Symbolism In The Masque Of The Red Death

Symbolism plays an important part in this story. The ebony clock is particularly significant “there stood against the Western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony.” Poe placed the clock against the western wall for a symbolic purpose. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. The clock is nearer to the setting sun. The placement of the clock indicates an association with an ending. A sunset indicates the ending of a day, while the ebony color of the clock suggests its relationship with darkness and death. The characters react to the sounding of the clock’s chimes in a nervous fashion. “…While the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale.” Poe uses this clock to remind the characters that they have lived through another hour to build up the time of revelation. At each strike of the clock the characters stop everything as if they are waiting for the "Red Death" to come for them at any minute. At twelve, the stranger dressed as the "Red Death" appears. This time everyone begins to fear death. The darkness of the rooms causes shadows to form by the fires' light to increase suspense.

Everyone fears their own death, thus why some people will do anything to escape it. In Edgar Allan Poe's short story, “The Masque of the Red Death”, this fear is experienced by all. In the story, a prince named Prospero and his people try to elude the Red Death through seclusion and isolation in the prince's abbey. However, no walls can stop death since it is unavoidable and inescapable. Throughout the story, Poe uses symbols such as the rooms, the masked figure, and the clock to convey the theme that no one can escape death.

The overall conflict of the story “The Masque of the Red Death,” has to do with how death

“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are best shadowly and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?” (Poe). There is no such thing as having the ability to predict or tame the wrath of death, for all we can do is learn to accept it. In the story, “The Masque of the Red Death”, the main character, Prospero, shows through his arrogant actions that death will forever overpower the human instinct to stay alive. Poe uses symbolism to convey the battle between man and nature through the idea of the masquerade that serves as a fortress against the wrath of the disease, an excuse to disguise the true colors of man, and the honest truth that man will never become immortal.

In The Masque of the Red Death, Prince Prospero tries to cover the fact that people are dying beyond his walls by throwing an everlasting party. His egocentric and uncharitable traits are shown in this quote: “And the whole seizure, progress, and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour. But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious… He summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court…” (Poe 3) Situational irony is applied in this quote. As people are suffering outside his walls, the main character is throwing a social function trying to mask the lethal contagion spreading all over the country. To further support the theme, “And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He has come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their

“The Masque of the Red Death” has a symbolic expression to the story. It featured a set of familiar symbols whose meanings combined to send a message. This allegory operated on two levels of meaning: 1) the literal elements of the plot; for example the color of the room and 2) their symbolic counterparts that involved philosophical concepts for example life and death. The story could have been read by the reader as an allegory

In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “Masque of the Red Death” conceals how life has a beginning and ending by showing the seven stages of life of Shakespeare in the story. Edgar Allan Poe symbolizes the stages of life with colors by coordinating them in order from the beginning of life to the last stage of life. In the story the clock represents how life goes on and every minute of your life counts. The “Red Death” was a disease that everyone was dying from within half an hour and this shows how death is a disease that no one can escape from or live from. “Through all the stages of life, death is inevitable.”

The Masque Of The Red Death written by Edgar Allan Poe is a story that incorporates many symbols that is trying to convey a message to the readers. There are humans that are avoiding death because they don’t want to lose their families and friends because of a tragic disease. In the story, there is a terrible disease called “Red Death” which kills millions of people in a masquerade ball that was thrown by Prince Prospero. The symptoms of the “Red Death” are sharp pains, sudden dizziness, profuse bleeding at the pores, and blood stains upon the body and the face of the victims. This lethal disease spread quickly because it happens in just a matter of seconds. People would spot other people with a stain and automatically assumes they have the

In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death,” he is trying to convey that people can’t ignore death, even if they try to distract themselves from it because death doesn’t come at a specific time.

“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe Prince Prospero, the main character in this story, is an immensely prosperous individual that hosts a party during a deadly pandemic that kills thousands. To host an elaborate party, he sets up 7 rooms each with different colors and arranged from east to west. In this image, it shows the figure, a fool, standing near close to a cliff with a dog alongside. He carries a bindle over his shoulder and a flower in his left hand. The fool and the dog stand clueless and ignorantly near a cliff - Prince Prospero and his guests are oblivious to the red death devastating the countryside.

However, the Red Death is the greater force and finds its’ way in. Throughout the story characteristics of gothic literature are clearly evident. “The Masque of the Red Death” is representative of psychological forces including a sense of isolation, and powerlessness in the face of a greater force. When Prince Prospero realizes half of the

Tick, tock, tick, tock. Every passing minute, every creeping second brings you closer to the dreaded moment of the arrival of death. The majority of society fears death, whether it’d be due to the pain they fear they might encounter, or the heartache of leaving their loved ones behind. Some people, however, block out the concept of this morbid idea, deluding themselves into believing that death is escapable. Edgar Allan Poe displays this well throughout the short story “The Masque of the Red Death” bringing meaning to the character of Prince Prospero, the seven apartments, and the dreaded Red Death. He ties together these symbols, representing the reoccurring theme of how death itself is inevitable.

The Masque of the Red Death is an allegory that is about how if you are put in a position facing death or have an opportunity to save yourself through others, be grateful to the person that was the savior. One of the symbols are the series of the seven rooms. Each room is a different color and each pathway to each room is not aligned. The different colors of the rooms are representing the different sections of your life, which is leading up to your death. Another symbol is the clock in the last, black room. The clock, in the farthest room is representing death. The clock represents the timeline of your death and how long a person has left to live. This frightens the people because when the clock turns on, the scary noise reminds people of

(Poe “The Masque of the Red Death”) The “Red Death” was tuberculosis. This disease took the lives of many of his loved ones more than one person can handle. Poe wrote this story about how no matter how hard he tried to keep the ones he loved death always found a way to rip them away from him. One man can handle only so much before there is no more room left.

Edgar Allen Poe 1842`s story “ The Masque of the Red Death” reveals Poe`s historic side with a dark shadow that covers the original story and events. Edgar Allen poe uses historicism throughout his writings that has some sort of historic past to them at the time or before his time.