The Masque Of The Red Death Summary

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.

As a gothic writer, Edgar Allan Poe created horror using gloom as his weapon. Hidden within the suspenseful story of “The Masque of Red Death” is an allegorical tale of how individuals deal with the fear of death as time passes. Frantic activities and pleasures (as represented by Prince Prospero and his guests) seek to wall out the threat of death. However, the story reminds the reader that death comes “like a thief in the night”(Poe 3), and even those who seek peace and safety shall not escape. Poe uses symbolism to illustrate that man cannot hide from his own mortality.

Edgar Allen Poe, completely transformed the horror genre with his tales reflecting the psychological depth and insight of the the human conditon not previously seen (Poe Museum, no date). Despite his alignment with the horror genre, he was initially taken in by the romantic ideals of consumption. This is portrayed in one of his early short stories, ‘Metzengerstein’, from 1832, where despite the majority of the story following many gothic conventions, the protaganist’s mother dies of consumption. The narrrator of the story asserts that ‘…it is a path I have prayed to follow…I would wish all I love to perish of that gentle disease’ when referring to the mother’s impending death. The narrator’s desperation to die from consumption is implied through the use of the verb ‘prayed’. This verb has connotations of wishing or hoping strongly for a particular outcome (Oxford Dictionaries, 2017): despite the horrific and drawn out process of the disease that we now understand in the 21st Century, this character still desires it thus reflecting the general insensitivty towards the disease. Although influenced early in his career by the romanticized stance on consumption, he changed his portrayal of the disease completely in his short story ‘The Masque of the Red Death’, published in 1842. Very little had advanced in the medical understanding of consumption, but between Poe writing the aforementioned text and ‘The Masque of the Red Death’, his own wife had contracted the disease

What 3 symbols do you think relate to the theme of the Masque of the Red Death? I think there are many symbols that relate to the theme, but these 3 are the best. The 3 symbols I chose were the color rooms, the stranger, and Prince Prospero.

Death is something that will happen to everyone eventually. Death is not a thing that can be easily shaked off as if it were nothing. Some people fear death, others wait for it, and some don’t give a care in the world, being too busy enjoying life. Death is something that can happen either peacefully or painfully. Death relates to the hidden message in Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” by trying to give the meaning that no matter who the person is and what the person tries to do, no one is capable of being able to escape death.

Death is a terrifying prospect for most people , imagine being face to face with it. In Edgar Allan Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death”, the revelers were in this very situation. Prince Pospero’s country was devastated by the Red Death. A plaque that resulted in a painful, gruesome, death. Prince Pospero being the selfish uncaring man he is, locked himself and a thousand of his lighthearted friends in his abbey to hide from the Red Death. After 6 months of seclusion Prince Pospero throws a masquerade to celebrate that they were still free of the Red Death. It was at this masquerade a gruesome mummer appeared shortly before Prince Pospero and all the revelers to died of the Read Death. In this story Poe personifies death through the mummer who

At the end of the story, The Masque of the Red Death, written by Edgar Allan Poe, Poe wanted to give readers the feeling of terror. The story states, “Whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within the shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in corpse-like mask.” This statement gives the reader the feeling of fear because it describing how someone would see an object or figure that is scary. It would also make them feel uneasy since the figure is just standing still and isn’t moving. The story also states, “He had come like a thief in the night…and Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.”

When it comes to reading literature the most challenging yet important task is to understand the purpose of the author's writing. In Romantic era literature understanding the emotions and thoughts that are created in the reader's mind are essential to gaining a clear message that the writer is trying to send. In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death” the narrator immediately introduces the “Red Death”; a disease that has been spreading throughout Prince Prospero’s country; killing his people within half an hour of contracting the disease. Throughout the story the author continuously uses diction and syntax to create suspense and evoke a grim tone to the reader. In the “Masque of The Red Death” Poe produces fearful imagery in the reader's mind through creating a supernatural presence in the setting.

Emotion and logic can affect people’s actions. Emotion such as fear though can be helpful to us in certain situations. Fear is a natural reaction, or instinct, that can help you survive. Feelings, like fear makes people more alert and cautious of your surroundings. But, if clouded by fear, it can make you over worried about things that you find scary. Focusing on one thing can also lead to obsession and paranoia over an object. In Edgar Allan Poe’s stories - “The Tell Tale Heart”, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, and “The Masque of Red Death” - all the main characters experience fear and all main characters are affected differently by fear. Poe uses symbolism, irony, and imagery in these stories to emphasize how fear distorts the narrator’s mind

The Masque of the Red Death is an allegory that is about how if you are put in a position facing death or have an opportunity to save yourself through others, be grateful to the person that was the savior. One of the symbols are the series of the seven rooms. Each room is a different color and each pathway to each room is not aligned. The different colors of the rooms are representing the different sections of your life, which is leading up to your death. Another symbol is the clock in the last, black room. The clock, in the farthest room is representing death. The clock represents the timeline of your death and how long a person has left to live. This frightens the people because when the clock turns on, the scary noise reminds people of

Edgar Allan Poe, a popular writer, who lived during the mid-1800s wrote gothic short stories and poetry. In one of his stories,“The Masque of the Red Death,” there is a prince, Prince Prospero, who locks himself and a chosen group of people into his castle to escape from a contagious pestilence, “the Red Death”. At the castle, he throws a masquerade ball and an unknown figure shows up looking like the disease. Nobody knows who it is or how they got in, throughout the story, the figure leads them through the castle and traps them, killing everyone at the castle. Poe uses the gothic elements of hallucinations, castles, and dramatic setting or behavior to create this horrific and suspenseful world.

Inevitable Death Wealthy people in society believe they are invincible. In the short story "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allen Poe, there is a wealthy prince named Prospero who believes that he is safe from death because of his wealth, and a well-built castle. Despite this, he hosts a party where he and his courtiers end up being victims of the death. Through the portrayal of Prince Prospero, the castle, and the courtiers, Poe expresses the theme that even high-class people cannot escape death, thus enhancing the allegory of the separation of social classes in the story. The symbol of Prince Prospero shows that he was one of the wealthiest, high-class people in that town so he was happy but in the end, none of that mattered, death still gets

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

Conflicts affect the mood of the main characters in a story, by expressing the insecurities, Death,” a couple of conflicts are exposed throughout the piece. In the story “The Masque of the Red,” a couple of conflicts are expressed throughout this piece. The conflicts man versus fate and man versus himself are the conflicts that are displayed several times within this story. From major conflicts to minor conflicts, this story clarifies the problems that Prince Prospero faces within himself. In addition to Prince Prospero’s problems with himself, this story also explains the conflict of how death is uncontrollable.

There is a terrible sickness spreading throughout their town. “No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous.” (Poe 78 ) In the story “The Masque of the Red Death” fear is the main theme. Prince Prospero invites a thousand of his friends to his castle. There are seven different colored rooms in the castle. The guests fill all the different