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"Murder and Madness and Poe"
Rick
Heuthe as Edgar Allan Poe The action of the play: Edgar, an hourglass for a timepiece, paces impatiently in the office of booking agents in New York in 1848. He proposes a lecture tour with readings of his controversial stories of murder and madness—all the while professing his sanity, his reliability, and his fame—citing examples from his turbulent life, which is finally on the mend after years of tragedy and anxiety. He needs the money badly: to finance a magazine venture and to allow him to marry the woman he loves (not the woman with funds). He has with him a portfolio of the prose and poetry he proposes to read. In a desperate attempt to convince them, he resolutely steps to a podium and presents his dark melancholy spell-binding readings—as the hourglass measures his heartbeats.
(Quotations and full readings within the play: scroll down or jump with these links
Irene Heckert, Film Historian, Huntington Station Library: Excellent in all categories. "Very well done. Appropriate readings and a receptive audience." Evelyn Pusinelli, Program Director, Hicksville Public Library: "Excellent" in all categories (Audience Response, Literary Content, Performance, Setting and Music). "Always a pleasure to have you perform at the library." Carol A. Lombardo, Director, Garwood Public Library, Garwood NJ: "Very entertaining and informative. The music interludes added a nice touch to Poe's works. Set decoration added to the atmosphere." Penelope Wright, Adult Programs, Rogers Memorial Library, Southampton: "Edgar Allan Poe came alive in this sympathetically portrayed, finely acted, brilliantly written dramatic presentation. David Houston never fails to present great offerings at our library." Tracey Simon, Program Coordinator, Lynbrook Public Library: "Very good audience response, excellent performance; totally professional as always, well prepared." Maureen Chiofalo, Nassau County Library Association (performance at Reference and Adult Services brunch)
— The Portable Poe, Phillip Van Doren Stern, ed. New York, Viking Press, 1945. — Tales of Mystery and Imagination. New York, Buccaneer Books, 1986 — Poe: Essays and Reviews, G.R. Thompson, ed., New York, Literary Classics of the United States, 1984
Audio Recordings Internet (choose tasks and questions appropriate to grade levels) Discussion and Activities—before seeing Murder and Madness and Poe 1. Discuss daily life for average citizens in the Poe era – 1809-1849. There were no cars, telephones or electricity; what other technological advances have we come to depend upon? What about plumbing? 2. Who else, now famous in the world of great literature, lived when Poe did? Did Poe know them? Did he review their works? What did Poe think of them? 3. Discuss the differences between live theater and movies/TV. (For example: a camera can point out what you should be thinking about, while on stage, words and action must focus your attention.) 4. Discuss the popularity of the works of Poe during his life and today. Why do you believe his works are considered classics? What innovations in literature was Poe responsible for (the detective story and science fiction) and what stories introduced them? 5. Study briefly the Vocabulary list included here to become somewhat familiar with unusual words and phrases used in Murder and Madness and Poe. 6. Schedule a classroom viewing of one or more of the movies and TV shows about Poe or based on his work (see the list of Sources in this Study Guide). 7. Search the Internet for subjects and sources relating to Edgar Allan Poe history and biography. Find a list of all of the plays, movies, musicals, cartoons, and TV shows of based on his stories (see the list of Sources in this Study Guide). Discussion and Activities—after seeing Murder and Madness and Poe 1. In the short story “The Black Cat,” what is Poe saying about addiction and alcoholism? About human nature? About excusing one’s own immoral behavior? What clues do we have that he used his own psychology and beliefs for the fictional main character? How is Poe like, and not like, his invented narrator? 2. In “Annabel Lee,” and in “The Raven,” identify the elements of fantasy that are combined with factual reality to make the poems more effective, more emotional? Write down, in a single paragraph for each poem, the “facts” alone, without the fantasy or imagery, rhymes or rhythms. In story and mood, how are the two poems similar and how are they different? 3. Choose any Poe short story that is not a part of Murder and Madness and Poe and prepare a vocabulary list of its obsolete and unusual words and phrases. Find the definitions. 4. Regarding the monologue (play) portion of Murder and Madness and Poe: When in the course of Poe’s life does this event occur? (Refer to the Poe Lifeline included here.) Which of Poe’s famous work had already been written? What was written after the time of his imaginary interview in 1848? Did lectures and public readings in fact solve his financial problems? 5. Poe’s death is considered a mystery to this day. Do some research to uncover several different accounts (in various biographies) of the probable circumstances. Was it murder, accident, or illness? 6. Compare the ingredients of Poe’s detective fiction – “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Mystery of Marie Roget,” and “The Purloined Letter” to the Sherlock Holmes Stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. How much that Doyle is famous for did Poe invent first? 7. Read some of the critical essays and literary reviews of Edgar Allan Poe. What was his reputation as a critic? Research his attacks on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; were they justified, how long did they go on, and what did they do to the reputations of both Poe and Longfellow? How did Longfellow respond to the attacks? 8. There have been numerous audio recordings made of Poe dramatic readings – by Basil Rathbone, Vincent Price, Norman George, and others. Some libraries carry them. Obtain one and play portions for the class. Have the class write reports on what they’ve heard. Have them compare the experience of reading versus hearing or seeing the same work. 9. [ADVANCED] Ask students to write a poem and then, using Poe’s essay on the writing of “The Raven” as a guide, to set down all of the mental processes that went into selecting the subject, mood, size and shape, imagery, rhyming scheme, and verbal effects of his or her poem. [Applicable notes from the Poe essay appear in this Guide, below; and the complete discussion can be found in Poe’s essay “The Philosophy of Composition,” available in Poe Essays and Reviews (see the list of Sources for particulars) which is available in many libraries.]
