The speaker of the poem does not reveal any specifics regarding the death of his former beloved, Lenore. He says only that she is “lost” to him, and the acuteness of his grief indicates that her death occurred relatively recently, though this cannot be ascertained. He describes Lenore as a “rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore.” It is thus suggested that she was a young and innocent woman, and the speaker describes his attempts to forget about his incredible sorrow over her death.

It is December, the speaker says, and quite late at night. In order to distract himself from his grief, the speaker pores over an old book by his “dying” fire. This is one of many instances in which Poe's diction hints at or alludes to death, and indeed the word "dying" suggests that the speaker's plan to distract himself is not working. When he hears a tapping at his door, he opens it to find no one there. Hopeful, he speaks into the silence, calling Lenore's name in the hopes that her ghost or spirit has returned to him somehow. The silence only echoes back her name and “nothing more.” Indeed, by the end of the poem, the speaker feels that his hopes of seeing Lenore again are dashed.