What is the last line of The Masque of the Red Death?
And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all is the line that famously ends Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Masque of the Red Death, a story that has been resurfacing again and again lately.
What is the message in The Masque of the Red Death?
The central theme of the short story The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe is the inevitability of death, enhanced by the motif of fear. Another theme the story explores is the nature of reality (or reality versus illusion).
What does the clock symbolize in The Masque of the Red Death quotes?
The clock is another clear symbol of death. It’s black, imposing, and stands in the black and red room (a.k.a. the death room). It represents the continuous passing of time, which brings death closer every instant
How is fear shown in The Masque of the Red Death?
The reader’s fear is also mirrored in the fear felt by the masqueraders in the story towards their own death and anything that reminds them of it. Over the course of the story, their fear builds in a clearly traceable manner, from a nervous unease to an unutterable horror at the climax.
What does the ending of Masque of the Red Death mean?
Prospero’s holdout was life’s last holdout. By the story’s end, death has penetrated Prospero’s holdout and completely destroyed it, and now holds illimitable dominion. In other words, death’s rule has no boundaries. It has conquered all. You can easily see the ending as warning against foolishness.
What was the last room in The Masque of the Red Death?
The final room, the red and black room, faces west, which represents the setting sun. The mummer — the figure in the mask representing death — is dressed all in black. The clock that is forever chiming the hour is black and draped in black velvet, symbolizing funerals.
What happens to Prospero at the end of The Masque of the Red Death?
In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose costume proves to contain nothing tangible inside it; the guests also die in turn.
Who died last in The Masque of the Red Death?
Prospero finally catches up to the new guest in the black-and-red room. As soon as he confronts the figure, Prospero dies. When other party-goers enter the room to attack the cloaked man, they find that there is nobody beneath the costume. Everyone then dies, for the Red Death has infiltrated the castle.
