"That the play is the tragedy, "Man,
And its hero the Conqueror Worm."
The Conqueror Worm is the titular main character in Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Conqueror Worm", the character is an embodiment of Death and arrives to destroy humanity, all seen through the eyes of a Heavenly Host who watch events unfold upon a stage.
History[]
In Heaven the angels gather to watch a play involving many mimes who run in circles chasing a phantom they can never catch, as the angels weep the mimes continue their mad and futile quest until a giant worm arrives and devours all the mimes, it is then revealed that the mimes represented humanity and the giant worm was Death in the form of the Conqueror Worm, who despite its monstrous appearance was seen as the sole "hero" of the play, which was the "tragedy of man".
Popular Culture[]
The Conqueror Worm makes an appearance in Hellboy comics, which itself was based loosely upon the poem.