Comparing Annabel Lee And Virginia Clemm
The Death of Annabel Lee and Virginia Clemm Poetry is a fine art; it can be interpreted in many different ways, it is a complex piece of literature that can carry much more meaning than just the words on the surface. Edgar Allan Poe, author of the piece “Annabel Lee”, writes about a young couple who are in love with each other. The speaker of the poem shares a passionate love towards his dear Annabel Lee, but once his lover was taken away from him due to sickness; his overabundance of love towards her was the cause of his own death. If you look at Poe’s life prior to writing “Annabel Lee”, there is a clear parallel between the speaker of the poem and Poe himself, implying that Poe was writing about his relationship with, and the
…show more content…
death of his wife Virginia Clemm Poe.
There’s no doubt that the speaker of the poem was in love with his Annabel Lee, but before learning about the speaker of the poem it is important to understand the author, Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was born on January 19th 1809 and died on December 7th 1849 (Academy of American Poets), just two months after he published “Annabel Lee”. There is a reason “Annabel Lee” was his last poem to be published before his death, it is not simply coincidence. For instance, Virginia Clemm Poe, Poe’s wife married him at a very young age; which is similar to the speaker and Annabel Lee in the poem. There are several parallels that could prove that Poe had written this poem about the death of his “Annabel Lee,” Virginia Clemm. Author of the book: Collected Words of Edgar Allan Poe Vol. 1, Thomas Ollive Mabbott states that, “Poe’s “Annabel Lee” is the simplest and sweetest of his ballads…other ladies have been thought to be the original Annabel Lee [but] it has long and generally been regarded as a tribute to the memory of Virginia Poe” (Mabbott 468). After Virginia’s death in 1847 it is clear that Poe had been distraught and lonely when he wrote about his beloved Virginia through a fictional character’s eyes (the speaker) about Annabel Lee. It was his way of remembering his lost love before his death two months later. Towards the end of the poem, the speaker states Annabel Lee was his “Life and his bride” (Poe 7) and that “the maiden lived with no other thought than to love and to be loved by me” (Poe 7). These quotes clearly state that the speaker of the poem lived solely for Annabel Lee. The two of them lived for each other much like Virginia and Poe lived for each other. Poe himself lived a happy ten plus years with Virginia and she supported him as he attempted to make a living as a writer (Velella). Poe was also known to be a very depressed and passionate man. Virginia, like Annabel Lee to the speaker, was Poe’s motivation, his reason for getting up in the morning, his light. The speaker in the poem was also a very passionate man and once his Annabel Lee died it was clear that he became depressed, and grieved for her; even so much as blaming the gods for taking her away from him.
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me —
Yes! — that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. (Poe 20-26)
The “wind” that “chilled and killed” his Annabel Lee can be used to symbolize two different theories one being sickness, which both Annabel Lee and Virginia Clemm died from. It is unknown as to what kind of sickness Annabel Lee had been killed by but it’s convenient enough that Virginia Poe as well died from a horrible disease. American Literatures independent scholar, Robert Velella said: “[Virginia] faithfully followed [Poe] from Baltimore to Virginia to New York to Philadelphia back to New York as he sought work. It was in Philadelphia that Mrs. Poe first displayed symptoms of "consumption," today called tuberculosis. She died five years after that incident, in New York, on January 30, 1847. She was 24 years old” (Velella). It can be safe to assume that Poe could have had Virginia’s death in mind while writing the death of Annabel Lee, and having her die through sickness just as his wife did. However, the second option that could symbolize the ‘wind’ could be the deadly strike of the gods. Greek God Aeolus was the king of the winds. Aeolus is known for his deadly storms and strong winds that can cause sickness and death if he so pleases. According to New Zealand scholar Aaron J. Atsma, “At the command of the gods [Aeolus] released these (winds) to wreck devastating storms” (Atsma), which in return “Chilled and killed” the speaker’s Annabel Lee. Who is to say that Greek God Phthonus, spirit of envy and jealousy and his female counterpart Nemesis, goddess of jealous retribution, didn’t order Aeolus to strike down upon the speaker and Annabel Lee in envy of their love? The speaker had convinced himself that the gods were the ones to take her away from him in the first place. The speaker says: “The angels, not half so happy in Heaven / Went envying her and me — / Yes! — that was the reason (as all men know, / In this kingdom by the sea)” (Poe 20-24). Greek gods are supposed to be the most beautiful, powerful, and alluring creatures known to man. Humans are inferior to the Gods in every way. The fact that the speaker and Annabel Lee had such a strong and unbreakable love for each other, may have made the gods and goddesses like Phthonus and Nemesis, jealous and envious of their love. The speaker says: But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we —
Of many far wiser than we —
And neither the angels in Heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee: — (Poe 27-33)
The speaker’s word choice describes the strength of his and Annabel Lee’s love for each other, that it is even stronger than the love of anyone wiser or older than them. He even went on to say that the angels from the heavens and demon’s under the sea couldn’t break their love or ‘dissever’ his soul from his Annabel Lee. Bold statements such as those would have raged the gods above which ultimately brought his Annabel Lee to her sepulcher. The speaker’s passion and love towards Annabel Lee can only be written by an experienced writer who understands the feelings of both that passion and love with their own significant other, which is why Poe must be the speaker of the poem.
