What Does The Clock Symbolize In The Masque Of The Red Death

During the masquerade, everyone was enjoying a night of blissful ignorance. They were interrupted by a figure they could not ignore. It is important to remember that Prospero had welded the doors to the abbey shut, so nothing could get inside. Ripped from their state of ignorance, they were forced to face the dim reality. They were forced to endure the punishment of the Red Death that had been avoided for months.

At the beginning of the story Poe creates a creepy tone introducing the setting. “ dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep.” This quote uses figurative language to also create the scene about the ebony clock. This story consisted of a Prince or the host of a masquerade party having the responsibility to protect all 1,000 of his friends from the uninvited stranger but not only couldn't he save them, he also couldn't save himself. The climax of this story supported the theme of death being inevitable by expressing the struggle of trying to stay alive but end up staring death in the face anyways.

The literary devices includes irony, symbolism, and allegory. Edgar Allan Poe shows a many examples of irony. In Masque of the Red Death Prince Prospero decided to take his specific group of people to escape the horrendous red death, but a masked figure came to crash his party. The type of irony is situational because the price did not expect the red death

Death is not red but does not avert. With the short about the hidden meaning of the red death during a masquerade ball, held by Prince Prospero, while hiding from the death of the outside. Soon before, the prince through a masquerade party, he was isolated for 5-6 months. Clues were given with the irregular details, never showing that the plague is killing most of his citizens while being barracked. Even though “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe uses word choice and symbolism to create the theme that death is neither breakable or escapable, only by time.

In the tragic play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare attempts to construct an atmosphere of dramatic tension the night of Macbeth’s celebratory banquet. Through the use of his characters and their dialogues, Shakespeare is able to effectively create this atmosphere of fear and dramatic tension. Moreover, the appearance of Banquo’s apparition, Lady Macbeth taking Macbeth aside and Macbeth almost admitting to his crimes are the devices in which Shakespeare uses to expertly convey the atmosphere of dramatic tension and confusion in the Banquet Scene.

When death takes his godson, his godson was “unable to resist and was obligated to follow death” and no matter how the godson tried to escape/trick death “[he] fell forever into the hands of Death”. Because the godson could not control his fate with death, it shows that death is more forceful than all man, even his godson. The book ends with the lesson that death can not be resisted and if death decides to take a person, the person will have no option but to go with death and, pass away. Altogether, Godfather death, the theme of death is applied to teach the simple facts of death.

When Macbeth hears a voice cry “sleep no more”(Mac.2.2.33), it was the beginning of many of his illusions. He suffered from guilt after killing King Duncan and wasn’t able to sleep. Macbeth goes on to have more illusions throughout the story such as when he saw the bloody ghost of Banquo. Macbeth was the only one that could see Banquo, making him think that “the table’s full”(Mac.3.4.46) when they went to sit down for dinner. Macbeth continues to see the ghost of Banquo throughout dinner causing him to have sudden and unexplained outbursts.

Mood is referred to as the atmosphere of a literary piece, as it creates an emotional situation that surrounds the readers. In the short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe there are many moods such as creepy, sad, violent, and ironic. Montresor meets Fortunato at a carnival, lures him into the catacombs of his home, and buries him alive. Montresor who decides to seek revenge against Fortunato specifically creates a mood of suspense. Who knew that insulting someone could lead to a dark and suspenseful death for Fortunato?

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, while guarding the castle, waiting in anticipation of the ghost’s appearance, Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus hear trumpets flourish from within, proclaiming the King’s late night partying (1.4). Horatio asks about the nature of the commotion, however, Hamlet remains nonplussed, crestfallen by the evening’s affairs. In his lengthy, 26-line response to Horatio’s simple question, “Is it a custom,” Hamlet experiences an internal struggle between fated traditions and logic, elaborates upon the country’s damaged reputation, the immediate yield of the King’s drinking, and argues that even the most picayune evils can eradicate a man’s fame (14). Hamlet, despite his devotion to kin and country, through sardonic diction, repetition,

Hamlet from Hamlet asserts, “To die, to sleep-- No more--and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation.” (Act 3, Sc 1) Hamlet believes that death is the only way out. Death is to be embraced because it is the only way to escape the pain from this world. Death was an eye opener in a different way to Hamlet.

In the short story, “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe, the author uses the rhetorical device of symbolism. In this allegorical piece Edgar uses symbolism to explore his central idea more thoroughly. The central idea is that no matter what the characters did or where they went, they couldn't escape death as death is inevitable. Throughout the story the masqueraders were living life to the fullest, but then they were quickly reminded that morality cannot be avoided. Poe uses symbolism with the seventh chamber, the ebony clock, and the masked figure to expand on the theme of death.

Poe essay Fear is a natural instinct that could potentially save your life, but that doesn't mean it’s always a good thing. Fear can lead to paranoia or obsession, and then it can engulf your sanity. If you become so fearful in the face of danger it could possibly cause paralysis, cloud your rational thought, or cause you to faint. However, it could potentially save your life by holding you back from irrational acts, making your more alert, or offering restraining from making hazardous decisions.

When life becomes rough, how do people cope with it? Some people channel their struggles through a creative outlet. Others deal with it in more negative and harmful ways. Edgar Allen Poe dealt with his hardships in both ways. Many people in his life, including his parents, had died when he was young, thus starting the chain that was his depressing life.

The stories “The Masque of the Red Death”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Man of the Crowd” by Edgar Allan Poe are similar in their setting, mood, main characters, and topics such as symbolism, conflict, and foreshadowing. Poe has a specific writing style that makes his works similar and easily identifiable. Poe tends to write about sickness and death. These topics reflect greatly on his life and show through in many of his works. When Poe was young he was adopted by a rich family, Mr. and Mrs. John Allen; he did not have a very good relationship with Mr. Allen.