What Is The Tone In The Masque Of The Red Death

827 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Edgar allan poe analysis writing

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the world’s most recognized authors. He is considered to be one of the fathers of the horror and detective genres, as the majority of his works often contain dark and mysterious themes. Out of the many sinister themes Poe has used in his publications, some of the most popular are death, horror, and human flaw. Poe’s depictions of these themes are greatly enhanced by his creative use of tone. This use of tone is found especially in his works, “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Black Cat.” In many of Poe’s stories, death is a common theme. In, “The Masque of the Red Death,” a masked creature, representing the Red Death (Tuberculosis), invades a castle meant to protect people from …show more content…

The Red Death murders all in the castle, leaving nothing but a stopped ebony clock in a black room with blood-red windows. His use of tone in this story enhances the use of this theme with the specific words chosen to describe the Red Death and the demises of it’s victims. He describes the disease, saying, “Blood was its Avatar and its seal- the redness and the horror of blood.” The chilling use description of blood in that excerpt depicts the disease and murder in such a specific and precisely horrific way. Foreseeably, death also happens to be a main theme in another of Poe’s publications, “The Cask of Amontillado,” in which the narrator lures a naive and unsuspecting “friend” into catacombs beneath the city, under the pretense of a barrel of Amontillado to be critiqued, only to chain him and build a wall, sealing him into an early tomb to suffocate. His tone in this story also augments the cruelty of Fortunato's gruesome fate, “A succession of loud and shrill screams… I re-echoed… I did his, and he clamourer grew still.” Fortunato’s struggle continues, Poe using nothing other than back and forth dialogue between Fortunato and the narrator to describe his last moments, “ ‘For the love of God,

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast The Black Cat And The Cask Of Amontillado

    1229 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe has a style that is dark and morbid. His tone is very gloomy and obscure. The tone of “The Cask of Amontillado” is almost tame compared to the tone of “The Black Cat”, his other work we covered. The tone of that work is almost maddening. “The Cask of Amontillado” tone is very sinister and methodic. Whereas “The Black Cat”, has a pulse to a cadence and rhythm though no clear pattern is established. Poe’s style of writing seems so personal, as a reader I had to remind myself this was fiction. His first-person style of writing is so detailed and intricate it is very easy to become invested in the world he creates. “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Black Cat” both have themes of revenge where the supposed victim is untimely

    Read More

  • Symbolism in The Masque of the Red Death

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    the countenances of those who enter it that there are few…bold enough to set foot within it".

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Masque Of The Red Death And The Raven

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Masque of the Red Death: Symbolism

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • What Does The Dark Room Symbolize In The Masque Of The Red Death

    817 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Allegory In The Masque Of The Red Death

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    Madeline Kincer Mr. Thompson 1302-4200 March 12, 2015 The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe There is an exuberating, whimsical expression that comes throughout reading “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe. The gothic imagery is personified and leaves an eerie chill down the readers’ spine. ” The Masque of the Red Death” is a short thriller about a plague terrorizing the country. The “Red Death” began by only killing the poor and weak members of society, the high class people were becoming concerned, so they attempted to hide from the Red Death.

    Read More

  • Comparing Works of Edgar Allen Poe

    1816 Words  | 4 Pages

    Death, despair, and revenge, these three words form a treacherous triangle to any reader who dare enter the mind of Edgar Allen Poe. In many of his works these expressions seem to form a reoccurring theme. Comparing the works "The Mask of the Red Death" and "The Cask of Amontillado", we will discuss these themes while analyzing the method behind Poe’s madness.

    Read More

  • The Masque Of The Red Death Essay

    1796 Words  | 4 Pages

    Josta Badgero 8 a.m. class Analysis of Masque of the Red Death Introduction In Edgar Allen Poe’s short mystery, “The Masque of the Red Death” the emotions and beliefs from the mid 1800’s are figuratively brought to life through symbolism. Discussing through a fictional perspective about a plague that is referenced as “The Red Death”; the disease potentially was meant to represent Tuberculosis or the Bubonic Plague. Using the seven stages of “life” portrayed through color, Poe illustrates the sense of mystery and the fear of the known. In his short story he displays not only the inevitability of fear through extensive use of remarkable symbolism, but also the different views of that era.

    Read More

  • How Does The Point Of View In The Masque Of The Red Death

    280 Words  | 1 Pages

    As in many of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, the point of view and narration cause the reader turmoil and a sense of being perturbed. The point of view and narration go hand in hand in many of Poe’s stories. Several of Poe’s tales, including “The Masque of the Red Death,” cause turmoil for many readers who attempt to situate the narration and point of view within the story. This in turn causes a sense of disorientation for the reader. In general, Poe’s narration and point of view are one in the same; for the most part they are of an omniscient presence or unreliable character. Yet, in “The Masque of the Red Death” point of view and narration are both. Through the tale, the point of view is of a presence that knows and sees everything; while the

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe is a popular all around the world. He is seen as a dark, mysterious writer. Looking into his life experiences, it explains why his stories are so dark. Readers who do not know his background stories may think he is a crazy, mentally unstable man. But to really understand the depth of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, it is important and useful to look into the reasoning of why the stories are so dark.

    Read More

  • Imagery In The Masque Of The Red Death

    489 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Masque of the Red Death

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Masque of the Red Death” is an extraordinary story of many elements that can grasp any reader's attention. This story targets more of the emotions and actions of the characters, creating more of a fathom. Edgar Allan Poe wrote this story from his own perspective and perhaps succeeded in getting the reader to some what relate to the characters focusing on the feelings. The point of view Poe wrote this in makes a clear understanding.

    Read More

  • What Is The Symbolism In The Masque Of The Red Death

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death,” the symbolism of the mummer, the masques, and the fortress convey the idea that no matter how much one tries to control death, fate will override. There is nothing man can do to control all aspects of life. “Frail humanity can never escape the inevitable ravages of time” (Zimmerman par. 12). Poe’s story serves as a lesson to the reader that when they try to change their fate , they will drop, and die in the despairing posture of their

    Read More

  • Theme Of Imagery In The Masque Of The Red Death

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poe's narrator describes the "Red Death" as having long devastated the country; “In fact, no pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal--the redness and the horror of blood” (1). The image of blood and time throughout the short story also indicates corporeality. The plague may, in fact, represent typical attributes of human life and mortality by implying the entire story is an allegory about a man's useless tries to getaway from death.

    Read More

  • Setting in The Masque of the Red Death

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    Setting can be looked upon as simply the place and time of where a story takes place, though not knowing that it can be more then just simply information. In this story, “The Masque of the Red Death,” this proves how important setting can really be and how it ties into the actual themes of the story, and the overall setting itself.

    Read More

More about What Is The Tone In The Masque Of The Red Death

Open Document