Comparing Cask Of Amontillado And The Masque Of The Red Death

Edgar Allan Poe’s stories “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Black Cat”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and “The masque of the Red Death” all share a similar setting, mood and characters. They also share a similarity of death. This is due to him loosing so many people to tuberculous. Throughout his life he saw his mother, his wife, and his sister die of the dreaded disease, which helped him write his stories and poems.

Poe’s stories “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Black Cat”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and “The Masque of the Red Death” all share a common setting. “The Fall of the House of Usher” has a setting of creepy and dark setting. The setting helps with this story because the rest of the Usher family dis off and the house falls.

In the text it says “during the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tact of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.” The narrator is describing what is around him, and how it feels.

The setting of “The Masque of the Red Death” is an invite only party the prince is having in his isolated abbey. The story says “When his dominions were half depopulated; he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light- hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired

to the deep seclusion of his castellated abbey.” In the story “The Cask of Amontillado” the setting is in the dark and creepy catacombs where the Amontillado is. In the text it says “I took from their sconces two flambeaux, and giving one to Fortunate, bowed him through several suits of rooms to the archway that went into the vaults. I passed down a long and winding staircase, requesting him to be cautious as he followed. We came at length to the foot of the descent, and stood together up on the damp ground of the catacomb of the Montresor’s.” Catacombs were dark places to be. They were underground burial sites and had skeletons built on the wall. In “The Black Cat” the setting is a house that has a lot of animals and horrific events in it. The story says “My immediate purpose is to place before the world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere house hold events in their consequences, these events have terrified—have tortured—have destroyed me.” This states that the house he’s living in has horrific events happening in it which helps with the setting. These stories help share a common setting because they all are in an isolated, dark place.
The stories “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Black Cat”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and “ The masque of the Red Death” all share a common mood of dark, and dreary. “The Cask of Amontillado shows this by Montresor getting revenge on Fortunato, but this revenge will leave him dead. The text says “It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will.” And the quote “but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.” In “The Black Cat” the narrator does strange things like cutting out the cats tongue which helps make the mood. The story says “I seized him; when, in his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth. The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer my original soul seemed, at once, to take its fight from my body; and a more that fiendish malevolence, fin-nurtured, thrilled every filore of my frame. I took from my waistcoat- pocket a pen-knife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket! I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity.” This shows him cutting the cat’s eye off. “The Fall of the House of Usher” created this mood because Rodrick hears things and think nothing of it but later suspects its Madeline. It says “Not hear it?—Yes I hear it, and have heard it. Long – Long – long – many minutes, many hours, many days, have I heard it—yet I dared not – oh, pity me, miserable wretch that I am! – I dared not—I dard not speak! We have put her living in the tome! Said I not that my senses were acute? I now tell you that I heard her first feeble movements in the hollow coffin. I heard them—many, many days ago.” This shows Rodrick finally realizing what he has been hearing.
Rease Maloney
1.7.17
“The Masque of the Red Death” has a dreary/ dark mood because a plague swiped out a whole party. The story says “There were short pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding out the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of him fellow-men.”
The stories “The Cask of Amontillado”, “ The Black Cat”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and “The Masque of the Red Death” all have a similar main character/ characters.

In the story “The Cask of Amontillado” Montresor purposefully built Fortunato into a wall and it satisfied him. In the text it says “A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back. For a brief moment I hesitated, I trembled, unsheathing my rapier, I began to grope with it about the recess; but the thought of an instant reassured me. I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs, and felt satisfied.” This shows him being nervous about burying him in a wall but then felt satisfied. In the story “The Black Cat” the narrator is strange and mad. He shows this by hanging his cat. He hung the cat because he thinks the cat no longer loves him. The quote “That urged me to continue and finally to consummate the injury I had inflicted upon the unoffending brute. One morning, in cool blood. I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to he limb of a tree; -- hung it with the tears streaming from my eyes, and with the bitterest remorse at my heart; -- hung it because I knew it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offence; -- hung it because I knew that in so doing I was committing a sin” shows the main character being strange and mad. Also “The Fall of the House of Usher” shows one of the main

characters being strange. Rodrick has heard Madeline for several days and he lets it go knowing she’s living in the tomb. The quote “Oh wither shall I fly? Will she not be here anon? Is she not hurrying to upbraid me for my haste? Have I not heard her footstep on the stair? Do I not distinguish that heavy and horrible sound of her heart? MADMAN! Here he sprang furiously to his feet, and shrilled out his syllables, as if in the effort he were giving up his soul—MADMAN! I TELL YOU THAT SHE NOW STANDS WITHOUT THE DOOR!” And finally the story “The Masque of the Red Death” Prince Prospero was mad because he had strange likes and dislikes. He liked peculiar colors and fashions. The people who didn’t know him thought he was crazy but his friends did not. The text says “but, in spite of these things, it was a gay and magnificent revel. The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbalic iustre. There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt that he was not. it was necessary to hear and see and touch him to be sure that he was not."
The stories "The Cask of Amontillado", " The Black Cat", "The Fall of the House of Usher", and "The Masque of the Red Death" all share the main character having a fear of something. "The Cask of Amontillado" Fortunato fears people being better than him. Every time Montressor brings up Luchers Fortunato gets angrier than before. Montresor fears being insulted when Fortunato insults Montresor, he plans revenge on him. The text says "but when he ventured upon insult i vowed revenge." and " And as for Luchres:, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado." In "The Black Cat" the narrator fears the house. The quote "My immediate purpose is to place before the world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere household events. In their consequences, these events have terrified-- have tortured-- have destroyed me. Yet i will not attempt to expand them to me, they have presented little but Horror." supports the narrator fearing something. The story "The Fall of the House of Usher" Rodrick fears the future. The text says "I must perish in this deplorable folly. Thus, thus, and not otherwise shall i be lost. i dread the events of the furute, not in themselves, but in their results. I shudder at the thought of any, even the most trivial, incident, which may operate upon this intolerable agitution of soul. I have, indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its abolute effect-- in terror. In this unnerved- in this pitable condition-- I feel that the period will sooner of later arrive when i must abandon life and reason together, in some struggle with the grim phantasm, FEAR." Finally "The Masque of the Red Death " , the prince fears death. The quote" But the prince Prospero was happy
Rease Maloney
1.7.17
and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light- hearted friends from amoung the knights and dames of his court, and whith these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. This was an extensice and magifcent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet auguse taste. A strong and lofy wall firdled it in. This wall had gated of iron. The courtiers,having entered brought furnaces and mossy hammers and welded the bolts." Supports him being afraid to die and trying to avoid and hide from it.