Symbolism In The Masque Of The Red Death
“The Masque of the Red Death” Analysis
Mankind has this natural fear of death and many attempts to escape from it. However the fact remains that although humanity can try to prolong life as much as they can, death will soon come. Everything has its time and everything dies. In “The Masque of the Red Death” Edgar Allen Poe conveys the allegorical idea of the inevitability of death and humanity fear of it through the use of symbolism.
Poe portrays the idea of death’s inevitability through the symbolism of Prince Prospero, the Red Death, and the conflict between them. In the story, Poe appropriately names the prince “Prospero” which means “prosperous”. The prince demonstrates this prosperous symbolism through good health of his “robust” figure (Poe 12) and the luxurious suite in which he entertains his followers (2). This establishes Prince Prospero as a symbol of prosperity. However Poe also portrays the prince as a symbol of humanity’s cowardliness of death. While the Red Death claims the lives of his subjects, Prince Prospero tries to escape from him by isolating himself and his followers in an abbey. Not only does he try to avoid the inevitable, he maintains the illusion of prosperity by lavishing himself and his followers with entertainment such as fools, dancers, and music (2). In the case …show more content…
While it is natural to have a fear of death, people like Prince Prospero and his followers must come to accept that it will happen. They spend so much time hiding away from the rest of the world so they wouldn’t die. Yet in the midst of their desperate attempts to continue living, they forget how to truly live. While there is nothing wrong with trying to prolong life, the simple fact must be accepted. Everything has its time and everything dies. The best people can do about it is live life to the
Mankind has this natural fear of death and many attempts to escape from it. However the fact remains that although humanity can try to prolong life as much as they can, death will soon come. Everything has its time and everything dies. In “The Masque of the Red Death” Edgar Allen Poe conveys the allegorical idea of the inevitability of death and humanity fear of it through the use of symbolism.
Poe portrays the idea of death’s inevitability through the symbolism of Prince Prospero, the Red Death, and the conflict between them. In the story, Poe appropriately names the prince “Prospero” which means “prosperous”. The prince demonstrates this prosperous symbolism through good health of his “robust” figure (Poe 12) and the luxurious suite in which he entertains his followers (2). This establishes Prince Prospero as a symbol of prosperity. However Poe also portrays the prince as a symbol of humanity’s cowardliness of death. While the Red Death claims the lives of his subjects, Prince Prospero tries to escape from him by isolating himself and his followers in an abbey. Not only does he try to avoid the inevitable, he maintains the illusion of prosperity by lavishing himself and his followers with entertainment such as fools, dancers, and music (2). In the case …show more content…
While it is natural to have a fear of death, people like Prince Prospero and his followers must come to accept that it will happen. They spend so much time hiding away from the rest of the world so they wouldn’t die. Yet in the midst of their desperate attempts to continue living, they forget how to truly live. While there is nothing wrong with trying to prolong life, the simple fact must be accepted. Everything has its time and everything dies. The best people can do about it is live life to the