Although Poe knew what it was to love, Poe was not new to the concept of death either, especially not death to someone as important as his wife Virginia Clemm. Poe did not have what could be called a ‘happy childhood’. By 1811, his father had abandoned their family, leaving Elizabeth Poe (Poe’s mother) alone with two-year-old Edgar. However life continued to get worse for Poe once his mother died on December 8th 1811; ironically enough from the same disease that his wife Virginia had died from. It wasn’t until May of 1836 that Poe had finally had something ‘right’ in his life, the marriage to Virginia Clemm. Every rhyme and rhythm in the poem is based on the repeated use of the name Annabel Lee to emphasis her importance to the speaker. Poe’s passion towards the subject at hand, the name "Annabel Lee" was a continuous pattern where every single stanza links back to the speaker’s love for Annabel Lee. Poe constantly repeats himself and emphasizes that the speaker is living, speaking, and thinking about Annabel Lee all the time.
“For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee: —
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling — my darling — my life and my bride” (Poe 35-40).
Since the poem “Annabel Lee” was known to be written in memory of his wife Virginia Clemm, Poe’s over usage of her name to describe the overabundance of love the speaker had for Annabel Lee. It would make sense that Poe had someone in mind (his wife), while writing about the brightness of her eyes and ‘beauty’ of Annabel Lee. Also, "Annabel Lee" has a peaceful, musical rhythm which reflects the overall musicality of the poem, which makes heavy use of the refrain phrases "in this kingdom by the sea" and "of the beautiful Annabel Lee," as well as of the repetition of other words. In particular, although the poem 's stanzas have a somewhat irregular length and structure, the rhyme scheme continually emphasizes the three words "me," "Lee," and "sea," enforcing the linked nature of these concepts within the poem while giving the poem a song-like sound, and also emphasizing the speaker’s love towards Annabel Lee and Poe’s love toward Virginia.
Virginia was the same to Poe as Annabel Lee was to the speaker.
There are a few specific lines in the poem that shows a few more parallels between Poe and Virginia’s life and the life of the speaker and Annabel Lee. Poe married his cousin Virginia Clemm at the age twenty-seven while she was thirteen. Even though her age was a little on the young side, where tradition aimed for the woman to be closer to age fifteen, Poe and Virginia experienced true love. However the speaker and Annabel Lee were also very young, “I was a child and she was a child” (Poe 7). Poe’s use of italics gives away the emphasis that he was talking about Virginia and himself. Virginia’s loyalty to Poe is another parallel to the poem. As Velella stated: “and she faithfully followed him from Baltimore to Virginia to New York to Philadelphia back to New York as he sought work” (Velella). The speaker also states: “And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me” (Poe 5-6). That line alone describes Annabel’s loyalty not only to the speaker but Virginia’s loyalty to Poe. Regardless if Poe didn’t make a lot of money off his writing career Virginia didn’t care she still continued to follow him because she loved him. Her love from him was more than enough of a reason to stay by his side. Poe loved his wife and she loved him and the speaker in Annabel Lee mentions that “we loved with a love that was more than love” (Poe 9). Virginia was Poe’s life, much like Annabel Lee was the …show more content…
speaker’s life, when Poe writes:
And so, all the night-tide,
I lie down by the side of my darling — my darling — my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea —
In her tomb by the sounding sea” (Poe 40-43).
The speaker joins his love in the sepulcher that his wife had lied dead in, symbolizing the death of Poe two months later after publishing this poem joined his darling Virginia in death; making “Annabel Lee” his last piece of work.
To conclude, poetry is more than just a fine art, it can be a way of expressing not only your thoughts but also your love towards another human being even in death. Poe managed to express the love he felt for Virginia through parallels in fictional characters that he posed as himself and his wife, the speaker and Annabel Lee. Regardless if all odds and the world were stacked up against them Virginia and Poe even in death managed to keep their love strong and
everlasting.
Works Cited
Atsma, Aaron J. "AEOLUS : Keeper of the Winds." Theoi Greek Mythology. The Theoi Project, 2000 - 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Atsma, Aaron J. "PHTHONUS : God of Jealousy & Envy | Greek Mythology, Pthonos." Theoi Greek Mythology. The Theoi Project, 2000 - 2011. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
"Edgar Allan Poe." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 1997 - 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
Poe, Edgar A. "Edgar Allan Poe, “Annabel Lee”." Eapoe.org. Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore, 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Poe, Edgar Allan, and Thomas Ollive Mabbott. Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe. 1st ed. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 1969. Print.
