Symbolism And Allegory In The Masque Of The Red Death

Life is followed by the natural process of death. It is something that cannot be avoided and occurs unconditionally. In Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death,” this message is conveyed through the use of symbolism and allegory. In this story, a fatal contagion pervades the land in which Prince Prospero reigns, killing victims within thirty minutes of contracting the disease. In reaction to this, the Prince summons a few of his loyal courtiers to an abbey isolated from the outside, hoping to defy death. From the inside, the guests encounter shaded rooms of different hues, an irritating hum, and a strange man upon them-- separate from the outside world they were evading, yet reminiscent of it. Nonetheless, death is an inevitable process of life and occurs despite the conditions …show more content…
Since after hiding from the Red Death for around six months, Prince Prospero, having a bizarre and eccentric taste in design, has thrown a magnificent and voluptuous masquerade encouraging the actions of promiscuity. For this grotesque masquerade, there were seven rooms the revelers resided in. Additionally, they all offered a variety of experiences and were colored differently: blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet, and black. However, the revelers avoided the black room, as it had an ominous ambiance similar to the outside world. “But in this chamber only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet – a deep blood color” (Poe 3). Poe utilizes these rooms as a symbol of life and death. Therefore, the former rooms are the stages of life, while the latter being death. Death is different from the vibrant rooms full of life preceding