Edgar Allen Poe; the master of darkness. Every student encounters Poe at least once in their life, and they all naively believe that all his writing portrays darkness, death, or some other aspect of evilness. Nevertheless, these students fail to realize that Poe also illustrates some details of positivity and lightness throughout his writing. In his captivating short story, “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe demonstrates his use of both darkness and illumination. When reading Poe’s short story, it is clear to understand that his use of symbolism is strong, leading to the theme of life and death.
True to his writing style, Poe uses an extreme amount of symbolism in “The Masque of the Red Death.” As Poe explains, “It was in this apartment, also,
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that there stood against the western wall a gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang [...]” (Poe 449). When Poe states this, he is symbolizing the clock as a life, meaning that the reader’s life is “ticking” away. In other words, each hour when the clock rings, represents that one’s life is growing shorter and shorter, and that they are approaching death. This symbol can also be thought of in a more positive way. The clock may remind the audience that they are drawing closer to death, but it can also remind readers that time never stops, so have the ‘time of your life.’ Therefore, don’t take time for granted, and make a life worth living! Another symbol in Poe’s short story is when he proclaims, “There was a sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards, and at each turn a novel effect. To the right and left, in the middle of each wall, a tall and narrow Gothic window looked out upon a closed corridor which pursued the windings of the suite” (Poe 448). Poe is clearly discussing the hallways throughout the castle of Prince Prospero, and how there are many turns and different options to advance. The hallways can be considered “the paths of life,” and each path can have a different outcome, depending on the choices one makes. For instance, if a person makes wise decisions, they will follow the correct paths, and will end up with a positive outcome in their life. On the other hand, if someone makes poor decisions, they will take the negative route in life. In addition, the “sharp turns” in the hallways can also be thought of as the sharp turns in which life can take us. Also, Poe mentions: “There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust” (Poe 450). In these lines, Poe is illustrating what the masquerade is like, and how the guests appear. The masquerade is meant to symbolize that everyone puts on different “faces.” This means that people can mask away their worries by simply faking their emotions, or by ‘wearing a different face.’ In simpler terms, people can not only mask their identities, but also their feelings. Although symbolism in Poe’s short story is compelling, the use of theme is also a strong aspect. Poe also portrays theme in “The Masque of the Red Death.” One major theme in Poe’s short story is that death does not discriminate, and that death is inevitable.
An example of this is when Poe remarks, “And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night” (Poe 452). When Poe says this, he really proves that a disease, in this case, can kill anyone in an instant. Also, death can claim its victims so fast, that no one can even see it coming! Another example is Prince Prospero. Poe distinctly states, “There was a sharp cry- and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero” (Poe 452). In the story, Prince Prospero is rich and high-ranked. When Prospero found out about the plague, all he cared about was protecting himself and avoiding the disease so that he would not die. Later, Prospero encounters the Red Death, which kills him. This reveals that no matter who someone is, they will die, and end up just like everyone else. Wealth and power will not buy a life! Also, death is superior to all other powers, so one can try to escape death, but no matter what, death will get them eventually.
In conclusion, Poe’s use of symbolism in “The Masque of the Red Death” is immense, which leads readers to the theme of life and death. Poe is also famously known as a “dark” writer, which is a common stereotype. Poe does write mostly dark material, but he does writes some
lighter, and more joyful writing as well. In addition, when reading Poe’s work, readers tend to interpret his writing in different ways. Some may understand it in a negative way, and some may understand it as a more positive aspect.
Edgar Allan Poe's writing style is based on the supernatural and the unknown. In The Masque of the Red Death, Prince Prospero invites the revelers to come to the castle to party until the danger of pestilence is gone. The party was interrupted by an intruder who was dressed in all black (like the Grim Reaper) and was associated with the plague of the "red death." The reaper killed everyone one by one in the end. The Masque of the Red Death is an allegory. An allegory is symbols that are presented in the story that have two levels of meaning. An example can be the clock in the story. The clock told time and represented the time they had left before they died. There were seven chambers that were different colors, and the last chamber was black, which was the last chamber that represented death. I think the seven rooms symbolized the days until you die and the clock symbolized the time until you died.
In “The Masque of the Red Death,” the location of the rooms represents the cycle of life and death, with the bright blue room all the way to the east, where the sun rises and the day begins, and the black, morbid room all the way to the west, where the sun sets and the day ends. The reader comes to understand that the most eastern room represents the beginning of life, while the most western room
The Masque of the Red Death was very serious from the beginning to end. The story never pulled away from the sense of a looming threat. Poe did not waste anytime, he cut straight to the point and set the tone right away. The tone relates to people language and the specific words that he uses to create illusion and imagery. Poe uses different times of words to define his language which is called Old English today. Poe sentences are also short and they are practically identical in the simple structure. Poe is a very different writer than most writers today, he has a unique way about his language.
