Similarities Between The Birthmark And The Masque Of The Red Death

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Compare and Contrast Essay “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne are two great pieces of gothic literature. Each piece itself is marvelous in terms of language and structure. The texts in comparison offer very little in the similarity aspect however there are a vast amount of differences in each piece. One talks about a plague while the other speaks about a birthmark representing morality. They may have different plots but both fall under the category of death and both talk about death in similar ways. As well as the characters both have similar personalities. Both pieces differ in some ways but tend to have some things in common. Within each great text there is a complex structure …show more content…

The main character is the one who gets most attention and in both these pieces it is as literal as it could be. Both the Prince and Aylmer have selfish personas, they are thus defined by this trait. In Edgar Allen Poe’s piece it is clear to see that Aylmer is selfish, “the Prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine” (page 2). The actions that the Prince does reflect who he is. He is a selfish man with no care in the world for anything nor anyone. Which leads him unable to rule as dignified as he should. The Prince does not have a care for his people, all he wants to do is live a lavish life and have plenty of fun. In “The Birthmark”, Aylmer shows his selfish side by the way he thinks, he thinks that what he does is just however it is not. For example, this quote gives a better understanding about how we can judge him, "Georgiana," said he, "has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?" (page 1). He is showing his egocentric side, the sides that seems to dictate how things are done. Aylmer is not the owner of her skin which means that he believes he is the supreme dictator among others. Speaking of language and structure both texts offer segments of foreshadowing, the element of foreshadowing is similar and gives similar context but the true

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