Which of the following best explains the relationship between the speaker and Lenore? A. Lenore was the speaker's girlfriend who broke up with him. B. Lenore was the speaker's lover but she has recently died. C. Lenore is the speaker's friend whom the speaker is currently in love with. D. Lenore and the speaker are enemies; the speaker believes she has cursed him.

B. Lenore was the speaker's lover but she has recently died.

Explanation:

In the narrative poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe, the speaker / narrator of the poem is in heartbreaking and lonely mood, who was still in the mourning phase of his life. He was in "sorrow for the lost Lenore" who had died recently, leaving him devastated and unable to move on.

The visit by the raven at night makes him more distraught, continuously thinking of his Lenore and if by any chance, there is "a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore". He could not stop thinking about his lost love. Thus, the character of Lenore is the speaker's lover who had died recently.