Edgar Allan Poe: The Conqueror Worm (read by Vincent Price)
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- čas přidán 23. 03. 2015
- "The Conqueror Worm" was first published as a stand-alone poem in the January 1843 issue of Graham's Magazine. Shortly after, it was included among several other poems by Poe in the February 25 issue of the Saturday Museum in a feature called "The Poets & Poetry of Philadelphia: Edgar Allan Poe". It was later included in Poe's poetry collection The Raven and Other Poems in 1845. That same year, it was incorporated into "Ligeia" for the first time when the story was reprinted in the February 15, 1845, issue of the New York World. "Ligeia" was again republished with "The Conqueror Worm" in the September 27, 1845, issue of The Broadway Journal while Poe was its editor. This was not unusual for Poe, who had also incorporated poems "The Coliseum" and "To One in Paradise" into tales.
Poe's mother and father were both actors, and the poem uses theater metaphors throughout to deal with human life on a universal level.
The poem seems to imply that human life is mad folly ending in hideous death, the universe is controlled by dark forces man cannot understand, and the only supernatural forces that might help are powerless spectators who can only affirm the tragedy of the scene.
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(Musical Attribution):
"Final Count" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Artist: incompetech.com/
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Poe is a titan of American literature
That's true.
This is exactly like I expected it to be. Absolutely great.
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. I'm glad it met your expectations.
My favorite Poe poem.
A Poe-m if you will
Me too 🖤
Vincent Price. Will always be the best at horror narration and acting. RIP sir.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I love his work as well.
We visited the Poe house yesterday in Philadelphia and someone mentioned this poem. I hadn't heard it yet and then found this post! Loved it. Thanks for posting!
l invite you to check out my Poe Poetry Playlist:
czcams.com/play/PLZ9jOVTsyVYGpsvNK10HY4sECVQhw1Y9i.html
Welcome to my poetry playlist. Not disappointed 11/5 stars.
Thank you.
This is my favorite Poe poem read my by favorite actor.
Besides the Raven which is well known, this was his best poem in my opinion.
I was actually introduced to this poem through the Hellboy comic ark of the same name, set to Mignolia's writing and the epic artistry it sets the scene perfectly. :)
Me too, and solidified my love for Poe. This poem is absolutely cosmic horror.
Vincent Price. One of the masters of horror and I love especially the campiness horror such as Dr. Phibes.The tone and inflection of his voice is like no other.Ypu are surely and sorely missed.
Helped me get the mood right for my forensics piece. Thank you!
appropriately enough
so atmospheric and nostalgic - wonderful!
Thanks.
That music gets in the way
Brilliantly read!
Vincent Price was the man!
This is really good! I'm glad I found this
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment.
E.A. Poe never sounded better than the day Vincent Price spoke his words. This is how it should always be spoken, with sophisciation, woe and drama. No one in the past or future can perform Poe the way Vincent Price did.
... and with a certain aristocratic touch, as well. I enjoy Basil Rathbone's readings as well.
It's perfect
thank you
I always like Vincent Price.
Horror just isn't the same without him
@@christophermacintyre5890 His horror wasn't bleak, yet, entertaining.
With the possible exceptions of The Witchfinder General and The Oblong Box his horror films were "old school"
Beautiful
Thanks. Beautiful, in a creepy kinda way.
What the title of the background music? I love it and would love to hear it on its own
It's by Chopin I've just read but is it a specific composition?
This is the same video without the voice:
czcams.com/video/-pa62EEsR6E/video.html
The title is "Final Count" by Kevin MacLeod, based on Chopin
What happened??? Just curious 9999999999999999969999999999999999999999999999
Isn't the background music layered with the Funeral March from Mahler's first symphony?
No, this is based on the Funeral March from Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2.
Love how he referred to the players as worms. Shakespeare referred to them as shadows. Guess it depends on how you take in the whole experience.
