The Inevitability of the Red Death

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

He had published several other literary works, but these had not brought him fame and a reputation in the horror scene. With Poe’s writing of the poem, The Raven, with its darker setting and inclusion of death brought him more recognition from the general public as well as fitting into the gothic horror type of writing. The Masque of the Red Death, which is another of Poe’s short stories, had direct inspiration from Walpole’s novel, The Castle of Otranto, with its setting and ending to the plot. The Masque of the Red Death is set in an abbey owned by the main character, Prince Prospero, here all of the wealthy and powerful people go so that the Red Death can’t get to them. There are seven rooms which are all different colors, the last one being painted black with a scarlet light lighting up the room, giving the room a sense of being covered in blood, and in the corner a frighteningly white ebony clock. Very few people went into the room due to the room being “decorated in black and illuminated by a scarlet light, ‘a deep blood color’”, because of this combination these people were not brave enough to step into that room. Later in the story a figure comes in and wreaks havoc, Prince ended up chasing this figure only to find out that this figure is the Red Death itself, and when everyone comes to see who it is they end up dying soon after

Edgar Allan Poe is known for creating numerous short stories and poems. A few titles of his famous works include “The Raven”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Black Cat”, and “The Masque of the Red Death”. While all of these stories revolve around different characters and settings, Poe consistently uses the methods of symbolism, irony, punishment, and allegory to propel the plot of the story and emphasize his main message to the audience. In particular, one of Poe’s stories that combines all of the previous elements into a striking work of art is “The Masque of the Red Death”, which was written by Poe in 1842. Within the story, Poe employs the use of several archetypes, such as “The Fall” of man, and symbols, such as the seven colored rooms, to underscore his message that Death cannot be stopped nor be avoided by anyone.

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

Michael Ruiz once said, “Everyone dies. There’s no point in fighting it.” In Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe, there is a disease that kills almost everyone in a country so the king brings all survivors into a castle to prevent it from killing anyone else, although it still ends up getting in from a ghost, and wipes everyone else out. In Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe, Poe uses gothic elements such as a gloom setting, supernatural beings, curses, and air of mystery and suspense.

Edgar Allan Poe was a writer who believed every single word contained meaning and in his own words expressed this idea in brevity only he is capable, "…there should be no word written, of which tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one pre-established design." (Poe 244). To this effect, Poe drenches his works in symbolism and allegory. Especially in shorter works, Poe assigns meaning to the smallest object, explicitly deriving exurbanite significance within concise descriptions. "The Masque of the Red Death" tells the story of a Prince Prospero who along with his one thousand friends sought a haven from the plague that was ravishing their country. They lived together in the prince 's luxurious abbey with all the amenities and

The Masque of the Red Death is a short story written by acclaimed literary author, Edgar Allen Poe. The story is an emphasis on the fact that there is no avoiding death, no matter how hard you try, which is the overall theme. The text tells the story of Prince Prospero whose town is being plagued by the dreaded Red Death. He attempts to avoid the plague by inviting 1,000 of his closest friends, all of which are variably different, to isolate themselves in his palace. Throughout the story, Poe frequently uses symbolism to depict the theme of the Red Death.

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.

In both “The Pit and the Pendulum”, and in “The Masque of the Red Death”, the main characters face the possibility of dying, but in “The Masque of the Red Death”, Price Prospero cannot escape his inevitable fate and ends up dead like all his guests. This is contrasted by Poe’s other story, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, where the narrator is inexplicably saved at the eleventh hour.

The “Masque of the Red Death,” written by Edgar Allan Poe yields a pragmatical ending in which is represented in everyday life. The intent of the ending was to depict and illustrate of how one cannot seek liberation from the impending death which bestows all. The ending primarily begins when the presence of the Red Death becomes personified in which the figure travels among the seven colored rooms, from blue to purple to green to orange to white and finally violet. Moreover, the despair in which the host of the party, Prince Prospero, had felt urged him to confront the Red Death but fell to his inexcusable demise. As the prince fell to his knees, the revellers suddenly gathered enough courage in order to once again to defy the Red Death but soon death had also opened the doors to their souls.

For many years, death and mortality have been an intriguing topic for us humans, causing both fear and curiosity when we think about it. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” displays a unique perspective on this topic, containing a large amount of imagery and symbolism throughout. Taking place in a devastated country, it follows the experience of a lethal plague known as the Red Death, capable of killing a person within thirty minutes. Amongst all of this, a powerful Prince Prospero finds a way to protect himself and a thousand other wealthy courtiers by isolating themselves in a bolted castle, and after about five to six months, throws a fancy masquerade ball.

Edgar Allan Poe was a writer who believed every single word contained meaning and in his own words expressed this idea in brevity only he is capable, "…there should be no word written, of which tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one pre-established design." (Poe 244). To this effect, Poe drenches his works in symbolism and allegory. Especially in shorter works, Poe assigns meaning to the smallest object, explicitly deriving exurbanite significance within concise descriptions. "The Masque of the Red Death" tells the story of a Prince Prospero who along with his one thousand friends sought a haven from the plague that was ravishing their country. They lived together in the prince's luxurious abbey with all the amenities and

the Red Death shows the futile attempts by a prince and his guests of a party,

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 are in this very situation. Prince Prospero’s country is being devastated by the Red Death. A plaque that results in a painful, gruesome, death. Therefore, Prince Prospero 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 Prospero throws a masquerade to celebrate that they were still free of the Red Death. It is at this masquerade that a gruesome mummer appears before Prince Prospero and all the revelers, and death quickly follows. In this short story, Poe personifies death through the mummer who appears like a thief in the night, stealing the lives of Prince Prospero and his court.

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