Death in Poe's Annabel Lee

¶ … Death in Poe's "Annabel Lee" Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "Annabel Lee" proves to be one of the most popular and mysterious poems in modern literature because of what it implies. The couple no doubt felt love for one another but there is also a sense of otherworldliness attached the love as well. The poet emphasizes this by removing the couple's love from the ordinary realm of this world and placing it in the unreal world of the unknown.

While we believe the poet loved Annabel Lee, we do have difficulty accepting the notion that this love is beyond anything the earth or the angels in heaven have ever seen. The speaker in this poem does not necessarily believe that death separates human beings. When he speaks of a love that is boundless and that he lies "down "by the side" (389) of Annabel Lee, we can know that he does not feel completely separated from her.

This is a somewhat strange attitude and when looked at from the perspective of Christianity, it would seem to be a bit off base from what the Bible teaches about death. While death is certainly nothing to fear for believers, it is something that separates the living from the dead. The speaker in this poem does not accept the notion of this kind of separation, especially between him and his love. By suggesting there is something beyond religion here adds to the mystery of the poem.

The speaker does succeed in presenting a very convincing case regarding the issue of his love. There can be no doubt that he felt he loved Annabel Lee "with a love that was more than love" (9) and the angels in heaven envied this love and this is why Annabel Lee fell ill and died. It is difficult to believe such a love exists but it is easy to understand how some people can feel as though their love is unlike any other on the face of the earth.

The poem captures the mystery of love with images of the sea, heaven and angels. The meter of the poem works to its advantage. It allows the poet to establish a romantic and mournful mood. The poem, similar to a ballad, successfully conveys the poet's innermost emotions with several repeating stanzas. The beauty of the maiden and the love of the poet offer two unique aspects that the poet hopes to express with utmost importance. These are the things that angered the angels and led to their separation.

Annabel Lee is dead but not in such a way that she is separated from the poet. Readers ponder on what this actually means but the mystery involving the notion is enough to keep the poem moving. "Annabel Lee" is a mysterious and compelling poem because it attempts.