The players are not worms they are us humans. Angels are watching humans play out futile life until death.. where the final conqueror is the worms who eat us.
The worm is death and decay. It eats us all in the end.
@@nadimahbogart2705you said it before I got the chance! 😂
His voice embodies a tightness in the throat.
Price was a great reader.. He had a unique delivery.
Damn that's good.
thanks
could you send me the illustrations shown in this video?
+Thesilent highwayman
Sure, I suppose so. Luckily I still have all of the files saved.
+Christopher MacIntyre Could I get copies of the illustrations as well? They're great!
Sure, send me a private message with your email address.
It wont let me! Leslieosd@gmail.com
I forwarded the zip file to you. I've got your email on file if there are any problems. You should probably delete your message with the email address now so no one bothers you with spam.
[Verse 1]
Come listen to the tale we tell tonight
The princess with the goddess blood and her knight
For all through history
They always seemed to be
The ones who'd stand and fight for the light
Their wisdom and their courage seemed so divine
They lacked the will to see how bright power shines
We watched the kingdom fall
The water drowned them all
And pulled the kingdom into the brine
[Chorus]
(The world will never change, it will only turn)
Now say goodbye to the light
Goodbye to the hero of our time
(The tragedy of man, the conqueror worm)
I come from the land of fire and sand
I've taken pow'r into my hands
[Bridge 1]
Knight of the wind, I proclaim your final hour
All that I see is a world to devour
I'm protector of the sea
I deny your mastery
And you never will see your true pow'r
Molgera gang where you at?
I was looking for the audio from the end of Witchfinder General. Much better than this
When was this recorded?
The voice recording was from 1974. The music from the 2000s.
@@christophermacintyre5890thank you
Is there a version without the music?
This poem is part of Poe's story "Ligeia", read by Vincent Price, from which this video was derived". Click on this link:
czcams.com/video/kN4yk4yN8qA/video.html=9:11
Many thanks. :)
the first dandies brain
to my mouth sipped auburn rain
luis santos the same
I think he's got a cold
I dislike the depictions of snakes, as it implies "The Conqueror Word" is not a literal worm.
I didn't even consider it might be a snake, but the image of a snake is so much less interesting than that of a worm. Since worms eat you after you die, the worms conquer humanity despite being the weakest creatures. It's scary because we can't stop time from passing. Snakes are just scary because they are snakes. It takes away some of the legit horror in this poem and replaces it with spook. Same with the skeletons I guess, although I'll excuse them since skeletons look epic.
Still a great performance though.
Sopor Aeternus
Parts of this music sound very similar to the show Lexx. (That’s not a bad thing)
I've seen that. What a strange show! LOL.
@@christophermacintyre5890 that it is
You peeps really dont get it
Z Says 69????? WTF ???? Scared Ye TTT ZZZ £®^€ ME
Who else is here from the Portal video?
I don't know what that means, but if it's bringing people to my channel I'm all for it.
I am! Portal created a amazing video and song in dedication to this work. If you haven’t seen it you really should! Portal- curtain
Yep!
Here's an idea..... This evening, turn off your televisions, switch off your mobile phones, prepare your favourite beverage, relax in a comfortable chair with the lights down low, then press play on any of the vast recordings of Vincent Price reading Edgar Alan Poe, & your soul will thank you & be enriched :)
Price is great, but the music is terrible & distracting
I don't actually love this reading. Vincent Price has a pleasant voice, but his cadence is a little foppish for horror, and the linear mounting tension feels melodramatic to me. I think the narrator of a poem like this should sound as horrified of what they're describing as they want me to be of it.
Then again, Poe was an avatar of spooky melodrama, so all of that is just personal preference, not anything that Price is doing wrong.
Well, to be fair... Poe himself was a bit foppish and melodramatic.
@@christophermacintyre5890 Ha, yeah, you definitely have a point there
What is the reading from? John Carradine’s reading from the old Lemon Records Poe With Pipes is fantastic.