Authors use various styles to tell their stories in order to appeal to the masses exceptionally well and pass the message across. These messages can be communicated through short stories, novels, poems, songs and other forms of literature. Through The Masque of the Red Death and The Raven, it is incredibly easy to get an understanding of Edgar Allen Poe as an author. Both works describe events that are melodramatic, evil and strange. It is also pertinent to appreciate the fact that strange plots and eerie atmospheres are considerably evident in the author’s writings. This paper compares and contrasts The Masque of the Red Death and The Raven and proves that the fear of uncertainty and death informs Edgar Allen Poe’s writings in the two works
In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Edgar Allan Poe uses imagery, sensory detail and symbolism not only to build suspense, but also to convey the idea that an individual can not hide or run away from death which becomes closer as time passes on. Throughout the story Poe uses imagery details to create suspense in the story. For example when the author is describing the disease that has taken many lives he describes the unfortunate event as, “ Blood was its Avator and its seal- the redness and the horror of blood. One can understand that in the story the tragic death of someone might occur as tragically as the disease is described. Accordingly, as the story progresses the deep shade of the color red is evident in many areas to represent symbolism.
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 of the revulsion of this disease, Poe uses words such as "devastated," "fatal," "horror of blood," and "sharp pains and profuse bleeding." In summary, the story relates the prince, trying to be safe and away from the horrible death, invites a thousand friends to be in seclusion in his abbey away from the disease. During a celebration , a masked ball at the abbey - with incredible described rooms and moods - a surprise masked intruder causes death to all.
...Plessis, Eric H. du. “Deliberate Chaos: Poe’s Use of Colors in ‘The Masque of the Red Death’.” Poe Studies/Dark Romanticism 34.1-2 (June-December 2001): p40-42. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 April 2012.
In the short story “ The Masque of the Red Death,” Edgar Allen Poe uses symbolism to express ideas to develop his theme and characters. “ The Masque of the Red Death” tells a story of prince Prospero who locks his friends and himself in a castle to escape the Red Death, a deadly disease. Much to Prospero’s dismay, in the end, the deadly disease causes them to perish. Poe uses the dark room to reveal Prospero’s unusual character and reveal that death is always there and cannot be avoided.
“And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall” (Poe, par. 14). After the mummer kills Prince Prospero, the masqueraders in the abbey perish one by one until the ebony clock runs out and none remain. In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Edgar Allan Poe uses the symbolism of the iron fortress, the masque, and the mummer to reveal the theme that man does not have control over their fate, and they cannot run from death.
A short story entitled “The Masque of the Red Death” is a wonderfully written story of many types of language. The author Edgar Allan Poe narrated this story from the perspective of himself. One reason the story was written by focusing on feelings was to get the reader to maybe relate to the characters even if only slightly.
The first technique Poe uses in both stories is symbolism, which aids the reader in understanding the theme. In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Edgar Allan Poe uses symbolism to aid the reader in teaching the theme that death is inevitable. While explaining the setting, Poe describes a black room with red windows and then begins
Edgar Allen Poe's The Masque of the Red Death is an elaborate allegory that combines
In Masque of The Red Death , Edgar Allen Poe, in this story of gothism, he emphasizes on symbolism. As in the clock, the black room or all of the room colors, the Red Death, or of the setting.In this analytical essay we will look at the symbolism of the room colors. The symbolism of the room colors is to contribute to the development of the central message of the inevitability of fate.
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." The Literature Network Jalic Inc. 2000-2014. Web. 25 March. 2014.
Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, "The Telltale Heart" and "The Masque of the Red Death" are two very different stories. One is about a simple man, perhaps a servant, who narrates the tale of how he kills his wealthy benefactor, and the other is about a prince who turns his back on his country while a plague known as The Red Death ravages his lands. Yet, there are some similarities in both. Time, for instance, and the stroke of midnight, seem to always herald the approach of impending death. Both are killers, one by his own hand, the other by neglecting his country. One seeks peace, the other seeks pleasure, but both are motivated by the selfish need to rid themselves of that which haunts them, even at the expense of another's life. However, the point of this critique will show that their meticulous plans to beat that which torments them are undone by a single flaw in their character - overconfidence.