Edgar Allan Poe was an American author and editor, who was best known for his works in Gothic literature. Most of Poe’s stories deal with the theme of horror, as was reflected in Poe’s life as it was full of tragedy involving the loss of many of his beloved wives and mothers. The following stories are amongst Poe’s most celebrated stories; The Tell Tale Heart - a short story told by an unreliable narrator who persuades the readers of his sanity, while telling of a murder he committed. The Masque of the Red Death - a story that illustrates Prince Prospero’s efforts to eschew the dangerous plague by hiding in his castle, where he throws a party. In the midst of the party, a guest in disguise enters the castle, and kills everyone including …show more content…
We could analyze each character’s reaction by looking into Gothic elements. The quotation “I talked more quickly, more vehemently but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations;…” (1843, Poe) shows how guilt overtook the narrator, and as a result he is talking in a heightened tone. The narrator is displaying Gothic traits of an unreliable narrator, who is oppressing himself to not confess his evil deeds, until he finally does. The tension in the story is drastically building up, making the readers anxious to think whether the narrator will admit the truth or not. In the Masque of the Red Death, on the other hand, guilt does not really capture Prospero and he reacts insolently to death. A passage from the story depicts how the protagonist is annoyed; “It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers,…“(1842, Poe). Here, the protagonist shows Gothic characteristics of “a distressed character”. This is because the character cannot overcome his stress. This trait allows the readers to make a connection to a real life example, where they are trying to discard something that is annoying them. Prospero is constantly under pressure because he thinks that he can outwit death, but knows deep inside his heart that it will find him one day. The Gothic conventions successfully captures each character’s way of conceiving
All writings, whether fictional or nonfictional, have a purpose. Whether it’s an argument or a theme, the author is trying to convey something. The use of rhetorical devices can help express the author’s point. Then “The Masque of the Red Death,” a gothic short story by Edgar Allan Poe, symbolism and allusion are used to express the theme that death is inevitable. Unlike most, “The Masque of the Red Death” is jampacked with symbolism, the two most prominent being that of the seven rooms and the large ebony clock.
Poe’s stories “Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” display the dark romantic theme of a man’s soul by the development of the setting, plot, and characterization. As both stories begin, the initial device used to advance the theme is setting, which remains grim and sinister throughout the duration of both stories. Accompanying these physical details is the plot, each of which includes the murder of an innocent man. Most notably, the characterization of each piece’s narrator allows the audience to fully understand their internal struggle and its final resolution. While “Cask of Amontillado” contains an overall intriguing and unexpected plot as well as setting, the narrator’s characterization proves this story to conclude in a less
One of the most influential authors of all time, Edgar Allan Poe, uses dark imagery and complex syntax to make his short stories and poems harrowing and mysterious. Poe’s tragic backstory contributes to his writing style. Poe’s depressing life, such as the death of his mother, foster mother, and wife to tuberculosis caused him to write stories such as The Masque of the Red Death a story about a disease similar to tuberculosis called the Red Death spread across the country. Another theme throughout some of Poe’s stories is young women dying such as in Annabel Lee and The Fall of the House of Usher. A reason for this is because most every women he loved, his mom, foster mom, and wife, died young.
The Prosper of Death: Revealing the Theme in "Masque of the Red Death" In gothic horror short story "Masque of the Red Death," Edgar Allan Poe writes about how Prince Prospero’s fear and obsession lead him to an inevitable psychological death. Poe reveals the message that phobias can cause people to lose sanity, regardless of who you are. This idea is conveyed through setting, characters, and symbolism.
His pride was deprived. The last example of an overweening pride in “ The Masque of the Red Death”, the narrator told a story about the Red Death and Prince Prospero. Prince Prospero did not care for his suffering subjects who died from a serious disease called the Red Death. He invited his friends to the castle for a masked ball.
“The Masque of the Red Death” displays the gothic element of a character 's motivation caused by fear. Prince Prospero insured his and his guests’ safety with “The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts” (Poe 430). In order to protect himself and the guests from the contagion he had the doors of the abbey sealed shut. The fear of getting the contagion caused Prince Prospero to seal himself in the abbey. Prince Prospero’s fear is not only shown towards the contagion, but towards the masked figure.
In “The Masque of Red Death”, Edgar Allan Poe uses symbolism and powerful symbolism to describe the figure that enters Prince Prospero’s safehaven. A clear example of this is when Poe describes the figure as “tall and gaunt” (Poe 124). When taken literally, Poe perfectly describes the physical form of the figure. Readers are able to visualize how intimidating the mere outline of the figure is to those in his presence.
(PG 498). Edgar Allan Poe was a genius when it came to writing horror stories. He was able to embody the character and make them life like by throwing them into strange, but realistic situations. In order to be an amazing writer your audience should be able to picture what is happening as they are reading the story and while you are reading “The Tell-Tale Heart,” you are able to do just that. Poe uses outstanding metaphors that grant us entry into the depths of our imagination as he tells this thrilling story.
“If life must not be taken too seriously, then so neither must death” -Samuel Butler. Perhaps some believe in this quote although on a deeper level it can be seen as foolish and ignorant. In the short story, “The Masque of the Red Death”, the author, Edgar Allan Poe, applies an abundance of literary devices to make evident the foolishness of ignoring death’s inevitability by comparing life and death. Essentially Poe utilizes allusions throughout the story to barry a deeper meaning into the text of the story.
Edgar Allen Poe was a mysterious man that exemplified in gothic horror on his short stories and poems. He is best known for his use of dark, eerie, and emotionally haunted characters and elements of the supernatural in American Literature. Although, not much is mentioned from his biography, his subjective like qualities in his short stories captured the public’s attention. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as his nostalgic poetry. The meaning of the lives in his characters all portray an eerie subconscious of the narrator before he commits heinous crimes of premeditated murder.
But one of Poe’s stories, The Masque of the Red Death (1842), relies heavily on themes of death, pestilence, human nature, and religion. Through these themes and symbolism, Poe explores the darker side of humanity and the meaning behind life. “The Masque of the Red Death” is a story about Prince Prospero and his kingdom that
These quotes proved that a main theme is Poe’s stories is that anger leads to bad decisions. In Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator killed the old man because he did like his eye. Killing the old man was a bad decision. In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor killed Fortunato because Fortunato Hurt him. Again killing is a bad decision.
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author; he mainly focused in genres such as short stories and poems. Poe didn’t have much of an academic background in literature but, he excelled in it. Some people believe that his success was mostly due to the fact that his life was very sad, filled by a series on misfortunate events, such as being an orphan, suffering from poverty and being constantly surrounded by death. In his works, Poe portrays narratives that are characterized by their mystery and macabre. The topic of death was ever present in his work, constantly describe with dark moods and somewhat terrifying settings.
The fictional short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe takes place in the catacombs of Montresor’s palace, during the carnival’s climax. The story begins when Montresor, the villain of the story, vows revenge on Fortunato. Throughout the story, the author doesn't tell us what the revenge will be, but his choice of words in the details creates a mood in the reader. The author’s detailed description in the short story creates different moods in the reader like anger, satisfaction, curiosity, and victory because the chosen words connect with the audience.
In Poe’s stories, the main characters experience fear, but they all handle it distinctively. Poe uses irony, symbolism, and imagery to show how fear affects the narrator’s mindset, along with their future. In “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Masque of Red Death”, the main characters try to isolate themselves from evil, but Poe uses irony to show that death is inevitable.