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Symbolism In The Masque Of The Red Death

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Edgar Allan Poe’s, The Masque of the Red Death,” seems to be historically based on the pandemic of the black death, which its disease plagued and killed millions of people, in the 1800s. In the story, it seems that a royalty named, Prince Prospero has invited many lords and ladies to escape both the plague and death, by quarantining them in his mansion. To entertain his guests, he hosts a masquerade party, which is captured as the main setting of the story. An unexpected visitor shows up at Prospero’s party---his presence QUOTE deadly/he is the symbol of death and the plague. All of Prospero’s guests begin to become QUOTE, terrified, and uncomfortable in the proximity of this intruder. As the intruder begins to change the atmosphere of the party/mansion, …show more content…

After the revelers, or guards, grab the “man”, they find his costume to be empty and also drop dead. Soon, all royalty and parties die due to the red death. QUOTE. The allegoric meaning of the text presents itself through the underlining theme of the inevitability of death, and the fact that you cannot escape it. The people in the mansion, depicted in the story, were acquainted with royalty and were of the upper class. They also seemed to believe that if they all were together, in Prospero’s mansion, they wouldn’t contract the disease and die, as many commoners and civilians outside of the mansion were. This interpretation could also represent a potential societal divide/way of thinking of the upper class, as they believed they could simply quarantine and party in Prospero’s mansion, to stay away from the disease, while many people, outside of their class didn’t have the luxury of doing this, and had unfortunate fates. It seemed the visitor had different plans for the party and proved to them that the disease

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The entire reason for this party was to defend the king and all those close to him from it, but there is no escaping the disease. The text states, “His vesture-was dabbed in blood-and his brow, with all the features with all the feature of a face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror” Poe, 425). The Red Death was a “walking corpse” looking figure that appeared out of nowhere during the course of the party; and how instantly makes his way toward the block room. All those who attended the shindig secretly feared the moving figure as it made its way to the room. The king did not stand for this so he planned to kill the figure, but yet the figure killed him.

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“The Masque of the Red Death” shows an abundant amount of fear. When the country went into fear of the Red Death, “The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure . . . All these and security were within. Without the Red Death” (Poe 430). The prince created a safe place for his people.

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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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Poe uses Gothic diction to explain the dire significance of the red death, while also creating an ominous mood. Early in the story the speaker introduces the devastation that the Red Death causes. The speaker describes the effects as “So fatal.” (1.1) The word fatal is often used when regarding something that causes death.

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On the other hand, even though Prince Prospero tried his best to escape the horrible reality of the plague, in the end he died because of it. He failed to realize that the Read Death had entered his castle in the form of the masked figure. The masked figure clearly represented Death. The figure was “tall and gaunt,” wore “habiliments of the grave,” and had the “countenance of a stiffened corpse.” The “black velvet room” also hinted the presence of a mystery figure that would bring nothing but misfortune.

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This story of death works out, because Edgar Allen Poe gives good use to author’s craft. Edgar Allen Poe uses imagery, symbolism, and setting to create an effective story. In the “Masque of the Red Death” Poe uses description to give imagery.

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The figure referred to as the mummer or the stranger chases Prospero through all the rooms and kills him in the final black and red room, and following that, he kills all the courtiers. It is addressed that this figure is the Red Death himself, as he snuck into the party and robbed them of their lives and joy because they didn’t acknowledge his presence before, but in the end, he had dominion over them. This allegory presents that the refusal to address one’s fears is an ignorant act that merely delays consequences, and it is further progressed by the castle rooms, the clock, and the stranger. Through the symbol of the castle rooms, “The Masque of the Red Death” conveys the ignorance of avoiding inevitable fears.

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Do you think you can escape death? I believe that you cannot escape death. In the story “Masques of the Red Death” there are many symbols. The clock, the rooms, and the stranger are all symbols.

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Poe is often known for his dark, sometimes twisted short stories and poems. “The Masque of the Red Death” is no exception. In this short story, Poe creates and eerie and ominous mood by using a wide variety of literary techniques including imagery, diction, and syntax. Poe’s use of imagery contributes to the dark and mysterious mood of the short story, “The Masque of the Red Death.” In the first paragraph, a sense of darkness is conveyed in the sentence, “There was no light of any kind emanating from lamp or candle within the suite of chambers.”

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The author explained, “The Red Death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous,” (Poe 1). You can basically feel and almost touch the suspense especially towards the end when the plot twists

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Tessa Dillinger Mrs. Dose English 9 March 9, 2023 The Masque of the Red Death Being able to put on a mask and pretend that the outside world does not exist is so easily done by people in their everyday lives. People put on a mask and ignore their problems. This is portrayed in Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death.” The prince owns a castle that has 7 different rooms. Each different room symbolizes a different stage in a person's life.

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The authors’ use of strong imagery invokes strong emotions that give the audience a personal connection to the characters and events. In the “The Masque of the Red Death”, the theme is mortality. Poe shows how people are vulnerable to death, even after taking every possible precaution. Poe writes, “The mask ... was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse ... gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood - and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror” (6).

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“And darkness decay and the red death hold their never-ending domain over all” (11). “The Masque of the Red Death,” by Edgar Allan Poe, is the best horror story because it gives you everything a satisfying horror story needs and more: outstanding symbolism, rare setting, and fearful mood. This story has a great deal of symbolism within each far-reaching piece of dialogue. The large, dark, ebony clock is a fantastic symbol in this story.

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Despite the belief that one can live forever, death is certain. Edgar Allen Poe wrote his short story, “The Masque of the Red Death” with a greater meaning than simply the Red Death, or plague. He wrote this story, symbolizing the stages of life. In “The Masque of the Red Death”, Poe uses the symbols of the hallway, the rooms, and the braziers, to enhance the allegory, and to show how death is inevitable and one can not spend their life worrying about it.

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“The Masque of the Red Death” is an allegory, symbolizing the journey from life to death, proving that death is inescapable for everyone. This is shown through the symbolism used by Poe, not only in characters,

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