Annabel Lee Analysis

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--
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
   Than to love and be loved by me.
She was a child and I was a child,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love--
   I and my Annabel Lee--
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
   Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud by night
   Chilling my Annabel Lee;
So that her high-born kinsman came
   And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
   In this kingdom by the sea.

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 a cloud, chilling
   And killing my Annabel Lee.

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:--

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I see 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,
   In her sepulchre there by the sea--
   In her tomb by the side of the sea.

.: :.

The poem could also be about a childhood friend or girlfriend.

| Posted on 2008-10-27 | by a guest

.: :.

So the refrain of kingdom by the sea is because she was buried in the sea?
It seemed that is was more symbolic than literal.

| Posted on 2008-03-20 | by a guest

.: Analysis of "Annabel Lee" :.

Here's a quick, brief summary:
This poem is simply dedicated to Poe's dead wife, Virginia. They're love for one another allows them to create their own fantasy world, where they live in a castle by the sea. The speaker says that the angels in Heaven envyed how blissful the two lovers were and drew them apart by death. This leads to "Annabel Lee's" "high kinsmen", or wealthy relatives, placing her in a tomb by the sea. Here Poe lies next to her, trying to bring back the times when they were together, and reflecting on the moments they shared. My theory is that he might be lying next to Annabel Lee waiting for the tide to come in, and kill him, so he could join her in Heaven with the jealous angels. However, I am not entirely sure of that.
Literary techniques include end rhymes, rhyming meter, alliteration, and imagery. The end rhymes have a unique pattern, yet unlike a sonnet's, which is unusual for Poe's writing.
Here is the conclusion to my "brief" summary, and I hope it helped and got your minds to work. If you have anything else to add, please add it, so I can reflect on it and have something to chew on. And remember, don't get caught up in the past! ;)
Signed,
Edgar Allan Poe Fan

| Posted on 2007-02-28 | by a guest