Comparisons between Edgar Allen Poe's two Gothic tales, "Ligeia" and "The Fall of the House of Usher," reveal a volume of similarities and some notable differences. From the characters, to the language, to the settings, to the literary approach and even the plot devices, “Ligeia” and “Usher” have many surprising connections that point to a common author. With the exception of themes and plots, the differences between stories can be quite subtle. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In "The Fall of House Usher" the narrator visits an old friend who may have gone mad. Roderick Usher and the narrator bury Usher's sister prematurely. Ultimately, when this misdeed is revealed, both brothers die. The narrator escapes in time to see the house collapse and slide into the lake. In “Ligeia,” a man marries a mysterious woman who inspires him. On his deathbed he confesses that death will not hinder his deep devotion to her. He is shocked by her death, but marries another woman even though there is a lack of affection between them. After some mysterious events, the second wife falls ill and dies. After a night of waking and reeling, the narrator finally reveals that the now reanimated corpse that lies before him has the characteristics of, and indeed is, his first wife, the late Lady Ligeia. Both stories are told in the first person and are told as a past event. "Usher" is told by Roderick's visiting friend. “Ligeia” is also told in the first person from the point of view of Ligeia and Rowena's husband. Each story has three characters. “Usher” has Roderick, Lady Madeline, and the narrator. “Ligeia” has Ligeia, Rowena and her husband narrating the story. Poe's descriptions of some characters are very similar. Roderick Usher is described as having "large, liquid, and bright" eyes (Poe 2500) with "a nose of a delicate Hebrew pattern" (2500). Ligeia's eyes are “large and bright” (2489), her nose is like the “gracious medallions of the Jews” (2488). Both are made to appear to be of some other “race”. (2501)(2488). Poe uses his superb understanding of the nuance and connotative power of words to set the tone. Many of the same words (or forms of them) occur in both stories: decay, desolation, emaciated, melancholy, sorrow, perverse, ancient, horrible, corpse, and ghost. Two phrases that occur in both stories but are not necessarily Gothic-inspired are stringed instruments and lead-colored instruments. In “Usher,” leaden describes the “steam” (2499) of the lake. In “Ligeia” he describes the window of the bridal chamber. Roderick Usher favors “stringed instruments” and Ligeia's eyes inspire feelings similar to those of “stringed instruments” (2489). The settings also have notable similarities. The setting of the House of Usher is bleak due to the “extraordinary decay” (2499) and “extensive decay” (2499) of the building. Usher can be found in a room with “gloomy tapestries” (2499) and a “vaulted and pierced ceiling” (2500). Ligeia's narrator meets her in a "decaying old town near the Rhine" (2487) but after her death he moves to a "gloomy and sad" abbey (2492) in the "wildest and least frequented portions of... . England" (2492). The bridal chamber is described as having a "high, vaulted, richly pierced ceiling" (2493) with a "heavy and massive looking tapestry" (2493). Edgar Allen Poe uses extensive foreshadowing in “The Fall of the House of Usher””: the title, the melancholy presented by the house, the ghostly, “reshaped and inverted images” (2498) of the “black and filthy lake” (2498), the “barely perceptible crack” (2499), the “feebleblush" (2506) on the body of the deceased Lady Madeline. This foreshadowing is realized at the end when Lady Madeleine proves not to be dead (yet) and the "crack widens rapidly... and the deep, wet pool" (2510) swallows the House of Usher. The prefiguration arrives in “Ligeia”. from the last words murmured by Ligeia herself: "Man does not abandon himself to angels, nor to total death, except through the weakness of his weak will" (2492) ( 2489) (2487). phrase, presumably by Joseph Glanville, which is repeated three times in the story. Ligeia apparently overcomes the weak will to return to her beloved. Both stories contain Poe's poetry, in comparable forms, presented as one creation of one of the characters. “The Haunted Palace” (2504) is Roderick Usher's poetic tale of a monarch and his ruined castle; octets with rhyme schemes ababcdcd. “The conquering worm” (2491) are the “verses composed by herself not many days before” (2491) through which the death of man is a sad representation for the angels. "The Conqueror Worm" consists of five octets (taking into account that the third and fourth octets are combined) also with an ababcdcd rhyme scheme. Beyond the similarities in physical descriptions, "eyes" and "sight" play a significant role in both stories. In “Usher,” the eyes become the windows to the soul. The eyes trace the progress of Roderick Usher's mental deterioration. After Lady Madeline's burial, “the brightness of her eyes had died away” (2506). On the last bizarre night at the House of Usher "there was... a mad mirth in his eyes" (2507). As the sounds of the revived Madeline come closer and closer, she reacts with “a wide, stiff opening of her eyes” (2509). Even the House itself has its “empty eye-shaped windows” through which the world can see the House of Usher. This vision of the House is reflected in Roderick's poem “The Haunted Palace”. Once upon a time, the world could “through two bright windows” (2504) see “the spirits that move musically” (2504). Now, “through red-lit windows” they see “shapes moving… to a discordant melody” (2504-2505). Additionally, there is a sense of blindness or inability to see in “Usher.” The crack of the house requires “the eye of the scrutinizing observer… The eye… labors” (2500) to see the corners of Usher's room. Roderick's eyes are “tortured by… feeble light” (2501). The narrator is also overcome with “astonishment” when he looks at Madeline. The eyes play a different role in “Ligeia”. Her husband sees divinity or mysticism in her eyes. He sees in his eyes revelations of the mysteries of life and science. When he becomes ill, his “eyes shine less and less” or “blaze with too much, too glorious brilliance.” When she is gone, he cannot understand any of her academic pursuits without the "shining of her eyes" (2490). With the loss of Ligeia's guidance the narrator feels that his "vision has become blurred" but consoles himself with "visions of Ligeia." Ultimately, it is "the full... black... wild eyes of... Ligeia" that the narrator uses to fully identify Lady Rowena's reanimated corpse. Questionable sanity is part of every story. Roderick Usher has “excessive nervous agitation” (2500). His sister, Lady Madeline, suffers from “constant apathy” (2502). Lady Rowena is driven mad by a room that, according to the narrator, was capable of doing just that. Ligeia's narrator seems mentally unstable, brought on by the loss of his beloved Ligeia, perhaps by his use of opium, or perhaps by the gloomy setting. The madness serves to make the characters' intuitions dubious..