Ebony Clock In The Masque Of The Red Death

A prince revels in wealth, listens to an orchestra of music, gorges on food, and barks at servants; what else could he possibly need? Outside of his lavish quarters, the red death devastates the country. Everywhere, people were bleeding profusely through their pores, along with this, the people were plagued by fevers and seizures. Puss and blood was always in the line of one's sight. No one was safe except for Prince Prospero, cowering in his castle, refusing to help his dying kingdom. The Masque of the Red Death is an expertly written short story written by none other than Edgar Allan Poe. In a time of hardship, Prince Prospero shuts out the rest of the world, while remaining safe in his castle. He enjoys food and merriment while villages

As mentioned previously, the ebony clock represents the passage of time into death. Whereas the Red Death is represented as a tangible character who enters the masquerade. The personified Red Death most likely represents death himself along with symbolizing the disease and justice. Poe describes the figure as corpse-like, and that, “His vesture was dabbled in blood — and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror.” Although Prince Prospero Attempts to ward him off and yells at him, attempting to fend him off, his guards collapse. He runs after the intruder, a knife in his hand as he runs through the seven rooms to achieve his goal of beating death. The 7 rooms of different colors are described as odd, yet full of treasures in the text. They symbolize the 7 stages of life, and people socialize in the first six rooms but they all avoid the last room. At the end of the 7 stages of life, the last room is fully black except for blood colored window panes casting everything in a dark light. This room represents death, so as the prince follows the “mummer” into the last room, the Red Death steps forth from the ebony clock and Price Prospero gets the end he deserves. Overall the symbolism of the red death and the stages of life relate to the theme of you cannot escape death no matter how you attempt to prevent