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Edgar Allan Poe Fear Of Death

Decent Essays

As life progresses people come to the understanding that nothing in life is promised except death. It is inevitable, and it happens in many different ways. Every death is accompanied with an interesting story behind it. In the three works, “The Masque of the Red Death”, “Annabel Lee” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” all written by Poe, death is a big picture in all of his works and the fear of death is something witnessed a lot in his works. In, “The Masque of the Red Death”, Prince Prospero, who is a selfish leader, locks himself and other friends out of harm's way of the Red Death. He later throws a party and ironically the Red Death finds its way there. Annabel Lee on the other hand, is a wife, who was madly in love. Annabel was taken …show more content…

Readers are immediately informed about “the ‘Red Death’, and that “No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous” (Poe 29). The Red Death is obviously something everyone fears. The Red Death is claimed to make its victims have contortions and bleed from all their pores. Poe’s stories are often gruesome and ultimately end in death. Prince Prospero, shuts himself and some others in a room safe from the Red Death. Selfishly, Prospero is “happy and dauntless and sagacious” (Poe 29). When he has every reason to be fearful and attentive because for him, death is imminent. It seems as if the disease cannot be escaped. Prospero decides to throw a party and somehow unexpectedly the a symbolization of the ‘Red Death’ arrives. The figure is dressed as a corpse, a symbol of death and decay. Prospero grows angry and impatient and run towards the figure, as the figure looks him in the eye “fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero” (Poe 32). Prospero and all of his guest are fatally affected by the Red Death. Prospero’s plan backfires, and his selfish ways has resulted in death for everyone. His inability to deal with the realities of death was the partially the cause of his death. Overall, Prospero seems to think of himself as someone with wealth and status, who believes he is beyond major issues such as the Red Death. The concept that no mortal can avoid the certainty in fate is mainly …show more content…

Death is greatly symbolized in this story, as well as the aftermath of it. The narrator constantly goes on about how much he loves Annabel, and how much Annabel loves him. He verbalizes that they “loved with a love that was more than love” (Poe 27). The speaker is saying their love is more than just normal love, but a love that is divine, righteous and apart from the regular love felt by typical lovers. All good things must come to an end as we know, and a wind comes by, “chilling and killing [his] Annabel Lee” (Poe 27). The speaker is clearly devastated, but it also seems as if the speaker has an obsession with how and why Annabel died. The idea of love and death seem to be linked together. Rather than facing the truth, and accepting Annabel’s death, he services her tomb as a symbol of her death instead of the facing reality of the situation. The speaker seems set on the idea that the angels of the heavens are responsible for her death and “went envying her and me” (Poe 27). He believes that the angels are so jealous of their love that they killed her. Annabel is portrayed in the story as a symbol of perfection and flawlessness. The speaker seems to be taking the concept of love a bit to literally. Annabel’s death could even serve as a death Poe has dealt with in his life, and the story represents the love and pain he felt. All in all, death is a huge concept in this story

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