Edgar Allen Poe uses archetypal fears because it creates an environment that the reader can connect to. By exaggerating these fears, he shows the dark side of human nature (Cote). In “The Raven”, he uses the fear of the future while in “Hop Frog” he uses the fear of death and the fear of madness (Cote). The other archetypal fears he used on a regular basis were; fear of engulfment by nothingness and fear of entombment (Cote). In “The Raven”, Poe writes of a man mourning for a lost soul in the night. He writes “[Wretch,] I cried, [thy God hath lent thee- by these angels he hath sent thee Respite –respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore; Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!]
Quoth the…show more content… For Hop-Frog from “Hop Frog”, a single misstep would lead to his and his friend, Trippetta’s deaths. Within the story, Poe writes, “The dwarf hesitated. The king grew purple with rage. The courtiers smirked. Trippetta, pale as a corpse, advanced to the monarch's seat, and, falling on her knees before him, implored him to spare her friend (Hop Frog by Edgar Allan Poe).” The reaction shown by the king to Hop Frog’s hesitation shows that if he did something the king did not like or did not do something promptly enough he would end them. Trippetta’s reaction shows the fear that her friend will be killed and she will once again have to face the loss of someone close to her. Later in the story, Poe…show more content… With the characters constantly having to serve the king, they are always dealing with the fear of him killing them (Hop Frog by Edgar Allan Poe).
Another archetypal fear from “Hop Frog” was the fear of madness. Poe alludes to this fear by writing “He knew that Hop-Frog was not fond of wine, for it excited the poor cripple almost to madness; and madness is no comfortable feeling (Hop Frog by Edgar Allan Poe).” As the king knew that Hop Frog had issues with drinking wine, he uses that to make his fear a joke. Hop Frog’s fear of the madness that comes with drinking is something that can be connected to a lot, especially in modern times. According to science, drinking alcohol can cause you to lose any inhibitions you might have had (Alchol and Mental Health). The use of archetypal fears in Poe’s stories draws readers in and gives a better understanding of any story or poem. Archetypal fears are fears that everyone has (Cote). They allow the reader to connect with the characters and their situations. In “The Raven” the fear of the future is shown in one form however, there are many other reasons to fear the future that people can connect with. The fears of death and madness in “Hop Frog” set the scene for a normal character that goes through the same hardships as everyone else. These fears make the stories seem real and make them even
