Death is inevitable, although fear and pleasures seem to be a temporary escape. The interpretations brought through the symbolism of the clock, masked figure, and Prince Prospero point to the overarching theme of the unavoidability of death. Reality surrounds them, as the tangible items are a reminder that they cannot escape fatality simply by hiding. In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death,” the use of allegory, exemplified by symbolism, builds the theme by emphasizing the moral lesson that death is unavoidable.
In contrast to the literal meaning of a clock to relay time, Poe symbolically shows the inevitability of the time of death’s occurrence. Consistent reminders of time running out occur at the sounds of the clock. Apprehension …show more content…
Death bypasses their sheltered escape at the appearance of the tangible form when “he had come like a thief in the night” (Poe 4). Life inside the castle versus the outside is a facade of what actuality becomes for the guests. The seventh room, where the masked figure is present, is “shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls” (Poe 2). Poe uses the darkness of the last room to illustrate Prospero’s death in darkness, the last stage of life. Illusions of death become a visual representation when the masked figure appears. The mask, which covers the figure that is “tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot,” acts as a disguise for the Red Death. (Poe 3). Poe expresses that “Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all” (Poe 4). His representation of the Red Death conveys the message that the unmasking of a disguise exposes the fear of what is undeniable: death.
Wealth cannot overcome death when hope and trust are put in anything temporary. Life inside the castle acts as a blockade from death outside of the castle. Poe uses allegory to reveal the literal and symbolic meaning to prove death is inevitable. The symbolic elements of life and death are principal foundations that Edgar Allan Poe uses to construct the highlighting idea of looming and unstoppable
In contrast to the literal meaning of a clock to relay time, Poe symbolically shows the inevitability of the time of death’s occurrence. Consistent reminders of time running out occur at the sounds of the clock. Apprehension …show more content…
Death bypasses their sheltered escape at the appearance of the tangible form when “he had come like a thief in the night” (Poe 4). Life inside the castle versus the outside is a facade of what actuality becomes for the guests. The seventh room, where the masked figure is present, is “shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls” (Poe 2). Poe uses the darkness of the last room to illustrate Prospero’s death in darkness, the last stage of life. Illusions of death become a visual representation when the masked figure appears. The mask, which covers the figure that is “tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot,” acts as a disguise for the Red Death. (Poe 3). Poe expresses that “Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all” (Poe 4). His representation of the Red Death conveys the message that the unmasking of a disguise exposes the fear of what is undeniable: death.
Wealth cannot overcome death when hope and trust are put in anything temporary. Life inside the castle acts as a blockade from death outside of the castle. Poe uses allegory to reveal the literal and symbolic meaning to prove death is inevitable. The symbolic elements of life and death are principal foundations that Edgar Allan Poe uses to construct the highlighting idea of looming and unstoppable