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Edgar Allan Poe: Ligeia

So what do think, Libra?

I've always loved this story. Both locations in the story seem dark and foreboding. But real question we ask ourselves is how reliable is the narrator? Did all this happen the way he tells the story? Did Ligeia really return from the dead? How much of the story was hallucinations from his heavy use of opium?
 
I think it was about the "will" of someone. If only we could "will" someone back.
It was the opium , but then again, she loved him so much and vice versa, maybe they both willed it in their own way. Maybe he was poisoning her and hallucinating that Ligeia was doing it?
 
I don't think he poisoned either of his wives. I think Ligeia's death was natural death. The quote from Joseph Glandville certainliy made it sound like he believed that death could be defeated by a strong will, and certainly Ligeia's love was great so perhaps we are to believe she really did return. I really don't know.

Much was made Rowena's bridal chamber. Perhaps the chamber itself was responsible for her death?
 
I have to go recheck, but was it Ligeia's room? That would not help making her better. It seemed she would get better then get worst. I don't think the second one died of "natural" causes, either she was poisoned, or she made herself so sick from "the love" he had for Ligeia and not for her.

He was having hallucinations from the opium ,but what about her?
 
Libra said:
I have to go recheck, but was it Ligeia's room? That would not help making her better. It seemed she would get better then get worst. I don't think the second one died of "natural" causes, either she was poisoned, or she made herself so sick from "the love" he had for Ligeia and not for her.

He was having hallucinations from the opium ,but what about her?
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No. The narriators home with Ligeia was in an old decaying city near the Rhine, which I assume to mean Germany. The second home with Rowena was in England. The narrator even questioned the love of Rowena's parents for allowing her to pass th ethreshold of the apartment.

Of course, Rowena did speak of motions in the chamber, so perhaps it was Ligeia's handy work? What o those two drops of ruby red liquid in Rowena's wine. Real or hallucination?
 
Robert said:
No. The narriators home with Ligeia was in an old decaying city near the Rhine, which I assume to mean Germany. The second home with Rowena was in England. The narrator even questioned the love of Rowena's parents for allowing her to pass th ethreshold of the apartment.

Of course, Rowena did speak of motions in the chamber, so perhaps it was Ligeia's handy work? What o those two drops of ruby red liquid in Rowena's wine. Real or hallucination?
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The only thing I remember(I haven't read it again) is the curtains and those black images on them.
About Rowena's parents, I have no idea what the heck they were thinking allowing her to marry him.

The two drops, I don't know if it's the number that is important, or the color or both.

Ligeia was probably bleeding her soul into Rowena's body ,and taking over.
 
Libra said:
The only thing I remember(I haven't read it again) is the curtains and those black images on them.
About Rowena's parents, I have no idea what the heck they were thinking allowing her to marry him.

The two drops, I don't know if it's the number that is important, or the color or both.

Ligeia was probably bleeding her soul into Rowena's body ,and taking over.
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Rowena's parents were thinking about his money.

The important thing about the two drops was that it was darker then the wine so it wasn't wine, and he didn't put it in there. Of course, we still don't know if it was real or not.

I don't know about bleeding into Rowena's body. I know that body standing there in her burial cloth at the end was taller then Rowena and had black hair.
 
Robert said:
Rowena's parents were thinking about his money.

The important thing about the two drops was that it was darker then the wine so it wasn't wine, and he didn't put it in there. Of course, we still don't know if it was real or not.

I don't know about bleeding into Rowena's body. I know that body standing there in her burial cloth at the end was taller then Rowena and had black hair.
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Don't you think the "will" of Ligeia had something to do with it? because she wanted to be back with him?
 
Apropos the story, I'm reminded of a song based on it by a Canadian metal band from the late eighties or early nineties. The band was - is? they may still be going - Annihilator, and the song was just called Ligeia. Not heard it for years, but I can certainly still recall the tune.
 
Stewart said:
Apropos the story, I'm reminded of a song based on it by a Canadian metal band from the late eighties or early nineties. The band was - is? they may still be going - Annihilator, and the song was just called Ligeia. Not heard it for years, but I can certainly still recall the tune.
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Believe it or not, they are still around, their last album was in 2007.

Headbangers more like it(mo) but yes, the song was about Poe story.
 
Libra said:
Ligeia was probably bleeding her soul into Rowena's body and taking over.
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Nice interpretation.

Not my favorite Poe story but still interesting. At some points in the story it was like reading poetry rather than prose (and I don't mean the poem Conqueror Worm).

My impression is that the narrator may well have witnessed a resurrection, if only a temporary one. The narrator states that Ligeia gave guidance to "metaphysical investigation" and her "resistance with which she wrestled with the Shadow".
 
The narrator is so unreliable, it could be any or all of these things. I think it's one of the strengths of the story.
 
I was thinking today about how strong was th love between Ligeia and her husband, and we are ignoring his second wife like she wasn't important.

Was she "used" to feel a void? or did he really try to love her but it was not strong enough like the first?
 
I don't know if he loved Rowena. Our narrator thought only of Ligeia, even after he married Rowena. I found it interesting that Rowena seemed to be the opposite of Ligeia in appearance.
 
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