I have been asked to constuct an original drama based on the tell tale heart. I of course have my own interpertations of the story but another persons view would be benificial. Doyou have any ideas that would be incorperated well in a drama, or an interesting interpretion of the story and its themes and focuses. For examples, the policemen at the end, if he/she is in the state he says he is why don't the policemen notice, are they really there?

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2003

Answers

Very astute. The policemen, if they DO notice, our supersmart self-destructing hero will not credit. They are fools for not being able to be part of his Imp of the Perverse drama. They are excluded from his unioverse. At the same time in contradiction to his scorn is his anger at their obtuseness. The guy is split in everything and imploding.

maybe asides where the actor expounds in his pirvate universe then returns to the real world. That playoff is more visible on stage.

This might be off the point but "The Turn of the Screw" is a masterful contradiction on paper. In the movie of a different title the subtleties are lost or edited into choices, excellent in their own right, but WE see the ghosts. Poe, thankfully does not hamper us with visions that might confuse the audience.

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2003

I personally have always believed that the police were present in the old man's room. I think that Poe was alluding to the fact that the police would never have found out what had happened had it not been pointed out to them. Also, I think Poe showed the most commonly occuring trait of a murderer- what good is doing what you're doing if no one knows about it?

-- Anonymous, March 10, 2004