The Tell-Tale Heart (Poe): Difference between revisions
Created page with "{{written by AI}} {{Summary | Title = The Tell-Tale Heart | Author = Edgar Allan Poe | Genre = short story | 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. | Wikidata = Q181567 | Wikisource = The Tell-Tale Heart }} {{Start of text}} In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the unnamed narrator i..." |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
| 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 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. | ||
| Wikidata = | | Wikidata = Q762206 | ||
| Wikisource = The Tell-Tale Heart | | Wikisource = Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination/The Tell-Tale Heart | ||
}} | }} | ||
Revision as of 08:39, 12 May 2023
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.