Class 11 English Lesson 2: The Oval Portrait: Edgar Allan Poe

Lesson 2: Story: The Oval Portrait: Edgar Allan Poe

About the Story Writer

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American writer, poet, literary critic, and editor. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories.

Characters in the Story

•      The narrator - The protagonist and narrator of the story.

•      The artist - The painter of the oval portrait

•      The young woman - The newlywed bride of the artist and subject of the oval portrait. 

•      Pedro - The narrator's valet.

Theme of the Story

This is the story of an artist who wants to make a painting of his young wife, but becomes so obsessed with it that he doesn’t realize his wife is dying meanwhile. This is a short horror story about the relationship between art and life, through the narrator’s encounter with the oval portrait of a young woman in a chateau(castle) in the Apennines (mountain range).

Reflection of the Story

The Oval Portrait is a gothic horror story written by Edgar Allan Poe, a famous American writer. The story shows the relationship between life and art. It gives the message that art can be good when used positively, but it can also harm or destroy if used wrongly. The story was first published in 1842 with the title Life in Death. Later, in 1845, it was published again in a shorter form with the new title The Oval Portrait. The setting of the story is an old, abandoned château (castle) in the mountains of central Italy. The atmosphere is dark and creepy, which is typical of gothic stories.

The narrator of the story is unnamed. He tells the readers about a strange experience he once had. One evening, he and his servant Pedro reached a lonely château. The narrator was badly wounded and the weather was very cold. Because no one answered the door, Pedro took him inside without permission. He found a small room and made the narrator rest there. Pedro closed the shutters, pulled the bed curtains, and lit a candelabrum (a candle holder). Pedro is shown as a loyal and caring servant. The room was strange, full of old furniture, tapestries, and paintings. The narrator couldn’t sleep. He noticed a book on his pillow that explained the paintings in the room. He began reading it. After some time, the light from the candelabrum made it hard to read, so he moved it. Then he saw a painting he hadn’t noticed before. It was an oval portrait of a young girl just entering womanhood.

The painting looked so real that the narrator was shocked. He thought it was a living person at first. He was surprised by the beauty and skill of the artwork. He quickly looked in the book to find the story behind the painting. This is where the second story begins—a story within a story. The book said that the girl in the painting was the wife of a painter. The painter loved his art very much—perhaps more than he loved his wife. After they got married, he wanted to paint her portrait. She agreed because she loved him and wanted to make him happy.

She sat for many days while he painted. The painter became deeply focused on his art and did not notice that his wife was getting weak. The light falling on her face and the long hours of posing made her sick, but she didn’t complain. She didn’t want to upset her husband. The painter locked himself and his wife in a tower room to finish the painting. He kept painting even as her health got worse. He wanted to capture every detail—even the changing color of her skin. Finally, when he finished the portrait, he shouted, “This is Life itself!” But when he turned to look at his wife, he found she was dead.

This story shows how an obsession with art can become dangerous. The painter's deep love for his art led him to ignore his wife's suffering, which finally caused her death.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vqjT85Bi5s 

Understanding the text

Answer these questions. (Answers only)

a.      The narrator and his servant made a forcible entrance into a desolate Chateau that was located in the Apennines of central Italy.  He was also wounded so his servant took him inside the \chateau forcibly without permission from others.

b.     The narrator noticed an oval-shaped canvas of a young girl in the room when the rays of the candles fell on it. The picture of the young girl was so attractive for the writer that made him awake up to midnight. He was reading the history of the picture stated in the book.

c.      The portrait that the narrator saw in the room was very attractive and lifelike. He saw it when the rays of the candles fell on it. The portrait was oval-shaped it was a picture of a beautiful girl. Its frame was nicely decorated. The young girl seemed just ripening into womanhood. 

d.     The relationship between the portrait painter and its subject is husband and wife. The husband of the subject is a passionate painter who painted his wife’s portrait spending many weeks. 

***

Click for Next Lesson:  https://limbuchandrabahadur.blogspot.com/2025/08/class-11-english-lesson-2-reference-to.html