The Tell-Tale Heart (Poe): Difference between revisions

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| Title = The Tell-Tale Heart
| Title = The Tell-Tale Heart
| Author = Edgar Allan Poe
| Author = Edgar Allan Poe
| Genre = short story
| Literary form = short story
| Year of publication = 1843
| Year of publication = 1843
| Microsummary = A narrator, driven by the old man's "evil eye," murders him, dismembers the body, and hides it under the floorboards. The narrator's guilt and the sound of a beating heart lead to a confession.
| Microsummary = A man obsessed with an old man's disturbing eye decided to kill him. After carefully planning and executing the murder, he hid the body under floorboards. Eventually, he confessed to the police.
| Wikidata = Q762206
| Wikidata = Q762206
| Wikisource = Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination/The Tell-Tale Heart
| Wikisource = Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination/The Tell-Tale Heart
Line 12: Line 12:


{{Start of text}}
{{Start of text}}
A man, who insisted he was not mad, became obsessed with an old man's disturbing "vulture eye." He could not explain how the idea first entered his mind, but once it did, it haunted him day and night. He had no reason to hate the old man, as he had never wronged or insulted him. The man's obsession with the old man's eye grew, and he decided to take the old man's life to rid himself of the eye forever.


In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the unnamed narrator is driven to murder an old man due to the man's "evil eye," which the narrator believes is always watching him. The narrator insists that he is not mad, but rather has heightened senses, which allow him to hear things others cannot.
In "The Tell-Tale Heart," there are two main characters: the narrator and the old man.


{{Character
{{Character
| Name = The Narrator
| Name = The Narrator
| Description = protagonist; unnamed; insists on sanity; driven by the old man's "evil eye"; heightened senses; guilt-ridden
| Description = narrator; obsessed with the old man's eye; insists he is not mad; meticulous planner and murderer; increasingly agitated and paranoid
| Emoji = 🧑‍🦳
| Emoji = 😨
}}
}}
The narrator carefully plans the murder, visiting the old man's room each night for a week to observe him while he sleeps. On the eighth night, the narrator accidentally wakes the old man and decides to strike. He smothers the old man with a heavy bed and then dismembers the body, hiding the pieces under the floorboards.


{{Character
{{Character
| Name = The Old Man
| Name = The Old Man
| Description = victim; has a pale blue "evil eye"; lives with the narrator; murdered and dismembered
| Description = victim of the narrator's crime; has a disturbing "vulture eye"; unknowingly provokes the narrator's obsession and eventual murder
| Emoji = 👴
| Emoji = 👴🏻
}}
}}


Soon after, the police arrive, having been alerted by a neighbor who heard a scream. The narrator, confident in the perfect crime, invites the officers in and even seats them directly above the hidden remains. However, as the conversation continues, the narrator becomes increasingly agitated, believing he can hear the old man's heart still beating beneath the floorboards.
The man carefully planned and executed the murder. He was never kinder to the old man than during the week before he killed him. Every night, he would sneak into the old man's room and observe him while he slept. He did this for seven nights, but each time, the old man's eye was closed, making it impossible for him to carry out his plan. On the eighth night, the man was more cautious than ever, and when he finally saw the old man's eye open, he became furious.


{{Character
{{Quote|
| Name = The Police Officers
It was open—wide, wide open—and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness—all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones.
| Description = investigators; arrive after a neighbor reports a scream; unknowingly seated above the hidden remains
| Emoji = 👮‍♂️👮‍♀️
}}
}}


Unable to bear the sound any longer, the narrator breaks down and confesses to the murder, revealing the location of the old man's body.
He heard the old man's heart beating and, in a fit of rage, killed him.
 
After the murder, the man dismembered the old man's body and hid it under the floorboards of the room. He was confident that he had left no trace of his crime. However, a neighbor had heard a scream during the night and reported it to the police. When the police arrived to investigate, the man confidently showed them around the house, even inviting them to rest in the room where he had hidden the old man's body.
 
As the police chatted and searched the house, the man began to feel increasingly agitated. He heard a persistent beating sound, which he believed was the old man's heart. The sound grew louder and more distinct, causing the man to become more and more panicked. He tried to ignore the sound and continue talking with the police, but it only grew louder. Eventually, he could no longer bear the sound and, in a fit of panic, confessed to the murder.


{{Quote|
{{Quote|
"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!"
“Villains!I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks! here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!
}}
}}


"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a chilling tale of guilt, madness, and the consequences of one's actions.
He told the police to tear up the floorboards, revealing the hidden corpse of the old man.
{{End of text}}
{{End of text}}

Latest revision as of 07:35, 14 May 2023

Disclaimer: This summary was generated by AI, so it may contain errors.
The Tell-Tale Heart
1843  
Summary of the Short Story
Microsummary: A man obsessed with an old man's disturbing eye decided to kill him. After carefully planning and executing the murder, he hid the body under floorboards. Eventually, he confessed to the police.

A man, who insisted he was not mad, became obsessed with an old man's disturbing "vulture eye." He could not explain how the idea first entered his mind, but once it did, it haunted him day and night. He had no reason to hate the old man, as he had never wronged or insulted him. The man's obsession with the old man's eye grew, and he decided to take the old man's life to rid himself of the eye forever.

In "The Tell-Tale Heart," there are two main characters: the narrator and the old man.

😨
The Narrator — narrator; obsessed with the old man's eye; insists he is not mad; meticulous planner and murderer; increasingly agitated and paranoid.
👴🏻
The Old Man — victim of the narrator's crime; has a disturbing "vulture eye"; unknowingly provokes the narrator's obsession and eventual murder.

The man carefully planned and executed the murder. He was never kinder to the old man than during the week before he killed him. Every night, he would sneak into the old man's room and observe him while he slept. He did this for seven nights, but each time, the old man's eye was closed, making it impossible for him to carry out his plan. On the eighth night, the man was more cautious than ever, and when he finally saw the old man's eye open, he became furious.

It was open—wide, wide open—and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness—all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones.

He heard the old man's heart beating and, in a fit of rage, killed him.

After the murder, the man dismembered the old man's body and hid it under the floorboards of the room. He was confident that he had left no trace of his crime. However, a neighbor had heard a scream during the night and reported it to the police. When the police arrived to investigate, the man confidently showed them around the house, even inviting them to rest in the room where he had hidden the old man's body.

As the police chatted and searched the house, the man began to feel increasingly agitated. He heard a persistent beating sound, which he believed was the old man's heart. The sound grew louder and more distinct, causing the man to become more and more panicked. He tried to ignore the sound and continue talking with the police, but it only grew louder. Eventually, he could no longer bear the sound and, in a fit of panic, confessed to the murder.

“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks! here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!”

He told the police to tear up the floorboards, revealing the hidden corpse of the old man.