Annabel Lee, written by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrates a beautiful, yet painful memory. The narrator in the poem is remembering his long lost love, Annabel Lee. Both lived in a kingdom by the sea, and though they were young at the time, they were truly in love. Poet, Edgar Allan Poe often wrote about death, sadness, and tragedy, so it is no surprise that this poem takes a turn to the dark side.
Edgar Allan Poe was not only a poet, but also a critic and a writer. He was well known for his expressive short stories and poems that captured the imagination of readers. Annabel Lee was not the only writing by Poe that narrates death. According to Britannica, most of his work was concerned with terror and sadness. He was capable of writing angelic or weird poetry, with a supreme sense of rhythm and word appeal. Many believe these stories written by Poe come from the women in his life who have passed.
Edgar Allan Poe faced many deaths of women he loved. Britannica states that at a young age his birth mother, Elizabeth, died in Richmond Virginia. Following the death of his mother, Poe was taken into the home of John Allan and his wife Frances, who later died of tuberculosis. In 1835 he married his young cousin, Virginia Clemm, who was only 13 at the time, and in January of 1847 she died. Poe’s poem, Annabel Lee, was written shortly after his wife Virginia’s death. It is believed that Edgar Allan Poe wrote this to poem to illustrate his and Virginia’s love for one another.
Stanza 1: