Symbolism In The Masque Of The Red Death By Edgar Allan Poe

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Edgar Allan Poe was a famous poet known for his dark Gothic style of writing. He was best known for his poetry and short stories and was an active writer until his sudden death at the age of 40 in 1849. One of these great stories included “The Masque of the Red Death” which involved a selfish Prince who chose to be secluded from the outside world with other nobles in an effort to escape the horrific plague sweeping the country. Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Masque of the Red Death”mentions the specific format of each color-coordinated room, the Ebony Clock as the constant reminder of death, and the reoccurring color red to portray the symbolism involving the fatal Red Death plague.
Arranged in the Abbey from east to west, the seven color-coordinated rooms symbolize the progression through ones life. The stages begin with the first blue room and end with the scarlet room, representing birth and death. The guests and
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The fictional plague got its name because of the profuse bleeding out of the pores of your body once infected. Red, or scarlet, is also used along with black to describe the color of the room that supposedly represents death. The figures characteristics are described with this same bold red color all over its body to show the resemblance of Prosperos people who are outside suffering from the infection. The gruesome description of the plague gives the color a gory association, especially in the light of the red window panes located in the last room of the Abbey.
When Edgar Allan Poe mentions the format of each room in the Abbey, associates the Ebony Clock with death, and describes the ever-so present color red to give his readers a firm understanding of the symbols in “Masque of the Red Death.” Whether Poe’s story is studied at the literal level or the symbolic level, he makes it easily understandable that there is no escaping death and time stops for no

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