Suspense is the feeling of uncertainty or excitement, in waiting for an outcome or decision. Edgar Allan Poe uses suspense in his story “Masque of the Red Death” by using objects and great descriptive detail. Poe’s story is about a prince that tries to escape from the inevitable. He tries to lock himself away from the ‘red death’ and has a masquerade ball that doesn’t end happily. Prince and all of his guests die inside or around the seventh apartment room. The seventh room is preceded by six colored rooms which are meant to symbolize either the stages of life, or the seven sins. Inside the last room there are black velvet tapestries that hang all over the ceiling and down the walls. The window panes are a deep blood red color which gives the room an unwelcoming atmosphere. On the western wall, there is a gigantic clock of a deep black wood. Inside it has a pendulum that swings back and forth with a dull monotonous clang. When the minute hand marks a new hour, there is a clear, loud, deep sound, which can be heard from far away. Although it can give off an eerie feeling, the great eb...
Suspense is a key factor to the story, “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe. According to the Oxford Dictionary, suspense is the state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen. Poe uses the senses to bring the reader aware of the building suspense. He does this by telling the reader about the ominous setting of all the chambers, especially the seventh chamber. The sound of the grandfather clock, sending sinister shivers throughout the party goers each hour, keeps them on their toes. Finally, the fast-paced chase of the intruder and the Prince build to the suspense at the final moments of the story.
In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Edgar Allan Poe uses imagery, sensory detail and symbolism not only to build suspense, but also to convey the idea that an individual can not hide or run away from death which becomes closer as time passes on. Throughout the story Poe uses imagery details to create suspense in the story. For example when the author is describing the disease that has taken many lives he describes the unfortunate event as, “ Blood was its Avator and its seal- the redness and the horror of blood. One can understand that in the story the tragic death of someone might occur as tragically as the disease is described. Accordingly, as the story progresses the deep shade of the color red is evident in many areas to represent symbolism.
Edgar Allan Poe was famous for his poems, short stories, motifs, themes, etc. After reading three of his most famous works: “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Raven,” and “The Masque of the Red Death,” I found that the “Masque of the Red Death” was my personal favorite. In this story, Edgar Allan Poe enthralled the reader with his entire concept, symbols, and the way he infused history into the interesting and haunting story.
The author, Edgar Allan Poe, using illusion or misdirection keeps the reader is suspense throughout this story called "The Masque of the Red Death". Symbolism such as the colored rooms, the impressive clock, the feeling of celebration being at a party all makes this story feel like a fairytale. Poe used this fairytale style and converts it into a nightmare in disguise.
Edgar Allen Poe, in the short story “The Masque of the Red Death”, shows how people may try to outsmart death and surpass it, but in the end they will die since death is inevitable. He reveals this in the book by showing all the people closed up in the abbey that belongs to Prince Prospero. They are trying to escape the “Red Death” and think that they can escape the death by hiding away in the abbey. They manage to stay safe for six months but in the end they all die after the stroke of midnight during the masquerade ball Prince Prospero puts on from the Red Death itself which appears after midnight and leaves no survivors in the end. Poe develops the theme of how no one can escape death through the use of the point of view, the setting, and symbolism.
"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. All these and security were within. Without was the 'Red Death,'" (209). As Edgar Allen Poe set the scene for his story, he also created an ominous mood and a sense of suspense supported by the setting. He details the fun and amusement inside the prince's abbey, in contrast to the horror and doom outside, and the reader's curiosity is piqued, because such bliss cannot be maintained for long. Throughout the story Poe explicates and changes elaborate environments to build the suspenseful energy and create a strong structure. In "The Masque of the Red Death," setting is employed to organize motives and action, and to focus the reader on the climax. Poe targets the culminating point of his story using rich descriptions of the abbey, the masquerade, and the clock.
Edgar Allen Poe's The Masque of the Red Death is an elaborate allegory that combines
In the short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe, diction is extensively used to create an air of suspense. Poe’s use of diction along with symbolism contributes to establishing a mood of despair. By using symbolic comparison between the Ushers and their house, the story’s suspense builds and the characteristics of the Ushers are portrayed. Poe’s cunning tactics are evident in the way he achieves a story of both suspense and horror.
I believe that the first picture depicts the story, “The Masque of the Red Death.” Poe wanted the main theme to be, “Wealth offers no refugee from death.” In the picture above, the artist is trying to demonstrate that everyone is at the masquerade ball, and while they are celebrating, a manifestation of the Red Death comes in. As the story said, once it struck midnight, all the guests stopped everything that they were doing and became frightened and confused on how someone could have entered the palace that was locked down. After being trapped inside the palace for months, they all knew who was inside. This creature was never seen before, and even in the picture a person seems to want to touch the person. They are all curious and wonder who can this person be and how did they enter the palace.
Edgar Allan Poe is very great at setting the mood. In some of his poems and stories, he sets a very distinctive mood/feeling that the reader can feel. In, “The Masque of the Red Death” he does this really well. Poe uses the setting, imagery, and tone to help set the mood. The places, colors, and things that go down helped him tremendously in setting the atmosphere for this story.
Edgar Allen Poe’s writing is often characterized by his innate ability to elicit a sense of foreboding within the reader. Due to how the deaths of his mother and wife and facing abandonment from his father, Poe became infatuated with death and the limits of human sanity. These themes are common characteristics of many of his short stories. However, The Masque of the Red Death, published in 1842, in particular utilizes many literary devices which contribute to the haunting overall tone and mood in the story.
Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, "The Telltale Heart" and "The Masque of the Red Death" are two very different stories. One is about a simple man, perhaps a servant, who narrates the tale of how he kills his wealthy benefactor, and the other is about a prince who turns his back on his country while a plague known as The Red Death ravages his lands. Yet, there are some similarities in both. Time, for instance, and the stroke of midnight, seem to always herald the approach of impending death. Both are killers, one by his own hand, the other by neglecting his country. One seeks peace, the other seeks pleasure, but both are motivated by the selfish need to rid themselves of that which haunts them, even at the expense of another's life. However, the point of this critique will show that their meticulous plans to beat that which torments them are undone by a single flaw in their character - overconfidence.
Poe who wrote the “ The Masque of the Red Death" 200 years ago could have been talking about the modern day disease of Ebola. Although the Ebola disease you do bleed out of you body almost kinda what the story said was you bleed out your pours. Poe was talking about the Ebola disaster that hit Africa. Based on the story you bleed out your nose your eyes and the Red Death was very similar to the Ebola the way the story’s had explained it. The story about “The Masque Of the Red Death” was made up by Poe; it’s not a real thing. The symptoms are the same there were sharp pains sudden dizziness, and bleeding out your pours in both illnesses.
Poe and Hawthorne are two American writers who have defined literature as we know it today. Both brought the standards for short stories to a whole new level never seen before. Poe’s writing style sought out to leave the reader with a single effect and or message conveyed through the story. However Hawthorne placed more emphasis on the authors view of the world around him. These forward and evolutionary thoughts changed the way people today appreciate the languages present in the writings. Hawthorne and Poe were so evolutionary because of their use of different themes, symbols, characterization and most importantly the settings of the stories themselves. The coolest part about these authors is how they each uniquely presented romantic and gothic themes differently in the same short story format.
Overall, “Masque of the Red Death” is by far the best example of horror. The story goes above and beyond with making people really ponder, bring out emotions, and brings the reader into the story. No other author could have ever done the amazing work with this horror story like Poe did. This horror story will give a scare to anyone who reads it, gives them chills that run down their body, feel sick to their stomach, and have their heart start to race and as a result, creates one of the best horror stories to date.