The Cask Of Amontillado And The Masque Of The Red Death Analysis

“And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all” (page 10). Edgar Allan Poe, always fascinated by death. Some might say that Poe was so fascinated with death because of his childhood- rough and gloomy. Others just assume that it has to do with his insane personality. Whatever the case may be, many of Poe’s stories have a theme connecting to death and despair. Examples of gloom are in the short stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Masque of the Red Death”. The theme of obsession is a common one throughout those stories. The characters in these stories are obsessed with something- may it be perfection or revenge. These obsessions may end up getting the character either killed or to become killer. Therefore, the theme in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe is influenced by the setting, point of view, and stylistic choices used. The theme in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe is influenced by the setting of the stories. The setting in “The Cask of Amontillado” is at a carnival, hosted by Fortunato. The carnival was exquisite; Fortunato was wealthy. “In painting and gemmary, Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack, but in the matter of old wines he was sincere” (page 3). The party was divine, much …show more content…
Obsession is an important theme because it shows that when overly involved in something, it can lead to insanity. It was beneficial that Edgar Allan Poe portrayed it in these pieces of writing. Not only did it enhance the reader’s knowledge, but enhanced the overall story as well. The writing devices Poe used in his writing were a big part of this knowledge and entertainment. “For the half of a century no moral has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!” (Page