Edger Allen Poe is an incredible author of horror. His story, The Masque of the Red Death, was an amazing chiller about a party that was ended by a disease. Throughout the kingdom a disease is spreading from citizen to citizen, killing each one who possesses it so the king invites those closes to him to a party where no one can leave and will be safe from the disease but yet in hindsight they were locking themselves in with the disease. Throughout the course of this hair-raising story, several symbols are represented to array Poe’s theme of death. Symbols such as the seven colored rooms, the clock, and lastly the Red Death are all symbols that are displayed to help get Poe’s notion across.
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
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.
People have always tried to avoid death, but they cannot. In Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” the characters are trying to avoid the Red Death, but they fail. Every hour an ebony clock chimes indicating that life is passing and death is close. People begin to die every minute once the Red Death enters.
In Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe, many symbols are used to justify the overall purpose and meaning of the story. These symbols include the ebony clock, the seven chambers, the scarlet and black room, and the Red Death itself. Each of these symbols help characterize the Prince and his guests, along with foreshadowing the overall outcome of the story. First of all, the seventh chamber and ebony clock not only provide a sense of eeriness, but reveal the underlying personalities and outcomes of the characters. For example, Zapf writes, “In the process of the story, of course, the seventh chamber more and more becomes the center of attention, and with it the clock of ebony which symbolizes the structure of temporality underlying and terminating all human
This story is known to be one of the most popular because it represents Shakespeare's seven ages of man story. Both stories both uses different colored rooms to represent different stages of man. The hidden message in “Masque of the Red Death,“ by Edgar Allen Poe is that no matter how hard things may or may get you can't escape your problems or fears now matter how much you might want to. Prince Prospero believed that being locked up inside his palace it would soon save him from the Black Plague. So for the prince to be safe and hidden away he found people to help surround the castle so no one couldnt come in or out of the castle.
In this short story the clock displays that time flies by and every minute people age. So, enjoy every minute like it’s the last. On pages 84 and 85 it says, “while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation” (Poe). Every hour all of the people in the castle pause when the clock chimes because it reminds them they are getting closer and closer to the end. Everyone in the castle is afraid of death but if they would just enjoy what they have in that moment in their life then they could enjoy life to its fullest.
In the short story “Masque of the Red Death”, Edgar Allan Poe uses the ignorance of Prince Prospero's actions and characteristics to portray the main idea that humans cannot escape death. In the story there is an airborne disease going around called “The Red Death”, which consequently so many people have died from it. There are also rooms that signify the stages of life from birth to death and a big ebony clock which signifies how much time you have left before you die. When Prince Prospero (a fearless and wise prince) decides to throw a masquerade ball in a castellated abbey, he invites the healthiest people in the land and they “leave means neither of ingress nor egress” to try and shut out the “The Red Death” (Edgar Allan Poe). Therefore,
Throughout history, many influential writers have used literature to teach people about human nature; these writers used their works improve the morals of humanity. In the 18th century, Romantic and Gothic writers used many literary elements to make their works more meaningful. These included figurative language, symbolism, imagery, allusions, mood and tone to enhance the theme in their stories. Two men who did this were the Gothic writer Edgar Allan Poe, and the Gothic romance writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The works “The Masque of the Red Death” by Poe, and “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Hawthorne, are examples of using literary elements to enhance theme.
Like a Thief in the Night When death comes, there is no escaping it. In a split second it takes your life. In the Masque of the Red Death, Edgar Allen Poe uses imagery and symbolism to portray that everyone’s time comes to an end, that no one can escape death.
There are many that have different opinions about death. It can be seen as something to be feared, or it can be seen as something long-waited for and welcomes. In the short story, “The Masque of the Red Death”, Edgar Allen Poe addresses death as an inevitable and to all things. While the rest of his subjects are falling victim to the Red Death, Prince Prospero thinks it is easily escapable, so he hides away and parties. However, the disease still manages to enter his secure castle and proves that one can no run from misfortune.
An intrinsic portion of a piece Gothic literature are the dark elements utilized within the story. Gothic elements help differentiate a piece of gothic writing from any other ordinary literature work. The distinctive usages of these gothic elements are effectively illustrated by the following talented authors: Poe, Riggs, Quiroga, and Irving. The short story “Masque of Red Death”, written by Edgar Allen Poe, and the book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, written by Ransom Riggs, are two pieces of gothic literature that share the common element of death; although the two stories fluctuate the portrayal of death in their writing.
In the story Poe states,“ In this room stood a great clock of black wood. Gently it marked the seconds as they passed; and when it was time to mark the hour the clock spoke with a loud, clear voice, a deep tone as beautiful as music, but so strange that the music and the dancing stopped and the dancers stood still to listen. And then, after another sixty minutes, after another three thousand and six hundred seconds of Time, of flying Time, the clock struck again, and the dancers stopped as before.”. The great clock represents the time running out until you die. When the clock stopped the dancers stopped moving like when a heart gives out.
The prince, indignant, asks to the figure to reveal himself but he doesn’t answer and starts walking towards the black room where Prince Prospero tries to kill him. But as soon as the Prince touches him, the figure disappears and Prospero falls dead on the ground. Immediately everybody at the party falls on the ground and die, the clock stops working and the candles blow out. The Masque of Red Death is an allegory for the conflict between humans and nature, life and death.
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.
