How Does The Ebony Clock Symbolize In The Masque Of The Red Death

The house in “Masque of the Red Death” shows the horrific nature of life and shows the progression of life to death as one makes their way through the house. However, there are key components of the house that are described in detail which help to exemplify their significance and show how they correlate to the different stages of one’s life. Throughout the story, “Masque of the Red Death”, by Edgar Allan Poe, the vivid color imagery helps to symbolize the Gothic nature of the house and the horrors associated with the course of life. One of the most vividly described elements in the story is the ebony clock. Ebony is a type of dark and sleek wood, and the clock is always described as the “ebony clock” reiterating the idea that it is a dark

Throughout the story, the plague is referred to as “the Red Death” to point out the menacing and gruesome nature of it. The capitalization of the Red Death also aims to show that it is a powerful apparition, and mentioning red every time that the plague is referred to, is a tactic to swirl ones mine into a dark place. The color red is associated with blood, which sometimes ultimately leads to death, and it is also an alerting color which gives more power to the plague because people know that it is a horrific event that they have been warned about subconsciously creating a predetermined fear for the plague. This predetermined fear is also driven home by the ebony clock because people often see the black clock as a symbol that death is upon them. The last room of the house is completely black, with scarlet windows, and the look and the sound of the clock, surrounding the people that enter it with the idea that the plague, and ultimate death are closing in on them. The effects of “the Red Death” are clearly summed up by the death of Prince Prospero. When his body is discovered “his vesture was dabbled in blood and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror” (Poe 4). The imagery associated with his death makes the blood seem like it delicately consumed Prince Prospero, and the scarlet color of the blood, which is constantly mentioned throughout the story, helps to show a more menacing and vibrant color, which symbolizes the power and wrath of the Red Death. The color red is hinted at in many situations to help show the illusive, yet powerful nature of the Red