Analysis
On the surface, "Annabel Lee'' may seem like a love poem, but it explores the depths of grief, obsession, and the potential defiance of death. At its core, the poem is about the loss of a young love and what this loss does to the lover left behind.
The narrator paints his and Annabel Lee’s love as unique, something that even angels can’t understand or accept. Poe establishes the intensity of this love right from the start. He declares, "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" (lines 1–4). The repetition of "many and many" emphasizes the passage of time, while the image of the kingdom by the sea creates a sense of mystery and a romanticized setting.
An element of the supernatural is introduced with the line, "And the wind blew out of the cloud, / Killing me my Annabel Lee" (lines 15–16). The angels' envy leading to Annabel Lee's death reinforces the speaker's belief in their extraordinary love. Similarly, the recurring dreams imply that the narrator is unable to let go of Annabel Lee, despite her demise. The cause of Annabel Lee's death remains ambiguous, leaving the reader to ponder the possibility of external forces at play. The narrator blames "seraphs of heaven" (line 11) for coveting their pure love, suggesting a jealous intervention from the supernatural realm.
Losing Annabel Lee causes the speaker to lose his sense of reality. He finds solace in dreams, claiming that his and Annabel Lee’s souls remain intertwined, and while the poem celebrates the power of love, it casts a darker light on the speaker's fixation. His obsession with Annabel Lee borders on morbid as he constantly revisits their childhood connection. The "sepulchre there by the sea" becomes a recurring image, symbolizing the speaker's fixation on death and his physical connection to Annabel Lee's tomb. He declares, "I lie down by the side of my darling," blurring the line between love and possessive control. This action, while fueled by grief, reflects a refusal to let go of the past and accept reality. Additionally, the resentment he feels towards the angels not only denies the natural order of life and death but also implies a self-righteousness that borders on insanity. The speaker positions himself as the sole protector of their love, creating an "us vs. them" narrative where even divine entities are seen as antagonists. The final image of him embracing the cold stones of Annabel Lee’s tomb symbolizes his defiance against death, as the speaker declares that his and Annabel Lee’s connection will last for eternity.
