Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry represented women in a unique and special way compared to the ideas of the 19th century and Romanticism. In some places, he went strongly against Romantic tradition yet he also incorporated many Romantic elements into his works. In my thesis I provide a brief survey of how the lives of women in the U.S., especially in the South, change during the 19th century and explore how the new image is depicted in Poe’s poetry. I provide a survey about the changing role of women during Poe’s lifetime in the first half of the 19th century and consider their representation in Romantic poetry. In addition, I illustrate the major influences on Poe’s writing such as Romanticism and the women in his life. Many important women in his life died prematurely, which probably caused his fascination with death and the macabre. Finally, I provide a detailed description of some of Poe’s selected poems.