on composing “The Raven” from Poe's I decided first to compose a poem of melancholy, and to limit it to a length appropriate for a reading at a single sitting—because longer works lose continuity of atmosphere and the accumulation of poetic effects. I next knew I’d need some pivot, some artistic piquancy which might serve me as a key-note in the construction of the poem. I immediately perceived that no theatrical effect has been so universally employed as the refrain. I thought that the refrain should be brief, and that a single word would be best. In such a search it would have been impossible to overlook the word nevermore—and in fact it was, I swear to you, the very first which presented itself. Next I required a pretext for using the word nevermore and a plausible reason for its continuous repetition. The difficulty lay in reconciling this monotony with the exercise of reason on the part of the person repeating the word. Here, then, immediately arose the idea of a non-reasoning creature capable of speech. A parrot suggested itself but was superceded forthwith by a raven—as equally capable of speech and infinitely more in keeping with the intended melancholy tone of the poem. I now had a raven—the bird of ill omen, according to mythology—monotonously repeating the one word "Nevermore" at the conclusion of each stanza, in a poem of melancholy tone, and in a one-sitting length of about 100 lines. Now to content. Of all the melancholy topics, what, according to the universal understanding of mankind is the most melancholy? Death. And when is this most melancholy topic most poetical? When it closely allies itself to Beauty. The death, then, of a beautiful woman may be the most poetical topic in the world! And the lips best suited for such a topic are those of a bereaved lover. I had now to combine the two ideas: a lover lamenting his deceased mistress and a Raven continuously repeating the word "Nevermore." The only intelligible mode of such combination is that of imagining the raven employing the word in answer to the queries of the lover. I saw that I could make the first query a commonplace one, the second less so, the third still less, and so on, until the lover is at length excited to superstition and despair asking questions in order to hear the expected answer from the raven. Perceiving the opportunity thus forced upon me in the progress of construction—I first established in mind the climax—that to which "Nevermore" should be in the last place an answer to a question involving the utmost conceivable amount of sorrow and despair. Here, then, the poem may be said to have its beginning—at the end, where all works of art should begin—for it was here, at this point in my preconsiderations that I first put pen to paper in the composition of the stanza:
“Prophet,” said I, “thing of evil! prophet still if bird or
devil! I composed this stanza, at this point, first that, by establishing the climax, I might the better vary and graduate, as regards seriousness and importance, the preceding queries of the lover—and, secondly, that I might definitely settle the rhythm, the meter, and the length and general arrangement of the stanza—as well as graduate the stanzas which were to precede, so that none of them might surpass this in rhythmical effect. vocabulary for classroom study Almost all of the words used by Poe are in today’s dictionaries. However, he wrote more than a century ago, and some of his choices and meanings are not in common use today. Here are words and phrases from Murder and Madness and Poe that might seem unfamiliar to students. Abstain – resist, to hold oneself back. Acumen – keen insight, shrewdness. Aidenn – an Arabic word for Paradise. Alchemy – an ancient study of chemistry and sorcery devoted to turning cheap metals into gold, to finding a universal solvent, and creating a substance to prolong life. Aperture – an opening or gap. Apparition – supernatural appearance of a person or thing, a ghost, phantom. Arch-Fiend – the devil, Satan. Atrocity – a wicked, cruel or brutal act. Balm in Gilead – a mystic quality that heals or soothes pain, to be found in the Holy Land. Bas-relief – flat sculpture in which the figures project slightly from the background. Beguile – to trick by deception or flattery. Betook myself to – gave myself the task of. Brazen – like brass in sound, color or strength; also bold, loud, shameless. Catacombs – an underground cemetery. Chimera – (pronounced “kimera”) in mythology, a fire-breathing creature with a lion’s head, a goat’s body and a serpent’s tail; also a delusion, a monster of the imagination. Clamorous – loud voicing of demands or complaints. Cohesion – the state of sticking together, unification, containing links to similar ideas. Conflagration – an extensive and destructive fire. Crudity – statement that is unrefined, lacking intellectual subtlety, raw. Crystalline – clear, transparent. Debauch – wanton self-indulgence. Demoniacal – possessed by an evil spirit, raging, frantic. Dissever – to separate, divide into parts. Docile – easily managed, readily taught. Doting – excessively fond, overly attentive. Duplicitous – dishonest. Eccentric – not customary, odd, erratic. Evinced – showed clear evidence of. Expostulation – earnest and energetic reasoning against something a person intends to do. Fancies – illusions, fantasies, ideas not based on fact. Forbore – declined, avoided, decided against. Franc – a unit of French currency. Hogshead – a cask containing 63-140 gallons of a liquid, also any large cask. Homely – suited to ordinary daily life; also unattractive, unrefined. Impotent – lacking power, especially sexual ability. Impunity – exemption from punishment, freedom from unwanted effects. In pace requiescat – Latin for “rest in peace.” Incendiary – flammable, able to ignite fires. Indiscretion – shortcoming, failing, a result of bad judgment. Inebriated – intoxicated, drunk. Intemperance – excessive indulgence in alcoholic beverages, drugs, food, etc. Intemperate – not moderate, not softened, inconsiderate. Laudanum – opium or a sleep aid containing opium (illegal today). Loath – reluctant, unwilling, not eager. Maltreating – mistreating. Mercenary – acting merely for money or other reward. Mesmerism – hypnotism as developed by Austrian physician Franz Mesmer. Mundane – commonplace, earthly, as opposed to heavenly or ideal. Nefarious – extremely wicked or villainous. Nepenthe – a drug mentioned by ancient writers as having the power to bring forgetfulness of sorrow. Obeisance – (pronounced “o-baysance”) a bow or curtsy expressing homage, as before a superior or royalty. Onomatopoeia – a word that imitates the sound it refers to (buzz, bang, tinkle and thud, for example). Pallas – hero of Greek mythology. Pallid – deficient in color, lacking in vitality. Palpitate – flutter, quiver, to breathe rapidly from exertion, fear, or disease. Paraphrase – restatement of a text to give its meaning a new form. Peevish – cross, fretful, annoyed. Perverseness – a determination to go against the accepted or desired course of action. Phantasm – apparition or specter, ghost. Pluto – Roman god of the underworld, of hell (planet Pluto was discovered in 1930). Plutonian shore – the edge of death, the darkest night. Prestigious – honored, having a high reputation. Procuring – buying, obtaining. Protagonist – main character, hero. Ratiocination – the process of logical reasoning. Rationalization – the process of assigning superficial justification to a statement or action, sometimes for the purpose of hiding the real causes. Regardless – showing a lack of consideration for others. Resolute – firmly determined, set in purpose. Resonate – to echo, to have the property of a returning or fluctuating sound. Respite – a delay or pause, especially of anything distressing. Reverie – a state of dreaminess or musing, a daydream. Runic rhyme – a poem with a secret or mysterious meaning. Sagacious – intelligent, having a good sense of the practical. Scarce – barely, faintly. Sepulcher – tomb, burial place. Seraph – member of the highest order of angels, a being hovering above God’s throne. Seraphim – angels (plural of seraph) Sonata – musical term, a composition for one or two instruments. Stanza – in music and poetry, an arrangement of a certain number of lines. Stylus – an instrument used by the ancients for writing on wax or clay tablets, also any writing instrument. Surcease – finality, an ending. Tinctured – affected by a slight amount of some element or quality, a trace or smattering. Transcendental – beyond ordinary experience, idealistic. Underwrite – to contribute a sum of money to an enterprise. Uplift – to raise higher in the air. Upraise – to raise higher in the air. Waistcoat – (sometimes pronounced "wescut") vest, sleeveless coat.
1809-1810.
Born in Boston,
January 19, 1809, second of three children, to
actors David and Eliza Arnold Hopkins Poe. Father abandons the family
a year later.
1811. Mother Eliza dies in
Richmond, Virginia, leaving the children to become wards of different
foster parents. John Allan, a Richmond merchant, and wife Frances,
informally adopt Edgar, who is renamed Edgar Allan.
1815-1820.
John Allan moves family to
London,
where Edgar attends school. Family returns to Richmond.
1821-1825.
Edgar is secretly engaged to Elmira Royster, despite objections from
both families.
1826.
At U. of Virginia, Poe distinguishes himself, but is sent insufficient
funds by Allan and resorts to gambling. Allan refuses to back his
debts, and Poe returns to Richmond to find that Allan and the Roysters
have ended his engagement to Elmira.
