What is the symbolism within the story, "The Masque of the Red Death"???

If you give me a lot of info on that, then can you at least give me a few answers to this question. I need it for an essay on the works of Poe, but actually I'm only going to do it on this story. So pleaze help me.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

Answers

Hey Nate. Though I would help you out a bit. These are some of my rough notes so I hope you can understand them.

The Red Death had been raging for sometime Blood is the avitar of the Red Death Sharp pains Dizziness Bleeding at the pores with dissulution All this takes a half hour Pest Ban-a sign saying there is nothing you can do for them Prospero's goal was to live out the disease He takes 1000 people into the castle to live with him After 6 months all the people's spirits are down He decides to throw a masquerade He wants this to be different than anyone has ever seen before The seven chambers are different colors He arranged the room in a east to west order Each room had a tall gothic window Outside each window was a tripod on fire 7th chamber is different cause the window is red Ebony clock=black Theme=death is inevitable

7th Chamber decorated in black-traditional color is mourning the color black makes this room look like a funeral parlor blood red window blood is the avatior of the Red Death Triggers thoughts of the Red Death the light through the red window makes people look like they have the Red Death Within that chamber there is also the Ebony clock

Ebony Clock Provides a constant emphatic empahsis on time within the chamber-a contant ticking is like a countdown of the remaining time in their lives hourly chiming-everything ceases the people have time to contemplate reality

Masked Figure Dressed in the habiliments(burial garments)of the grave the habiliments are splattered with blood the figure has a mask that looks like a stiffened corpse the mask was splattered with blood the funeral pace of it's movement enters the 7th chamber, goes to stand along the Ebony CLock. "It's time to die"

Midnight-beginning of a new day. End of a day (the beginning of the end)

7days sun-sat beginning to end

East-West Sunrise-sunset Beginning -end

The masked figure is a symbolic symbol of the Red Death. It is not a real person!!!

Hoped this helped some

Sarah

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2000