The poem "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe depicts the deep anguish of a man who has lost the love of his life. Using poetic elements such as imagery and sensory perception, Poe illustrates a fairytale-like romance that is tragically cut short, perceivably by envious angels in heaven. The language and tone of the poem vividly shows the narrator's resentment towards the cruel forces that took his love away and simultaneously exemplifies a love so strong that it transcends all things. .
The voice of the poem is that of a man who is struggling with feelings of bitterness and pain because of the death of his love, Annabel Lee. The story seems to be told years after the death of the young maiden, "It was many and many a year ago", yet the tone of voice allows us to see how fresh the pain still is to the man. Because there are many references to the sea (the kingdom was by the sea and she was buried by the sea), the speaker appears to be someone who has a connection to and a love for the ocean and nature (despite the fact that it is a steady reminder, or maybe even the actual cause of her death). The reference to "the demons down under the sea", seem to suggest this (perhaps Annabel Lee had drowned). The speaker, however, is convinced that something much more disturbing and complex has taken place: a conspiracy by the covetous and jealous angels in Heaven has taken away his love. (He fills the need to place blame somewhere.) He is angry, yet determined, even though Annabel Lee is physically gone, to be with his love, in spirit, forever "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". Although it has been many years ago since her death, everything reminds the speaker of his love, "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".