The Symbolism In The Masque Of The Red Death

Everyone is different, but we all have one thing in common. Death. “The Masque of the Red Death” was a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe. The main characters are Prince Prospero and the Red Death figure. In “The Masque of the Red Death,” there is a disease that is killing many people. Prince Prospero is hiding from the disease in his sheltered home with a thousand of his friends. The disease’s causes people to sweat blood and die within 30 minutes. Prince Prospero and his friends think they are safe in his home and they keep partying until it is midnight. Suddenly, Prospero notices a mysterious figure that looked like someone who died from the Red Death. Prospero chases him through the 7 rooms until they are both in the last room, which is black and red. The Red Death figure turns around and then Prospero dies. Then all of Prospero’s friends run towards the Red Death figure and they all drop dead. Edgar Allen Poe uses symbolism to enhance the story’s allegory that death is inevitable

By using different colors and directional location for symbolism, Poe reinforces this theme. For example, our notes directly state that the Seven Colored Rooms are arranged from east to west. These directional locations propose that the furthest to the east room represents birth and beginnings, then as you make your way through the other rooms, (the other stages of life), you finish in the western most room which

In the "Masque of the Red Death," the first sentence, "The Red Death had long devastated the country," sets the tone for the whole story. Poe describes the horrors of the disease, stressing the redness of the blood and the scarlet stains. The disease kills so quickly that one can die within thirty minutes of being infected with the disease. To create a frightening effect

The seven rooms within The Castle could be interpreted in many ways and settings. One interpretation is that the seven rooms are used as an allegory for the seven deadly sins. Pride and vanity correlate with the color violet and is prevalent in the story because Prospero believes that his social status will keep him from death. Gluttony is represented by the color white and is portrayed as running rampant throughout the Castle as Prospero throws a lavish party with more than enough provisions and wine for his multitude of party guests. The sin of slothfulness is represented by the blue room because when Prospero ordered someone to seize the unidentified man Prospero expected them to do his job of protecting them from the red death. Since the orders were not followed Prospero himself had to try to seize the figure but it took several moments before he made his way to him. Another interpretation is that the rooms represent the journey through life. Assuming that the order that Poe lists the rooms is in order from east to west the most eastern room would be the blue room. The blue room represents the beginning of life and new

“Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe is about when a plague strikes a kingdom somewhere in Europe. The Prince decides that he can protect himself from this plague by securing himself in his castle. He believes that the plague won’t harm him and that he can defeat death. But he is not so fortunate at the end of the story.The three literary devices that will be discussed are the symbol, tone, and theme.

Liz Brent states, ‘Edgar Allan Poe’s short story ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ may be interpreted variously as a parable for man’s fear of death.’ This specific quote gives great description on the feelings of the main character in this story. The conflicts overall play a major part in the story. As Kenneth Graham says, “If time is the destroyer of all things material, so, too, is the pendulum the destroyer in the pit, and the ebony lock in.” The critic is explaining the overall conflict of this story, and displays how the ebony clock is the symbol for death. In all, conflict is important to the story, as it ties back to the themes and describes the problems occurred.

describing the black décor of the room, the narrator says it is "shrouded" in velvet, shrouded

The seven rooms in the house also conveyed stages in life ending with death. These rooms were set up from east to west. This meaning that the sun comes up in the east and goes down in the west, and death comes in the darkness. "In this chamber only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet--a deep blood color." The guest's avoided this room because it was a sign of death.

One of the most apparent symbols in the text are the bizarre colored rooms. The rooms represent the cycle of life, blue is birth, purple childhood, green adolescence, orange adulthood, white is the elderly years, violet is dying, and finally black is death. The rooms are arranged like the sun rise and set with the blue room all the way in the east and the black at the west end. Furthermore, the rooms have similar styles, all one color with the decor and windows matching said color. However, the black room is different with black velvet curtains, and the windows a blood red color. The light from the hall isn’t able to enter the room so a candelabra was placed behind each window so that it “projected its rays through the tinted glass… And produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered” (2) The

Poe uses gothic diction to create a foreboding and ominous atmosphere. Poe is famous for his use of gothic diction and is known as the father of the modern horror genre. Prince Prospero's Abbey is the setting of the story. The abbey has seven rooms with all but one of them being vibrant and lively: “The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls”(43). The divergence of the dark seventh room from the rest of the vivid abbey creates an ominous ambiance. The morbid room is also in direct contrast to the mood of the jubilant masque. After dusk, lights and fires in large bowls upon tripods illuminated all the rooms of the Abbey. As the night darkened, “the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood-tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme… there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts”(44).

“In Masque of the Red Death” , Edgar Allan Poe uses Symbols to show that no matter who you are, how rich you are, and how much you try, death will end you.

The color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet --a deep blood color” (Poe 18-21). These rooms are not just representing the colors of each room but the stages of life. Each room is a different color of life. While prince Prospero is going through each room talking to guests he sees a shade and tries to scare it away and even kill. “Solemn and measured step which had distinguished him from the first, through the blue chamber to the purple --through the purple to the green --through the green to the orange --through this again to the white --and even thence to the violet, ere a decided movement had been made to arrest him. It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers” (Poe 74-77). As he tries to kill it though he goes into the black room where he dies. The black is representing death with its blood red windows and the black colors on the wall as if it was part of the underworld. The rooms in this story represent the stages of life and most importantly, the black room represents

Most people feel that death is inevitable, but some feel they can cheat or even escape death. “The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe” uses symbols in the setting to say death is inescapable. The story tells a tale about a prince that leaves his people in a time of need, to protect only himself and his friends. He ultimately learns what he cannot escape. The setting of “The Masque of the Red Death” has a deeper meaning than just rooms, they tell you through the positions and colors the significance of allegory in storytelling.

The Masque of Red Death doesn’t really have much in common with people, but one thing they do have in common is death. Death is the one thing that no one can stop. In the “Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe, the symbols in the story are the uninvited guest, the ebony clock, and the prince’s abbey. These symbols represent that man can never run away from death. Poe uses so many symbols so he can describe and tell how he feels about the disease.

Have you ever read a story where fantasy is the reality and things do not quite make sense? This is true for “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe. In it is a version of the black plague, which is called the “Red Death”. Prince Prospero secludes a thousand friends and himself from the death around them, but finds that he cannot avoid the inevitable. The author uses many literary devices to create an interesting and meaningful story. One of the devices used is imagery, which evokes the events of the story clearly in the reader’s mind. Another is allegory, which is used by Poe to create another story within his, as it is filled with double meanings. Lastly, Poe utilizes symbolism to give the story meaning. Edgar Allan Poe uses