Edgar Allan Poe's Annabel Lee

Edgar Allan Poe is highly known for his literature, in which he intended to frighten his readers and leave them with chills up their spines by inducing feelings of horror and terror.In one of Poe’s most famous poems “Annabel Lee”, he demonstrates the theme of love being accompanied by jealousy and loneliness, even after death by using repetition, mood and symbolism in a eerie and frightening fashion.

While Poe is highly known for his horror stories he is also known for his phenomenal use of repetition in his poems.A classic example of Poe’s use of repetition is “Annabel Lee”. Throughout the entirety of the poem, the word “love” is frequently used. This is made apparent in the second stanza in which Poe expresses “ we loved with a love that was more than love” (Poe, 9). By using “love/ loved” multiple times it effectively demonstrates the relationship between the two (American Writer). With the amount of intensity the speaker places on the word love, it establishes his true love and passion for Annabel Lee. Through out the Poem, the continuity of love plays a major role such as in lines nine through twelve when Poe states that they loved “with a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven” (Poe, 9). Through repeating phrases with ”love" and “loved" it shows the prominence as their passion for each other evolves. (American Writer). By frequently using the words “love and loved” it engraves the true depth of the feelings the speaker has for Annabel Lee into the the readers mind. Throughout the beginning of the the poem the speaker uses repetition to describe the love amongst him and Annabel Lee by describing her as “this maiden she lived with no other thought/ Than to love and be loved by me”(Poe3-6). As in the majority of stories, m...

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... to the statements of blame to the angels and adds to the theme of the poem.

The theme of love and jealousy surpassing through time, even after death by repetition, mood and symbolism is shown clearly and is particularly effective with such moments of bright and dark moods along with complex moods as well as the deeper meaning of repetition.With all these outstanding characteristics it is difficult not to see the reasons why “Annabel Lee” is regarded to as a classic.

Works Cited

Bily, Cynthia A. "Annabel Lee." Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition (2002): 1-2. Literary Reference Center. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

Poe, Edgar Allan. “Annabel Lee.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 2 April 2014.

"Overview: 'Annabel Lee'." Poetry for Students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 9. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.