Ligeia

Edgar Allan Poe's “Ligeia,” a well-known piece of Gothic and Romantic literature, invites readers to explore the intricacies of reality, death, and the enigmatic power of human will. Published in 1838 during the Romantic era, this tale falls within the sub-genre of Gothic fiction, typified by brooding atmospheres, uncanny occurrences, and a fascination with the supernatural.

This guide refers to the Penguin Classic 2019 Kindle edition.

Content Warning: This guide and the source text use the term “madness” to generally refer to mental instability.

An unnamed narrator reflects on his relationship and enthrallment with the enigmatic Ligeia in first-person narration. Both Ligeia and the narrator’s second wife, Lady Rowena of Tremaine, are now deceased.

The eponymous Ligeia is both fascinating and elusive. The narrator confides that he cannot recall when he first encountered her in a “decaying city” on the Rhine river. She never discussed her family, and the narrator never learned her last name, though they were married. He wonders if Ligeia purposefully concealed her name as a test of his love, or if he romantically refused to inquire about it. He calls their marriage “ill-omened” in an allusion to the Egyptian goddess Ashtophet, associated with love, fertility, and hell.