“MS. Found in a Bottle”
Unnamed narrator -
A world traveler and survivor of two hurricanes
at sea. After a mishap on the South Seas, the narrator embarks on
a journey of self-discovery to regions beyond human exploration
and rational knowledge.
Old Swede -
Along
with the narrator, the only survivor of the tale’s first hurricane.
The Old Swede’s experience of the tragic voyage is purely physical,
not intellectual like the narrator’s. His death signals the metaphoric importance
of the voyage as a quest for knowledge.
“Ligeia”
Unnamed narrator -
Husband of both Lady Ligeia and Lady Rowena. Unable
to recall certain details about his only love, Ligeia, the narrator
keeps her alive in his memory after her physical death and his second
marriage.
Ligeia -
The
darkly beautiful and learned first wife of the narrator, Ligeia
is a woman who returns from the grave. After dying from a mysterious
illness, Ligeia haunts her husband and his new bride, becoming part of
the Gothic decorations of their bridal chamber.
Read an
in-depth analysis of Ligeia.
Lady Rowena -
The
blonde second wife of the narrator. Rowena’s cold English character
contrasts with Ligeia’s sensual, Germanic romanticism. Ligeia punishes
Rowena’s lack of affection for the narrator by haunting the bridal chamber
and dooming their marriage.
“The Fall of the House of Usher”
Roderick Usher -
The owner of the mansion and last male in the Usher
line. Roderick functions as a doppelganger, or character double,
for his twin sister, Madeline. He represents the mind to her body
and suffers from the mental counterpart of her physical illness.
Read an
in-depth analysis of Roderick Usher.
Madeline Usher -
Roderick’s
twin sister and victim of catalepsy, a mysterious incapacitating
illness. Because the narrator is surprised to discover that Madeline
is a twin, she signals the narrator’s outsider relationship to the
house of Usher.
Unnamed narrator -
Roderick’s best boyhood friend. Contacted by Roderick
during his emotional distress, the narrator knows little about the
house of Usher and is the first outsider to visit the mansion in
many years.
“William Wilson”
William Wilson -
The
narrator who murders his double, also named William Wilson. The
first William Wilson suffers from a split personality: he takes
a figment of his imagination and gives it physical shape.
Read an
in-depth analysis of William Wilson.
William Wilson -
A
classmate and rivalrous competitor of the narrator. This second
William Wilson is the external embodiment of the narrator’s paranoia.
Read an
in-depth analysis of William Wilson.
“The Murders in the Rue Morgue”
C. Auguste Dupin -
A Parisian crime solver. Dupin discovers the truth
behind the violent murders of two women after the Paris police arrest
the wrong man. He employs psychological analysis and intuition and
considers possibilities not imagined by the police to conclude that the
murders were committed by an Ourang-Outang.
Read an
in-depth analysis of C. Auguste Dupin.
Madame L’Espanaye -
The older of the two Parisian murder victims. Violently
beaten with a club, Madame L’Espanaye dies from a cut throat and
is thrown through the window to a courtyard below her apartment.
Mademoiselle Camille -
Daughter of Madame L’Espanaye. Mademoiselle Camille
is choked to death by the murderer and then stuffed into the chimney.
Adolphe Le Bon -
A
bank clerk and the first suspect in the two murders.
Unnamed narrator -
A friend and housemate of Dupin. The narrator attempts
to provide an objective chronicle of the crime, but his tone celebrates
Dupin’s brilliance.
Sailor -
The
owner of the Ourang-Outang. The sailor witnesses the two murders
but is unable to interfere. His inability to restrain the Ourang-Outang
also represents the limits of the Paris police to imagine a nonhuman explanation
for the vicious murders.
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Unnamed narrator -
The murderer of the old man. Addressing the reader,
the narrator offers his tale of precise murder and dismemberment
as an argument for his sanity.
Old man -
The narrator’s murder victim. The narrator’s obsession with the
old man’s one vulture-eye indicates the insanity that the narrator
wants to deny.
“The Pit and the Pendulum”
Unnamed narrator -
A victim of the Inquisition. The narrator maintains
sanity that many of Poe’s other narrators lack. He functions with
Dupin-like practicality despite the invisible enemy threatening
him with torture.
General Lasalle -
A leader of the French army. General Lasalle is
a real and positive presence of authority in contrast to the shadowy
and invisible leaders of the Inquisition.
“The Black Cat”
Unnamed narrator -
The murderer of his wife. Haunted by a favorite
cat that he hanged, the narrator seeks revenge, only to lash out
against his wife.
Narrator’s wife -
The murder victim. Also a lover of animals, the narrator’s
wife defends the second cat from her husband’s anger. She possesses
the generosity that the narrator has mysteriously lost.
“The Purloined Letter”
C. Auguste Dupin -
Asavvy and learned Parisian who helps the city’s
police solve crimes. Dupin uses psychology to foil the plans of
a thief and uncover a stolen letter that the police of Paris could
not uncover by conventional investigations.
Read an
in-depth analysis of C. Auguste Dupin.
Unnamed narrator -
A friend of Dupin. In awe of Dupin’s brilliance, the
narrator faithfully recounts Dupin’s explanations without doubting
or challenging him.
Monsieur G—— -
The
Prefect of the Paris police. Limited by his conventional police
training, Monsieur G—— depends on Dupin’s assistance in peculiarly
difficult crimes, and his own general competence highlights Dupin’s superior
abilities.
Minister D—— -
A
government official and the thief of the letter. Minister D—— ‘s
ability to outwit the police in his crime proves he is a worthy
adversary for Dupin.
“The Masque of the Red Death”
Prince Prospero -
A wealthy nobleman and the ultimate victim of the
Red Death. Prince Prospero’s wealth turns out to be irrelevant in
the natural cycle of life and death.
Mysterious guest -
The embodiment of the Red Death. Donning the gruesome
marks of the plague as his costume, the mysterious guest brings
death to those who deny their own mortality.
“The Cask of Amontillado”
Montresor -
The
narrator, Montresor, murders Fortunato for insulting him by walling
him up alive behind bricks in a wine cellar.
Fortunato -
A
wine expert murdered by Montresor. Dressed as a court jester, Fortunato
falls prey to Montresor’s scheme at a particularly carefree moment
during a carnival.
Become a fan on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
