Poe's Poetry

Poe's Poetry Character List

Tamerlane

A man of talent and ambition, he gives a confession on his deathbed in which he discusses his regret for having valued power over love.

Priest

The unnamed confessor of Tamerlane who listens to the conqueror's tale.

Poet

The narrator of "To Science," he laments the restraints that science has placed on the human imagination.

Narrator (To Helen)

He regards Helen as a place of safety after his weary wanderings around the world.

Helen

She is a beacon of beauty and nurturing to which the narrator of "To Helen" is drawn.

Narrator (Lenore)

He is the unnamed person who laments the death of Lenore and asks Guy de Vere why he does not cry.

Guy de Vere

The protagonist of "Lenore," he remains defiant against those who wished Lenore ill, and he does not cry because he will see her again in Heaven.

Lenore

She is the dead beloved of Guy de Vere in "Lenore," and a similarly named character serves a comparable role in "The Raven."

Angels

In "The Conqueror Worm," they are witness to the trials and tragedy of "Man."

Mimics

Representing humanity in the play called "Man," they are controlled by invisible forces and are eventually eaten by the Conqueror Worm.

Conqueror Worm

The hero of the play called "Man," who eventually destroys humanity and who symbolizes death.

Narrator (A Dream Within a Dream)

He admits to a lover that reality is merely a dream, and he agonizes over the fact that everything slips away so quickly and easily.

Death

The ruler of "The City in the Sea," he guides the city to its disastrous fate.

Narrator (The Raven)

He seeks to avoid thoughts of Lenore by studying, but an interruption by the raven's arrival leads him to despair.

The Raven

The harbinger of doom, it perches on top of a bust of Pallas and says nothing but "nevermore."

Narrator (Ulalume)

While wandering absentmindedly with his Psyche, he is unconsciously drawn to Ulalume's grave on the anniversary of her death.

Knight

The hero of "Eldorado," he searches for the mythical city for a lifetime before being told on his deathbed that Eldorado lies within death.

Pilgrim shadow

It tells the knight of "Eldorado" that he must venture into death to end his quest.

Narrator (Annabel Lee)

As a child, he loved Annabel Lee wholeheartedly, and although she has died, his love remains strong. He sleeps every night by her grave.

Annabel Lee

When she was alive, she loved the narrator faithfully, but jealous kinsmen and angels took her away into death.