Nepenthe was an ancient Greek concept of a medicine for sorrow, it would be what today is classified as an anti-depressant. It is mentioned in Greek stories and mythologies. Scholars have thought it is either a preparation from Opium or Wormwood (similar to absinthe).
In the context of "The Raven," nepenthe refers to a mythical drug used to induce forgetfulness of sorrow or trouble. It represents an escape from the narrator's overwhelming grief and longing for his lost love Lenore.
Nepenthe is a kind of untroubled sleep, drug induced, which induces forgetfulness. It's unclear what was in the classical nepenthe, but it might have been opium or absinthe.
A very old "medicine for sorrow"- an anti-depressant drug.
a beverage
The first line of the second stanza of Poe's "The Raven" is "Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December."
Theories: 1) He's been drinking too much nepenthe. "Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe" 2) The speaker has been napping and is very tired. "But the fact is I was napping"
The narrator asks the raven for relief from his memories of Lenore through the allusion of God sending angels. The narrator implores the raven to forget Lenore's memory and find solace in forgetting, symbolized by "nepenthe," in an attempt to ease his own grief and longing for Lenore. The repetition of "quaff" emphasizes the narrator's desperate desire for the raven to find distraction or relief from its grief.
but the raven sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
Summary of the 6th Stanza of 'The Raven' by Edgar Allan Poe: As I turned and closed the door, I heard a louder knocking that seemed to come from the window. I went to investigate, but it must have been the wind and nothing more!
In the first stanza of "The Raven," the narrator is reading a book to distract himself from his grief over the loss of Lenore. He hears a tapping at his chamber door but, when he opens it, finds nothing there. The narrator is then filled with dread as he speculates what could be causing the noise.
In stanza 3 of "The Raven," the narrator's heart fills with terror as he hears a tapping at his chamber door, which he identifies as someone gently rapping. This unexpected sound startles him and adds to the sense of foreboding that permeates the poem.
One biblical allusion in "The Raven" is the mention of the nepenthe, which refers to a drug described in Homer's Odyssey that can help someone forget their sorrows. This allusion adds depth to the speaker's despair and longing for relief from his grief over Lenore.
Assonance, Consonance, Imagery, Metaphor, Meter, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and Stanza are all poetic devices (or elements) used in 'The Raven' by Edgar Allan Poe.
The poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe takes place in the month of December.
The month was December. The first line in the second stanza is:"Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, "
Apostrophe-Apex