The Raven

Stanzas 1-4

Stanza 1

it is a dreary midnight evening.  The narrator is falling asleep as he is reading.  Suddenly someone knocks on his chamber door. He is startled awake an says that it is just someone knocking on his door

Stanza 2

The narrator gives us more information about the setting.  It happened in December.  The embers from the fire in the fireplace.  

He is looking for relief(surcease) from his sorrow of his lost love, Lenore.  

Stanza 3

The rustling of the purple curtains frighten the narrator so much that he keeps repeating to himself that it is just a visitor at his door.

Stanza 4

Finally the narrator gets the courage to answer the door.  He begs the person to forgive him for not hearing their knocking at first because he was sleep.

However, when he opened his door, no one was there.