Symbolism and Allegory in 'The Masque of the Red Death' by Edgar Allan Poe, Schemes and Mind Maps of History of film

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Symbolism & Allegory in

“The Masque of The Red

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Names and People:

 Prospero---  Prosperous, successful, rich, wealth, worldly power, good life

 People at the ball---  Humanity, tendency of humans to try to escape the inevitability of death

Appearance---

 Masked man has no tangible form—symbolizes death, evil, time

 Death shroud splatters blood, mask looks like the face of a corpse, dotted with blood

 Ghost may be someone who has died of the Red Death  Control is an illusion---Red Death still got in the castle

Halls/Rooms---

 Represent the Stages of Life, entered one at a time.

 East to West, symbolizes sunrise to sunset, beginning and ending of life.

 7 th^ room, scary, symbolizes end of life, guests avoid it; death comes to everyone; clock is in this room.

 Prince chases death through rooms,

 stages of life

Clock---

 Passing of time, tangible reminder

 Midnight is the hour of endings, literally & symbolically binds life & time together

 Chimes strike out the passage of time

 People pause every time clock strikes, reminder of passing time/life

Allegorical Meaning---

Masque of the Red Death

 Life is a party, festive celebration.

 Life is transient, passing and brief.

 Wealth and power cannot stop death

 Death comes to everyone, rich or poor.