Quotes from ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’
In The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling tale of madness and murder, the narrator’s obsessive recounting of the events leading up to the brutal killing of an old man is hauntingly unforgettable. As the narrator reveals his increasingly erratic thoughts and actions, we are drawn deep into his disturbed mind, feeling the intensity of his paranoia and guilt. Each line of dialogue is laced with tension and dread, reflecting the narrator’s descent into madness as he grapples with the consequences of his horrific actions. Poe’s mastery of suspense is on full display in this classic work, leaving readers on the edge of their seats with its eerie and unsettling quotes.
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Quotes from ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’
In Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling and suspenseful short story, The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator’s descent into madness is vividly captured through his twisted and obsessive thoughts. As he meticulously plans and executes the murder of the old man with the vulture eye, the narrator’s erratic emotions and hallucinations are palpable. His haunting statements such as It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night reveal the depth of his madness and paranoia, ultimately leading to his horrifying confession of the crime. Poe’s masterful use of language and psychological insight creates a haunting and unsettling atmosphere that lingers long after the story is finished.
2. It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night.
3. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.
4. What you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the senses.
5. And now have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the senses?
6. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily –how calmly I can tell you the whole story.
7. Villains! Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! –tear up the planks! –here, here! –It is the beating of his hideous heart!
8. It grew louder –louder –louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled.
9. I felt that I must scream or die! –and now –again! –hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!
10. No doubt I grew very pale; –but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice.
11. The disease had sharpened my senses –not destroyed –not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute.
12. I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.
13. I took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings.
14. For it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye.
15. In their green eyes –I shrank from their shining all-seeing orbs.
16. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe is a classic example of horror fiction.
17. The madness of the protagonist in The Tell-Tale Heart is both chilling and compelling.
18. Poe’s masterful storytelling in The Tell-Tale Heart leaves readers on the edge of their seats.
The Hauntingly Disturbing Quotes from ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe is a chilling and eerie tale that delves into the depths of human madness and obsession. The hauntingly disturbing quotes from this classic short story send shivers down the spine as they reveal the inner turmoil and descent into madness of the unnamed protagonist. The narrator’s vivid descriptions of the old man’s eye, the relentless heartbeat, and the escalating paranoia create a sense of unease and dread that linger long after the story has ended. Poe’s masterful use of language and intense imagery make The Tell-Tale Heart a truly unforgettable and unsettling read.
2. His eye was like that of a vulture – a pale blue eye that chilled my soul.
3. Madness, madness, that is what they called it. But can they hear the heartbeat too?
4. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. And now, why did I hate him?
5. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there for many minutes.
6. It grew louder, louder, every moment! Do you hear, I tell you, do you not hear it beating?
7. Stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.
8. Death. Anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision!
9. I am not mad. I am not mad! The heartbeat proves my sanity.
10. I must get rid of the eye. The eye that watches, that haunts me day and night.
11. I felt the presence of that eye upon me. It drove me to madness, to murder.
12. Heavenly God! What had I done? The old man’s groan still haunted me.
13. It was the eye! The eye that drove me to madness, to kill.
14. In the dead hours of the night, I lay awake, listening to the sound of his heart.
15. The old man, stone dead. His eye would never trouble me again.
16. Is it the eye? Is it the eye that haunts me now, even in death?
17. The heartbeat, the dreadful heartbeat. It echoes in my ears, in my soul.
18. The tell-tale heart, beating louder and louder. It will drive me to my grave.
Quotes from ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’
Quotes from The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe are chilling and hauntingly vivid, showcasing the narrator’s descent into madness as he obsesses over his perceived enemy’s eye. In one quote, the narrator describes the old man’s eye as pale blue with a film over it, a hideous vulture eye. This stark imagery lingers in the reader’s mind, reflecting the narrator’s inner torment and growing paranoia. Each quote in the story builds tension and unease, culminating in a chilling climax that leaves a lasting impact on the reader.
2. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.
3. It is the beating of his hideous heart!
4. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?
5. Villains! Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — Tear up the planks! Here, here! — it is the beating of his hideous heart!
6. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded.
7. How then am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily — how calmly I tell you the whole story.
8. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this? And then, when my head ached, and I wearied myself, and lay down to sleep, it was this treacherous sound that the death watches in the wall.
9. I did then what I should have done before! — a deed to terrify the devil!
10. I felt that I must scream or die! and now — again — hark! louder! louder! louder! LOUDER!
11. It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night.
12. Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing.
13. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.
14. I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die!
15. Even now, I heard many things in hell.
16. Was it but the beating of this hideous heart? I told you that winning this would be our revenge. I have them the wound they should have bestowed upon searching to expose myself.
17. I felt that I must scream or die! — and now — again — hark! louder! louder! louder!
18. I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men. They are making a mockery, I thought, of my horror. This I thought, and this I think.
Quotes from A Tell Tale Heart
Quotes from A Tell Tale Heart features some of Edgar Allan Poe’s most chilling and haunting lines, bringing to life the tormented mind of a murderer in its vivid detail and dark psychology. Through the protagonist’s manic and obsessive narration, the reader is caught in the grip of fear and madness, with quotes like It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain, and I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell, conveying the creeping sense of dread and paranoia that drives the story to its chilling climax. Poe’s masterful use of language and imagery creates a sense of unease and tension that lingers long after the tale has been told.
2. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.
3. It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain.
4. I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.
5. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart.
6. I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
7. Villains! dissemble no more! I admit the deed! –tear up the planks! –here, here! –It is the beating of his hideous heart!
8. I admit the deed! –tear up the planks! –here, here! –It is the beating of his hideous heart!
9. For the love of God, think, and let us be logical.
10. The disease had sharpened my senses, not destroyed, not dulled them.
11. There was nothing to wash out—no stain of any kind—no blood-spot whatever.
12. I felt that I must scream or die! – and now -again! – hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!
13. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded.
14. I grew impatient. I determined to satisfy myself that no illusion had deceived me.
15. There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police.
16. I admit the deed! Tear up the planks- here, here- It is the beating of his hideous heart!
17. Now this is the point…you fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing but you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded.
18. Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! Tear up the planks! Here, here! It is the beating of his hideous heart!
The quotes from The Tell-Tale Heart illustrate the increasing paranoia and guilt of the narrator, ultimately leading to his descent into madness and confessing to the murder he committed.
Quotes -