“The Conqueror Worm” is a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe. The poem can be found in his 1845 collection of poems entitled ” The Raven and Other Poems “. The poem expresses the idea that everyone dies, regardless of how they lived their life, but there are some factors to consider when thinking about death. The most important of these factors is the distinction between those who sought and won pleasure, and sought and found pain.
The poem suggests that those who seek pain should be feared more than those who sought pleasure, because through their seeking of pain they may bring you to it too by sharing what knowledge they have about it with others. The Conqueror Worm, as I will call him, has probably lived a life of crime, which is what he has to say about this matter. The poem is presented as the opinion of The Conqueror Worm more than that of Poe himself. The poem itself contains little imagery or symbolism, but it does contain interesting details that are useful when trying to understand the meaning of the poem.
The poem can be found here: The Conqueror Worm The first apparent contradiction in the poem comes from its structure. The first stanza starts with an imperative sentence directed towards The Conqueror Worm but ends stating that The Conqueror Worm’s deeds have been written “in a book” and his crimes and misdeeds will not go unrecorded forever. Another striking occurs in the second stanza, which starts by negating The Conqueror Worm’s claims of having done so much evil, puts them in question and ends with The Conqueror Worm’s “protestations” the he has only the best intentions for those who cross his path.
The structure of the poem can be analyzed further to help understand its meaning. The poem is written in an AABBCC rhymed quatrain verse form . The first line functions as a refrain , appearing three times throughout the poem, causing it to start off strong and end strong too . The third line of each quatrain provides parallelism that adds emphasis to certain words used throughout the poem, giving more clarity to what The Conqueror Worm is trying to say.
The use of parallelism also adds an element of suspense, because The Conqueror Worm’s final words in the poem are “I am in league with thee,” which leaves readers wondering just how The Conqueror Worm made his deal. The structure of the poem is not only pleasant to read but it also helps readers understand The Conqueror Worm’s message. The poem begins by stating that The Conqueror Worm has done so much evil in his life before saying that he has escaped punishment for all he’s done up until now.
The repetition of “so much” suggests that there’s more than what The Conqueror Worm has told us about himself . The second stanza negates much of The Conqueror Worm’s claims . The line “But was not thou / The Conqueror” questions whether The Conqueror Worm was truly the one in control. The idea that The Conqueror Worm has escaped punishment brings about the image of The Conqueror Worm looking back on his life and realizing that even though he thinks himself powerful, at any moment death could come for him just like it did everyone else.
The poem ends with The Conqueror Worm’s apparent agreement to join Death in his “league,” asking if they can make a deal . This leaves readers wondering what kind of deal The Conqueror Worm is making. Perhaps The Conqueror Worm knows something about death no one else does, or perhaps he thinks he can outsmart death . The poem ends with The Conqueror Worm telling us not to cross him because he is in league with Death. The last two lines of the poem are The Conqueror Worm’s way of threatening you; they warn you not to make The Conqueror Worm angry, because if he becomes angry it will mean your death.
The theme of the poem can be found at various points throughout, though some readers may miss some aspects of it . The poem begins by telling us that The Conqueror Worm has done heinous things but hasn’t had to pay for them yet , suggesting that there is some sort of reward awaiting The Conqueror Worm in the afterlife or that The Conqueror Worm doesn’t believe that The Conqueror Worm will have to answer for The Conqueror Worm’s crimes until The Conqueror Worm dies . The poem then negates The Conqueror Worm’s previous claims, even questioning The Conqueror Worm’s apparent power.
The poem ends with The Conqueror Worm apparently trying to make a deal with Death, perhaps telling Death that they should work together because there is strength in numbers or perhaps The Conqueror Worm thinks he can outsmart death by doing so . The theme of the poem seems to be that whatever The Conqueror Worm has done in life will eventually catch up with him and his punishment is inevitable. Poe uses the word “worm” to represent death throughout his works, usually placing an emphasis on The Conqueror Worm’s small size in contrast to The Conqueror Worm’s power ( The Conqueror Worm often represents the evil in The Conqueror Worm’s life ).
The use of The Conqueror Worm to represent death throughout Poe’s works is most evident when looking at The Conqueror Worm’s epitaph, which reads “Qui Nunc Scit Eris Nunquam Perit” – “Who Knows Now, Shall Never Perish. ” The word “perish” is another way of saying “die,” and it can also be translated into Latin as “morior. ” This suggests that The Conqueror Worm who knows now will never die . When The Conqueror Worm is used to represent death, The Conqueror Worm’s small size is a testament to The Conqueror Worm’s power because The Conqueror Worm could be anyone, and The Conqueror Worm could get you anywhere.
The Conqueror Worm is such a versatile symbol that The Conqueror Worm can mean death in many different ways. The poem was written during the Romantic period of time, which, though it ended roughly 30 years before Poe wrote this poem, still had an influence on how Poe wrote his works. The poem begins with The Conqueror Worm saying The Conqueror Worm has done so much evil and no one has caught The Conqueror Worm yet , but even if The conqueror’s worm does escape punishment for all The Conquerors worm did up until now, The Conqueror Worm will still be punished for The Conquerors worm’s evil deeds at some point.
The poem concludes with The Conqueror Worm seemingly asking Death to join forces and work together, perhaps implying that The Conqueror Worm thinks The Conqueror Worm is stronger than individual people, or perhaps The Conqueror Worm wants to keep someone on The Conquerors worm’s side as The Conqueror Worm can sense death coming for The Conqueror Worm.
This seems similar to the idea of the Arthurian legend where one must have a partner when entering into battle. The last two lines of the poem seem like a threat from The conqueror’s worm as if to say “Don’t cross me because I am in league with death,” perhaps The Conqueror Worm is telling The Conqueror Worm wants The Conqueror Worm deals with The conqueror’s worm when The Conquerors worm wants to, not The Conqueror Worm.
The poem can be easily related to in a modern context because The Conqueror Worm discusses the idea of punishment in life and afterlife, which is still very relevant in today’s society. A common belief nowadays is that “what goes around comes around,” meaning people will eventually get what they deserve – either it be good or bad depending on what you have done up until now – , but others disagree with this statement because there are some people who do horrible things but never get punished for them.
