What Are The Symbols In The Masque Of The Red Death

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.

In “Masque of the Red Death,” by Edgar Allan Poe, many symbols are used in the story to function in the work and to reveal the characters and themes of the story. Symbols serve many purposes in this story. Poe uses symbols all throughout the story to represent death. Poe’s use of the seven rooms, the clock, and the stranger helps to teach the reader that nothing can escape death. By using these symbols, Poe portray the idea that death can’t be escaped.

On planet Earth there are 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute; all which revolves around time. Time is infinite, but unfortunately for human beings, they face times rath. Eventually, every living being or organism faces death, you can't escape it or run away from it, death is always around the corner. In “The Masque of the Red Death” Edgar Allan Poe demonstrates this when the noble class and Prince Prospero tried to run away from the gruesome and infectious disease. Symbolism in the story is significant because it gives the reader more insight on how the author feels towards something and gives meaning to ordinary objects. For example, Poe was upset with the noble class because they neglected their problems and

Edgar Allen Poe's, "Masque of the Red Death" also has many gothic themes. A bloody disease called the Red Death has ravaged a country. Prince Prospero thinks he can hide from this plague and throws a ball to celebrate his victory over it. First, Poe uses several words in this play conveying horror such as fatal, bleeding, blood, redness, and chambers, which are all clue to death.

The final symbol in "The Masque of Red Death" is the character Red Death. In the introduction of the story Red Death is described as fatal and that, "Blood was its Avatar and its seal" (Poe 369). Using extreme detail to describe Red Death adds to the dark and suspenseful atmosphere of the story. When Poe uses the description, "The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat," it adds to the creepy atmosphere of the story (Poe

“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.

Within “The Masque of the Red Death,” Edgar Allan Poe presents symbolic elements of both life and death to entice the audiences’ emotions and leave them in a state of wonderment. Some of the symbolisms that Poe uses are “The Red Death”, Prince Prospero, the color of the seven rooms, the ebony clock, and the “dreams” within the rooms. As each symbol is introduced, the suspense builds and the audience is pulled from the joyous lives of the masqueraders to the looming “Red Death” to create a roller coaster of emotion.

“The Masque of the Red Death,” a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, tells the story of Prince Prospero and his futile attempts to prevent death. During his masquerade party, the prince notices an unusual figure, dressed as the Red Death, and, enraged at the sight of it, Prospero tries to kill it. Poe uses the seventh room, the ebony clock, and the Red Death itself as symbols of death throughout his story.

Poe often gives memory the power to keep the dead alive. Which in the short story Poe distorts the aspect of death. By creating a memory as the trigger that reawakens death Poe reveals the theme of the story; that no matter the person's social class death comes for us all. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death” he uses literary elements such as allusion, symbolism, and allegory to convey that death is inevitable.

Death is inevitable in the human life cycle, so how does one attempt to avoid it? Symbolism is defined as the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. Edgar Allan Poe wrote a short story called, “The Masque of the Red Death.” The majority of people believe he is referring to the black plague that has struck the kingdom. Prince Prospero decides to let the kingdom “peasants” take care of themselves while himself, knights, and chosen women isolate themselves in Prospero’s castle. A little while later, Prospero decides to throw a masquerade ball. During the ball, the red death shows itself and kills the prince first and then everyone else that is present. Symbolism is represented with the colors, objects, and time. Therefore, in the short story “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe, symbolism is shown in the castle, with the clock, and the seven colored rooms.

the end of a day and darkness. Poe uses the element of darkness as a visual representation of

The author, Edgar Allan Poe, using illusion or misdirection keeps the reader is suspense throughout this story called "The Masque of the Red Death". Symbolism such as the colored rooms, the impressive clock, the feeling of celebration being at a party all makes this story feel like a fairytale. Poe used this fairytale style and converts it into a nightmare in disguise.

In "The Masque Of The Red Death", Edgar Allan Poe uses words and phrases to create an effect. He uses bold and dark words to help his readers be able to picture a very good image of the story and the mood that he wants to set. When he claiming that, "no pestilence had ever been so fatal ", that let the readers know that is was probably a very strong and gruesome disease that killed many of the town people. When Poe starts the story he starts by describing "The Red Death" and its symptoms. He described it as, "sharp pains, sudden dizziness, profuse bleeding at the pores with dissolution", "seizure process and termination of the disease were the incident of half and hour", he lists the symptoms as if it were a recipe, he is very straightforward and uses words that give an image to every symptom, he completely lets the reads know that "the red death" was a very nasty painful disease and you could imagine how much it made the characters suffer all in half

To deal in absolutes is something everyone should avoid, but no matter who you are or where you're from there is one absolutely everyone faces, death. In “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe, the self-preserving protagonist, Prince Prospero, hides a thousand of his closest friends and himself in a castle of his while the plague rages on outside of their walls. His selfishness and guilt lead to his own demise by the end of the story. An underlying motif in the story is that death is inevitable. Of course, Poe, an adept illusionist, doesn't say this outright, but through his use of symbolism the reader discerns that everyone is a victim of mortality.

To those homeless on the streets, a five dollar bill drifting in the wind, which so happens to land at their feet, may symbolize anything from hope to just a meal at McDonald’s. However, to others who are luckily more fortunate, it symbolizes something completely different. It is also ironic how if an everyday citizen loses a five dollar bill, it’s not a big deal to them; but if a povert lost a five dollar bill, it would bring them great despair. In the stories, The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the literary elements, symbolism and irony, are applied heavily. The Masque of the Red Death is about a fatal plague which spread ferociously around a country, killing innocents within half an hour. There is a wealthy prince on the other hand who cheats death by locking him and a thousand of his friends in a castle full of food, drinks, and entertainment while thousands more die a tragic death on the streets everyday. This method doesn’t last for long, though. All the ‘fortunate’ people perish in the end by ‘the red death’. Having said that, The Lottery revolves around a society where each year, out of tradition, there’s a drawing and whoever is picked croaks. The themes conveyed in both short stories are that you can’t delay the inevitable because it will eventually bite back.