what type of poem is eldorado and what is it about?

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2003

Answers

Ballad type fiction. very simply it is about a questing knight seeking his "Eldorado" until age and doubt assail himself at a dark final point. The end is thrilling/chilling/enigmatic since it comes from the mouth of the mysterious Shadow(death, dead fellow pilgrim?). Based on the Gold Rush lure of 1849 that tempted Poe. However Poe realizes his own quest is one in the literary world and this poem mirrors his own life experiences from youth to age.

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2003