Velella, Rob. "Death of Virginia Clemm Poe." Blogspot. The American Literary Blog, 10 Jan. 2010. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
death of his wife Virginia Clemm Poe.
There’s no doubt that the speaker of the poem was in love with his Annabel Lee, but before learning about the speaker of the poem it is important to understand the author, Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was born on January 19th 1809 and died on December 7th 1849 (Academy of American Poets), just two months after he published “Annabel Lee”. There is a reason “Annabel Lee” was his last poem to be published before his death, it is not simply coincidence. For instance, Virginia Clemm Poe, Poe’s wife married him at a very young age; which is similar to the speaker and Annabel Lee in the poem. There are several parallels that could prove that Poe had written this poem about the death of his “Annabel Lee,” Virginia Clemm. Author of the book: Collected Words of Edgar Allan Poe Vol. 1, Thomas Ollive Mabbott states that, “Poe’s “Annabel Lee” is the simplest and sweetest of his ballads…other ladies have been thought to be the original Annabel Lee [but] it has long and generally been regarded as a tribute to the memory of Virginia Poe” (Mabbott 468). After Virginia’s death in 1847 it is clear that Poe had been distraught and lonely when he wrote about his beloved Virginia through a fictional character’s eyes (the speaker) about Annabel Lee. It was his way of remembering his lost love before his death two months later. Towards the end of the poem, the speaker states Annabel Lee was his “Life and his bride” (Poe 7) and that “the maiden lived with no other thought than to love and to be loved by me” (Poe 7). These quotes clearly state that the speaker of the poem lived solely for Annabel Lee. The two of them lived for each other much like Virginia and Poe lived for each other. Poe himself lived a happy ten plus years with Virginia and she supported him as he attempted to make a living as a writer (Velella). Poe was also known to be a very depressed and passionate man. Virginia, like Annabel Lee to the speaker, was Poe’s motivation, his reason for getting up in the morning, his light. The speaker in the poem was also a very passionate man and once his Annabel Lee died it was clear that he became depressed, and grieved for her; even so much as blaming the gods for taking her away from him.
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me —
Yes! — that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. (Poe 20-26)
The “wind” that “chilled and killed” his Annabel Lee can be used to symbolize two different theories one being sickness, which both Annabel Lee and Virginia Clemm died from. It is unknown as to what kind of sickness Annabel Lee had been killed by but it’s convenient enough that Virginia Poe as well died from a horrible disease. American Literatures independent scholar, Robert Velella said: “[Virginia] faithfully followed [Poe] from Baltimore to Virginia to New York to Philadelphia back to New York as he sought work. It was in Philadelphia that Mrs. Poe first displayed symptoms of "consumption," today called tuberculosis. She died five years after that incident, in New York, on January 30, 1847. She was 24 years old” (Velella). It can be safe to assume that Poe could have had Virginia’s death in mind while writing the death of Annabel Lee, and having her die through sickness just as his wife did. However, the second option that could symbolize the ‘wind’ could be the deadly strike of the gods. Greek God Aeolus was the king of the winds. Aeolus is known for his deadly storms and strong winds that can cause sickness and death if he so pleases. According to New Zealand scholar Aaron J. Atsma, “At the command of the gods [Aeolus] released these (winds) to wreck devastating storms” (Atsma), which in return “Chilled and killed” the speaker’s Annabel Lee. Who is to say that Greek God Phthonus, spirit of envy and jealousy and his female counterpart Nemesis, goddess of jealous retribution, didn’t order Aeolus to strike down upon the speaker and Annabel Lee in envy of their love? The speaker had convinced himself that the gods were the ones to take her away from him in the first place. The speaker says: “The angels, not half so happy in Heaven / Went envying her and me — / Yes! — that was the reason (as all men know, / In this kingdom by the sea)” (Poe 20-24). Greek gods are supposed to be the most beautiful, powerful, and alluring creatures known to man. Humans are inferior to the Gods in every way. The fact that the speaker and Annabel Lee had such a strong and unbreakable love for each other, may have made the gods and goddesses like Phthonus and Nemesis, jealous and envious of their love. The speaker says: But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we —
Of many far wiser than we —
And neither the angels in Heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee: — (Poe 27-33)
The speaker’s word choice describes the strength of his and Annabel Lee’s love for each other, that it is even stronger than the love of anyone wiser or older than them. He even went on to say that the angels from the heavens and demon’s under the sea couldn’t break their love or ‘dissever’ his soul from his Annabel Lee. Bold statements such as those would have raged the gods above which ultimately brought his Annabel Lee to her sepulcher. The speaker’s passion and love towards Annabel Lee can only be written by an experienced writer who understands the feelings of both that passion and love with their own significant other, which is why Poe must be the speaker of the poem.
