Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” Essentials to the Story

Main Characters The Narrator The Old Man

Setting “The Tell-Tale Heart” is written as a flashback: a narrator is recounting events from the past. The events he re-tells take place in the Old Man’s house Exact time and date is unknown.

Plot An unnamed narrator retells how he murdered an old man because of the man’s “vulture” eye. The narrator confesses to the murder when he believes he can hear the old man’s heart beating.

Conflict Internal conflict: The Narrator’s need to get rid of the “vulture eye”, thus curing his madness.

Point-of-View First person narrative “Why will you say that I am mad?”(145)

The Narrator’s madness/insanity Response Questions Why did the Narrator kill the Old Man? The vulture eye “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it as his eye! Yes, it was this!”(145) What does the vulture eye symbolize? The Narrator’s madness/insanity “I grew furious as I gazed up on it. I saw it with perfect distinctness- all a dull blue with a hideous veil over it that chilled the marrow in my bones.”(147)

Arrogant, proud, confident Describe the narrator’s attitude about the murder of the old man Arrogant, proud, confident “But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded- with what caution- with what dissimulation I went to work!”(147) Describe the sound that the narrator hears as he is talking to the police. Why does he hear it so loudly? A heartbeat * Anxiety- He is not cured *He believes he suffers from over acuteness of the senses; the sound is not truly there?

He is realizing he is not cured of his own madness! What drives the narrator to confess his murderous deeds to the police? Explain. He is realizing he is not cured of his own madness! “Was it possible they heard it not- no, no! They heard!-they suspected!-they knew!- they were making a mockery of my horror!”(148)

Theme “Madness upsets the delicate balance between light and dark in human nature.” Insanity disrupts a person’s ability to determine right and wrong.