Similarities Between The Masque Of The Red Death And The Cask Of Amontillado

Comparing Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death", and "The Cask of Amontillado"

Edgar Allan Poe, an eminent American author is celebrated for his captivating stories of mystery, horror, and psychological exploration. In "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Cask of Amontillado," Poe explores the depths of human arrogance through their recognizable characters and engaging narrative from the consequences of uncontrolled pride, creating suspense and fear that captures readers. In the short stories “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Cask of Amontillado,” the arrogance of Prince Prospero and Fortunato prove through the use of verbal irony and symbolism that death is inevitable.

In "The Masque of the Red Death," Poe introduces Prince Prospero, an affluent nobleman who symbolizes the embodiment of arrogance. For example, Poe depicts the prince's abode, "he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys." (Poe, Mask 2). This emphasizes his disengaged lifestyle, secluded from the rest of the kingdom with select people because he believes that, by

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," the embodiment of Prince Prospero's egotism lies in his belief that he can escape the impending threat of the Red Death by isolating himself within his lavish palace. However, Poe utilizes verbal irony to undermine this arrogance. Prospero dismisses the external world, asserting that it can fend for itself, while he indulges in riches, stating, "The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think" (Poe, Masque 2). This dismissal of reality highlights Prospero's conceited mindset. Yet, the verbal irony emerges when the Red Death eventually infiltrates his fortress, leading to his ultimate