Ligeia

Explore the role of opium in “Ligeia.” How does opium misuse contribute to the narrator’s descent into “madness,” and what broader commentary might Poe be making about substance abuse and its relationship to obsession?

Discuss the significance of the narrator’s unreliability in “Ligeia.” Does the narrator’s opium misuse solely contribute to his unreliability, or are there other reasons to doubt his tale? Explain with evidence from the text.

Explore the nature of obsession in the story. In what ways might obsession fulfill a need for the narrator? Why might readers be invested or enthralled by the narrator’s obsessiveness?