales, has a traumatic history that found its way into his writing. Although his poems and short stories are well known in the literary world, Poe himself remains much a mystery. His dark past and never ending struggles are the bases of his writing.
Poe’s childhood, like the rest of his life, was not the picture of perfection. “Edgar was the second of three children born to traveling actors”(poemuseum). “His father left the family early on, and his mother passed away of tuberculosis when he was only three years old” (Bio.com). From very early on Edgar Allan Poe experienced death and loss of a loved one, one of many to come, that in his writing is clearly shown. …show more content…
In the poem Tamerlane, Tamerlane is on his deathbed confessing his sins to a priest. In stanza seven he talks about his boyhood and "women 's weakness". Tamerlane, just like Poe, fell in love at a young age. Of course, like Poe Tamerlane lost his love. In stanza twelve Tamerlane states “yet more than worthy of the love my spirit struggled with, and stove, when, on the mountain peak, alone, ambition lent it a new tone". Tamerlane 's ambition for power drove him away from his love. Poe 's ambition of being a great poet drove him away from his fiancé, and he lost her to another man. In many of Poe 's poems tragedy and loss is common theme.
“Two years later he heard that Frances Allan, the only mother he had ever known, was dying of tuberculosis and wanted to see him before she died. By the time Poe returned to Richmond she had already been buried. Poe and Allan briefly reconciled, and Allan helped Poe gain an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point” (poemuseum). She was now the second woman in Poe’s life that passed away from the horrible …show more content…
Poe wrote the poem “Annabel Lee” two years after Virginia’s death. In the poem you can very clearly see the everlasting love the two have. In “Annabel Lee” it reads “But we loved with a love that was more than love I and my Annabel Lee”(9-10). The repetition of the word “love” forces the reader to think about and imagine the kind of unconditional love Poe and Annabel Lee, Virginia, had.
The amount of grief that Edgar endured throughout his life is portrayed in the poem “A Dream within a Dream.” “O God! Can I not grasp them with a tighter clasp? O God! Can I not save one from the pitiless wave?”(stanza 2 lines 8-11). This phrase can be interpreted as Poe being unable to save the three women he lost in his life. No matter how hard he tried to “grasp them with a tighter clasp” they still managed to slip away.
“Poe died on October 7, 1849 at the age of forty. The exact cause of Poe’s death remains a mystery. He was found in the bar room of a public house that was being used as a polling place for an election”(poemuseum).“He was taken to Washington College Hospital where he died on October 7. His last words were "Lord, help my poor soul." Poe’s dark writing, coupled with his mysterious death has made him one of the most famous macabre figures in