“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe tells the story of Prince Prospero and his failed escape from the Red Death. When the plague strikes, he believes hiding away in his castle with a party of nobles will keep them healthy and happy in the isolation. However, death cannot be avoided. In his story, Poe symbolizes life, the countdown to death, and the fate everyone shares through colored rooms, an ominous clock, and the personification of death in his short story “The Masque of the Red Death”.
The seven colored rooms that held the masquerade symbolize the stages of life through different colors and in a certain order. Author Kermit Vanderbilt agrees with this in his analysis of Poe’s story titled “Art and Nature in ‘The Masque of the Red Death’”. In the fifth paragraph, he explains the meanings of the colors beginning with the east blue room, which represented birth. The next room was painted purple, which is often seen as the progression of life. The room after was green, which symbolizes youth and adolescence, then orange, the peak of life. The fifth room was white, a color sometimes associated with the elderly and the older ages. The sixth room was a violet color which, much like the purple room, signified the passing of time. Life ends in the last room, painted black for death. Prospero …show more content…
When the clock rings, he describes the partygoers becoming silent and uneasy. It’s possible the chiming reminds them of the world outside the castle. Although Prospero intended to celebrate their livelihood, the clock seems to bring the guests back to the reality of their situation, if not worry about the disease running rampant outside the castle walls. In addition, after killing Prospero, the masked figure personifying the Red Death stood in the shadow of the clock when the guests attacked it. The clock stopped functioning once the last victim
The seven colored rooms that held the masquerade symbolize the stages of life through different colors and in a certain order. Author Kermit Vanderbilt agrees with this in his analysis of Poe’s story titled “Art and Nature in ‘The Masque of the Red Death’”. In the fifth paragraph, he explains the meanings of the colors beginning with the east blue room, which represented birth. The next room was painted purple, which is often seen as the progression of life. The room after was green, which symbolizes youth and adolescence, then orange, the peak of life. The fifth room was white, a color sometimes associated with the elderly and the older ages. The sixth room was a violet color which, much like the purple room, signified the passing of time. Life ends in the last room, painted black for death. Prospero …show more content…
When the clock rings, he describes the partygoers becoming silent and uneasy. It’s possible the chiming reminds them of the world outside the castle. Although Prospero intended to celebrate their livelihood, the clock seems to bring the guests back to the reality of their situation, if not worry about the disease running rampant outside the castle walls. In addition, after killing Prospero, the masked figure personifying the Red Death stood in the shadow of the clock when the guests attacked it. The clock stopped functioning once the last victim