Berenice (Poe)
Egaeus, a man from a noble family, suffered from a mental disorder that caused him to obsess over trivial things. He grew up with his cousin Berenice, who was his complete opposite - she was full of life and energy. Despite their differences, they were set to be married.
However, Berenice fell ill with a mysterious disease that caused her to change drastically, both physically and mentally. Her once beautiful appearance became distorted, and her personality altered completely. "I knew her not—or knew her no longer as Berenice."
I knew her not—or knew her no longer as Berenice.
Egaeus became fixated on Berenice's teeth, which were the only part of her that remained unchanged. He could not stop thinking about them, and his obsession grew stronger as her condition worsened. "The teeth!—the teeth!—they were here, and there, and everywhere, and visibly and palpably before me; long, narrow, and excessively white."
The teeth!—the teeth!—they were here, and there, and everywhere, and visibly and palpably before me; long, narrow, and excessively white.
One day, Berenice passed away and was buried. Egaeus, in a state of confusion and horror, found himself in his library with a box containing dental instruments and 32 small, white teeth scattered on the floor. "I had done a deed—what was it? I asked myself the question aloud, and the whispering echoes of the chamber answered me—'What was it?'"
I had done a deed—what was it? I asked myself the question aloud, and the whispering echoes of the chamber answered me—'What was it?'
A servant entered the room, telling Egaeus of a horrifying discovery - Berenice's grave had been violated, and her disfigured body was found still alive. Egaeus realized that in his madness, he had committed a terrible act, driven by his obsession with Berenice's teeth.