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Foreshadowing In The Masque Of The Red Death

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Endeavour to Escape Death Humans have been fascinated by the human life cycle and how it inevitably ends in death. Fate is inevitable and there is no way to escape it, yet humans go to great lengths to try and avoid it. Fear of death underpins many peoples actions and drives them to do things they would not normally do. Edgar Allen Poe reinforces this idea through his literary work in “The Masque of the Red Death” as his protagonist reflects humanity’s fear of the inevitable. This can be examined through the use of foreshadowing, characterization and symbolism throughout “The Masque of the Red Death”. Poe’s use of foreshadowing, characterization, and symbolism develops the theme of inevitability of death to illustrate that regardless of …show more content…

Prince Prospero holds a masquerade in an abbey with seven rooms in an attempt to escape death. Naturally, his guests are equally afraid of the seventh room as they are of death itself. In an attempt to avoid the impending death that this room symbolises, the guests avoid this room as much as possible. When Prince Prospero and the partygoers enter this room, they die shortly after, as they have travelled through every room in the abbey, representing every stage of life, ultimately leading up to their inevitable fate. No matter how hard the guests try to avoid the seventh room, they eventually enter it, as that is their fate and all life must eventually end. Furthermore, the protagonist's impending doom is foreshadowed through the use of the title, “The Masque of the Red Death''. The title, a play on words, can be interpreted as death’s costume ball, foreshadowing that the Red Death will make an appearance at the masquerade. Phrases used throughout the story such as, “for the night is waning away” (Poe 2) reminds the Prince and the guests that the night is coming to an end, as is their inevitable death. Therefore, by warning the reader of the coming doom of the protagonist, Poe’s use of foreshadowing further’s the theme of the inevitability of death and that all life must eventually

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It states, “Without the Red Death” (Poe 430). This specifically puts an emphasis on fear of the disease. He created an illusion of perfection, including food, housing, and much more to comfort his people. Similarly, to the abbey in the short story, the dark room also symbolizes fear. The last room, in the hallway, was a littlw different from the rest, “the seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling

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The Masque of the Red Death has a lot of symbolism that has to do with the circle of life- such as the different colors of the seven rooms each meaning one stage of life. The stages of life obviously have relations to death, possibly even being centered around it. The thought is just so artistically

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Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Masque Of The Red Death

161 Words | 1 Pages

Poe builds suspense in "The Masque of the Red Death" by using foreshadowing to hint at the tragic end that awaits the characters. For example, the description of the Red Death as a "pestilence" that is "fatal" and "hideous" foreshadows the eventual death of the guests. In addition, the description of the last room is completely covered in black decorations with red-colored windows foreshadowing the tragic end that awaits the guests. The use of the color red and the imagery of blood thoughts the story also serves as foreshadowing for the tragic end. The ending of the story, in which the figure disguised as the Red Death causes the death of the guests, including the prince, is both shocking and inevitable.

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Same Technique, Different Purpose Descriptive scenery or imagery is used throughout literature for a variety of purposes. It can be used to paint a mental picture of the setting, to portray symbols, or even to relay themes. The authors Ambrose Bierce and Edgar Allan Poe exemplify the use of the same technique, descriptive scenery, to deliver different purposes. In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce and The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe both use imagery in order to characterize characters and foreshadow events.

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“Thanatopsis” death and how to approach and accept it is blatantly spoken about, “So live, that when thy summons comes to join the innumerable caravan, which moves to that of a mysterious realm, where each shall take his chamber in the silent halls of death, thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, like one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him, and lies down to pleasant dreams” (Lines 73-81). In “The Masque of the Red Death” is represented by a figure who goes around Prince Prospero's castle and slays everyone, “And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. ”(Poe 180).

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In the story, The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe, who is the author, is trying to create the tone of the story to emphasize the situation that is going to happen as you read the story. The way that Poe is able to create the tone and setting of the story is by developing the mood, creating an emotional pull with its readers, and providing descriptive cues within the story. By Poe being able to create a sense of emotion and descriptive illustrative writing he is able to portray the meaning of his story “The Masque of the Red Death”. It is a story that takes place at a time when a horrible disease called the Red Death is killing off people in mass numbers. The work of Edgar Allen Poe in relation to this short story is about the tragic

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