1827.
Enlists in U.S. Army as "Edgar A. Perry." First book, Tamerlane and
Other Poems published, but is not reviewed. Transfers with his
unit to Fort Moultrie in Charleston, South Carolina.
1828-1829. Rank of Sergeant Major. Foster mother
Frances Allan dies. Poe reconciles with John Allan. Al Aaraaf,
Tamerlane and Minor Poems is published under Poe's name, sells
poorly.
1830-1831.
Enters West Point. John Allan remarries, severs relations with Poe.
Edgar skips classes and roll-calls, is expelled. In
New York,
he publishes Poems: Second Edition with money raised from
fellow cadets. Resides in Baltimore with paternal aunt, Maria Clemm,
called “Muddy,” and her daughter Virginia. Household includes Poe's
brother, William, who dies of tuberculosis.
1832-1833.
Enters stories and poems in Baltimore Saturday Visitor contest;
"MS. Found in a Bottle" wins first prize for best tale, and "The
Coliseum" places second for poetry. Both appear in Visitor.
1834-1835. "The Visionary" published in Godey's
Lady's Book. John Allan dies and leaves Poe nothing.
Richmond's Southern Literary Messenger prints "The Unparalleled
Adventure of One Hans Pfaall," the first modern science fiction story.
1836.
Marries 13-year-old Virginia Clemm, his cousin, and moves to Richmond
as editor of Messenger; writes book reviews, stories and poems
for Messenger.
1837-1838. Resigns from Messenger, takes
family to
New York but is unable to find editorial post. Harper's publishes
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, Poe's only completed novel.
Moves family to
Philadelphia,
considers giving up literary work.
1839-1840.
In financial straits, but "The Fall of the House of Usher" and
"William Wilson" appear in Gentleman's Magazine. Lea and
Blanchard publish Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque (two
volumes). "The Man of the Crowd" appears in Graham's Magazine.
1841-1842.
Becomes editor of Grahams Magazine; contributes "The Murders in
the Rue Morgue," the world’s first detective story, with other new
stories, poems and articles; and by year's end,
Grahams
subscriptions more
than quadruple. Virginia exhibits first signs of tuberculosis. Poe
meets Charles Dickens. Publishes "The Masque of the Red Death."
Resigns from
Graham's. Publishes "The Pit and the Pendulum."
1843. "The Tell-Tale Heart," "Lenore," and "The Rationale of
Verse" appear in The Pioneer. Goes to D.C. to be interviewed
for a government post, gets drunk and ruins his chances.
Resumes writing but is forced to borrow money. "The Gold Bug" wins
$100 prize in newspaper contest, is reprinted widely then dramatized
on the
Philadelphia stage. Enters lecture circuit with "The Poets and Poetry
of America."
1844.
Moves family to
New York,
creates a sensation with newspaper publication of "The Balloon Hoax,"
which purports a transatlantic crossing by air.
1845.
"The Raven" appears in Evening Mirror and gathers national
popularity. Graham's publishes Poe's Tales, then The
Raven and Other Poems. Poe acquires controlling interest in The
Broadway Journal. Initiates campaign against plagiarism, with
Longfellow the most eminent of those accused. Campaign alienates
friends. Virginia Poe's illness becomes acute.
1846.
Depression and hardship force Poe to abandon Broadway Journal.
Moves to Fordham, NY; Virginia is a semi-invalid. Poe mentioned as a
charity case in the New York press. Publishes "The Cask of
Amontillado," "The Philosophy of Composition." Satirical sketch of
Thomas Dunn English draws attack on Poe's morality and sanity. Poe
sues and collects damages.
1847.
Virginia Poe dies of tuberculosis. Poe falls gravely ill. Nursed back
to health by Mrs. Clemm. Completes revised version of "The
Landscape Garden" and writes "Ulalume." Interest in cosmological
theories leads to preliminary notes for
Eureka.
1848.
Lecture on "The Universe" in
New York surveys themes for
Eureka,
published by Putnam. Forms attachment to "Annie" (Mrs. Nancy
Richmond), who becomes his confidante. Proposes to poet Sarah Helen
Whitman; when she delays answering because of his "unprincipled"
character, their brief engagement is broken off. Reads "The Poetic
Principle" as lecture to 1,800 in Providence. Writes "Annabel
Lee" and "The Bells."
1849. Goes to
Richmond to seek support for his magazine, The Stylus. Stops in
Philadelphia, sick, confused and apparently suffering from persecution
mania. Recovers during two months in Richmond, joins temperance
society, becomes engaged to boyhood sweetheart, widow Elmira Royster
Shelton. Sails for
Baltimore
where, a week after arrival, he is found semiconscious and delirious
outside a tavern and polling place on October 3. Dies October 7. |
