Allegory

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Allegory and Symbols in "The Masque of the Red
Death"
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Party Guests
What it represents They represent humanity/
human beings. How it helps teach the lesson
Although the party guests isolate themselves,
they still die from the Red Death, thus showing
no one can escape death.
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The Abbey
What it represents The abbey is a physical
barrier to the disease, an escape from the
disease How it helps teach the lesson Even
though Prince Prospero thinks he can build a
castle strong enough to keep death out, death
still penetrates the castle walls.
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What it represents The wealthy, privileged
people the upper class. How it helps teach the
lesson The wealthy think they can avoid
suffering and death or think they are above the
powers of mortality, but they are not.
Prince Prospero
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What it represents An attempt to have fun/
avoid unpleasant things by pretending everything
is okay. How it helps teach the lesson People
have a hard time facing their mortality or a
serious problem, so they simply ignore it.
The Masquerade Ball
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The Black Room
What it represents It represents the grave, a
coffin, forebodes of death (the red symbolizes
blood). How it helps teach the lesson It shows
that death is the final resting place for all.
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The Seven Rooms
blue, purple, green, orange, white,
violet, black
What it represents The stages of life
infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice,
pantaloon (a foolish old man), second childhood
(ultimately death)from Shakespeares As You
Like It. How it helps teach the lesson The
rooms begin in the east and end in the west (the
sun rises and the sun sets). The seventh room
represents death. No matter where our journey
begins, it will always end with death.
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"Seven Ages of Man"
From As You Like It by William
Shakespeare
All the world's a stage,And all the men and
women merely playersThey have their exits and
their entrances,And one man in his time plays
many parts,His acts being seven ages.At first,
the infant,Mewling and puking in the nurse's
arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his
satchelAnd shining morning face, creeping like
snailUnwillingly to school.
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And then the lover,Sighing like furnace, with a
woeful balladMade to his mistress'
eyebrow.Then a soldier,Full of strange oaths
and bearded like the pard,Jealous in honor,
sudden and quick in quarrel,Seeking the bubble
reputationEven in the cannon's mouth. And then
the justice,In fair round belly with good capon
lined,With eyes severe and beard of formal
cut,Full of wise saws and modern instancesAnd
so he plays his part.
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The sixth age shifts into the lean and slippered
pantaloon,With spectacles on nose and pouch on
sideHis youthful hose, well saved, a world too
wideFor his shrunk shank, and his big manly
voice,Turning again toward childish treble,
pipesAnd whistles in his sound. Last scene of
all, That ends this strange eventful history,Is
second childishness and mere oblivion,Sans
teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
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The Seven Rooms
What it represents The seven deadly sins
pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, sloth.
(Biblical reference Proverbs) How it helps teach
the lesson The seven deadly sins underlie all
that is wrong in the world and are attributed to
the selfish causes of human behavior, the actual
reasons why we hurt each other.
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Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities
that interferes with the individual's recognition
of the grace of God. It has been called the sin
from which all others arise. Pride is also known
as Vanity. Envy is the desire to have others'
possessions, status, abilities, or situation.
Envy is also known as Jealousy. Gluttony is an
excessive desire to overeat.
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Lust is an excessive craving for the pleasures of
the body. Anger is manifested in the individual
who has a strong feeling of annoyance,
displeasure, or hostility. It is also known as
Wrath. Greed is the excessive desire for material
wealth or gain. It is also Covetousness. Sloth is
laziness.
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The Music
What it represents It represents life or the
tempo of life . How it helps teach the lesson
It gives us a sense of vulnerability each time
it is stilled by the chiming of the clock, we
recognize life is fleeting.
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Ebony Clock
What it represents The clock represents our
time on earth, our life span. How it helps teach
the lesson The chimes are a constant reminder
of the time we have left on earth. Time is still
ticking onwards (like the beating of a heart).
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The Masked Visitor/ Uninvited Guest
What it represents It represents the Red
Death, the plague, death in general. How it helps
teach the lesson(develops the theme) It shows
us that we cannot escape death, no matter how
hard we try. Death will come looking for us.
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What it represents They represent light and
hope. Hope can be seen in the strength of a small
flame. How it helps teach the lesson Like the
party goers, the tripods are snuffed out at the
end by death. Once all the revelers are dead,
hope can no longer be achieved. There is no one
left to keep hope alive.
The Tripods with flames
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He had come like a thief in the night.
This Biblical allusion the Day of the Lord will
come like a thief in the night, refers to the
Judgment Day. Many believe that on the day of
judgment people will give account for every
careless word and every careless deed they have
committed against their fellow man.
Appropriately, this symbolizes that Prince
Prospero and his guests have arrived at their
Judgment Day.
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Theme
Wealth cannot save you from death. There is no
escaping death. Everyone is on the same playing
field where death is concerned.