Although Poe knew what it was to love, Poe was not new to the concept of death either, especially not death to someone as important as his wife Virginia Clemm. Poe did not have what could be called a ‘happy childhood’. By 1811, his father had abandoned their family, leaving Elizabeth Poe (Poe’s mother) alone with two-year-old Edgar. However life continued to get worse for Poe once his mother died on December 8th 1811; ironically enough from the same disease that his wife Virginia had died from. It wasn’t until May of 1836 that Poe had finally had something ‘right’ in his life, the marriage to Virginia Clemm. Every rhyme and rhythm in the poem is based on the repeated use of the name Annabel Lee to emphasis her importance to the speaker. Poe’s passion towards the subject at hand, the name "Annabel Lee" was a continuous pattern where every single stanza links back to the speaker’s love for Annabel Lee. Poe constantly repeats himself and emphasizes that the speaker is living, speaking, and thinking about Annabel Lee all the time.
“For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee: —
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling — my darling — my life and my bride” (Poe 35-40).
Since the poem “Annabel Lee” was known to be written in memory of his wife Virginia Clemm, Poe’s over usage of her name to describe the overabundance of love the speaker had for Annabel Lee. It would make sense that Poe had someone in mind (his wife), while writing about the brightness of her eyes and ‘beauty’ of Annabel Lee. Also, "Annabel Lee" has a peaceful, musical rhythm which reflects the overall musicality of the poem, which makes heavy use of the refrain phrases "in this kingdom by the sea" and "of the beautiful Annabel Lee," as well as of the repetition of other words. In particular, although the poem 's stanzas have a somewhat irregular length and structure, the rhyme scheme continually emphasizes the three words "me," "Lee," and "sea," enforcing the linked nature of these concepts within the poem while giving the poem a song-like sound, and also emphasizing the speaker’s love towards Annabel Lee and Poe’s love toward Virginia.
Virginia was the same to Poe as Annabel Lee was to the speaker.
There are a few specific lines in the poem that shows a few more parallels between Poe and Virginia’s life and the life of the speaker and Annabel Lee. Poe married his cousin Virginia Clemm at the age twenty-seven while she was thirteen. Even though her age was a little on the young side, where tradition aimed for the woman to be closer to age fifteen, Poe and Virginia experienced true love. However the speaker and Annabel Lee were also very young, “I was a child and she was a child” (Poe 7). Poe’s use of italics gives away the emphasis that he was talking about Virginia and himself. Virginia’s loyalty to Poe is another parallel to the poem. As Velella stated: “and she faithfully followed him from Baltimore to Virginia to New York to Philadelphia back to New York as he sought work” (Velella). The speaker also states: “And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me” (Poe 5-6). That line alone describes Annabel’s loyalty not only to the speaker but Virginia’s loyalty to Poe. Regardless if Poe didn’t make a lot of money off his writing career Virginia didn’t care she still continued to follow him because she loved him. Her love from him was more than enough of a reason to stay by his side. Poe loved his wife and she loved him and the speaker in Annabel Lee mentions that “we loved with a love that was more than love” (Poe 9). Virginia was Poe’s life, much like Annabel Lee was the …show more content…
speaker’s life, when Poe writes:
And so, all the night-tide,
I lie down by the side of my darling — my darling — my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea —
In her tomb by the sounding sea” (Poe 40-43).
The speaker joins his love in the sepulcher that his wife had lied dead in, symbolizing the death of Poe two months later after publishing this poem joined his darling Virginia in death; making “Annabel Lee” his last piece of work.
To conclude, poetry is more than just a fine art, it can be a way of expressing not only your thoughts but also your love towards another human being even in death. Poe managed to express the love he felt for Virginia through parallels in fictional characters that he posed as himself and his wife, the speaker and Annabel Lee. Regardless if all odds and the world were stacked up against them Virginia and Poe even in death managed to keep their love strong and
everlasting.
Works Cited
Atsma, Aaron J. "AEOLUS : Keeper of the Winds." Theoi Greek Mythology. The Theoi Project, 2000 - 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Atsma, Aaron J. "PHTHONUS : God of Jealousy & Envy | Greek Mythology, Pthonos." Theoi Greek Mythology. The Theoi Project, 2000 - 2011. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
"Edgar Allan Poe." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 1997 - 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
Poe, Edgar A. "Edgar Allan Poe, “Annabel Lee”." Eapoe.org. Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore, 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Poe, Edgar Allan, and Thomas Ollive Mabbott. Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe. 1st ed. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 1969. Print.
Velella, Rob. "Death of Virginia Clemm Poe." Blogspot. The American Literary Blog, 10 Jan. 2010. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.