29 pages 58 minutes read

Edgar Allan Poe

Ligeia

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1838

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Important Quotes

Quotation Mark Icon

“And the will therein lieth, which dieth not. Who knoweth the mysteries of the will, with its vigor? For God is but a great will pervading all things by nature of its intentness. Man doth not yield himself to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will.”


(Page 13)

This is an example of an epigraph, a brief quotation or excerpt usually found at the beginning of a literary work, which often sets the tone or theme of the text. In this case, it introduces the themes of the will, mortality, and the divine. The concept of the “will” is symbolic in this quote. It represents human determination, the force that drives individuals, and contrasts it with the divine will or God’s intent. The question is a rhetorical one that invites contemplation rather than supplying a direct answer.

Quotation Mark Icon

“In beauty of face no maiden ever equaled her. It was the radiance of an opium-dream—an airy and spirit-lifting vision more wildly divine than the phantasies which hovered about the slumbering souls of the daughters of Delos. Yet her features were not of that regular mould which we have been falsely taught to worship in the classical labors of the heathen. ‘There is no exquisite beauty,’ says Bacon, Lord Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms and genera of beauty, without some strangeness in the proportion.”


(Page 13)

This quote reflects elements of Romanticism, emphasizing the sublime and the extraordinary. The tone is one of reverence and admiration for Ligeia’s exceptional beauty. This quotation reinforces the idea that true beauty often possesses unique or unconventional qualities. The reference to “the daughters of Delos” alludes to Greek mythology, specifically the daughters of the Greek god Atlas, who were known for their beauty. This allusion adds a classical and mythological dimension to the description. The mention of “an opium-dream” and “spirit-lifting vision” suggests a dreamlike or transcendent quality to Ligeia’s beauty, symbolizing her allure and mystique.

Related Titles

By Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

A Dream Within a Dream

Edgar Allan Poe

A Dream Within a Dream

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

Berenice

Edgar Allan Poe

Berenice

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

Hop-Frog

Edgar Allan Poe

Hop-Frog

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

Tamerlane

Edgar Allan Poe

Tamerlane

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Black Cat

Edgar Allan Poe

The Black Cat

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Conqueror Worm

Edgar Allan Poe

The Conqueror Worm

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

Edgar Allan Poe

The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

Edgar Allan Poe

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE

logo

The Fall of the House of Usher

Edgar Allan Poe

The Fall of the House of Usher

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Gold Bug

Edgar Allan Poe

The Gold Bug

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Haunted Palace

Edgar Allan Poe

The Haunted Palace

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Imp of the Perverse

Edgar Allan Poe

The Imp of the Perverse

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Lake

Edgar Allan Poe

The Lake

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Man of the Crowd

Edgar Allan Poe

The Man of the Crowd

Edgar Allan Poe

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE

logo

The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Edgar Allan Poe

The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Edgar Allan Poe

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Oval Portrait

Edgar Allan Poe

The Oval Portrait

Edgar Allan Poe

Study Guide

logo

The Philosophy of Composition

Edgar Allan Poe

The Philosophy of Composition

Edgar Allan Poe