# The Assignation explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Edgar Allan Poe.

## What happens

The narrator recounts his encounters with a mysterious and brilliant man in Venice, who lives a life of magnificent meditation and dreams. After a night of revelry and deep conversation about art, beauty, and mortality, the man drinks from a poisoned goblet and dies, just as news arrives that the Marchesa Aphrodite has also been poisoned.

## Themes in this chapter

### Beauty and the Sublime

The Marchesa's superhuman beauty and the narrator's awe at the art and architecture highlight the theme of beauty intertwined with melancholy.

### Death and Mortality

The mysterious man's death by poison and the Marchesa's poisoning underscore the suddenness and inevitability of death.

### Art and the Artist

The man's collection of paintings and his discussion of sculpture and artistry reflect the theme of the artist's vision and the pursuit of beauty.

### Madness and Psychological Decay

The man's eccentric behavior, his obsession with dreams, and his rapid descent into death suggest a psychological unraveling.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator meets the mysterious man in Venice, observes his art and demeanor, and witnesses his death by poison.

### The Marchesa Aphrodite

The beautiful Marchesa is the adoration of Venice, wife of Mentoni, and mother of a child who falls into the canal. She is later reported poisoned.

### Mentoni

The old and intriguing husband of the Marchesa Aphrodite, whose page brings news of her poisoning.

## Key lines

> To dream has been the business of my life. I have therefore framed for myself, as you see, a bower of dreams.

My life's work has been dreaming, so I have created this dreamlike sanctuary.

_The mysterious man explains his life philosophy and the purpose of his lavish apartment._

> Stay for me there! I will not fail To meet thee in that hollow vale.

Wait for me in that valley of death; I will surely join you.

_The man quotes the Bishop of Chichester's poem, foreshadowing his own death._

> My mistress!—my mistress!—Poisoned!—poisoned! Oh, beautiful—oh, beautiful Aphrodite!

My lady has been poisoned! The beautiful Aphrodite is dead!

_The page announces the Marchesa's poisoning, leading to the revelation of the man's own death._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_14_se/chapters/the-assignation
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_14_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_14_se/chapters