Castellated Abbey Symbolism

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In Edgar Allen Poe’s, The Masque of the Red Death, the story follows a party that is held by Prince Prospero. The Party is held in a sealed castle full of rich and wealthy people who are trying to escape the horror of death and especially the “Red death”. The Red death is a parallel to the black plague. Although this castle is shut from all people in outside world, it cannot save people from Death as he breaks in and manages to kill everything and everyone. This story implements the idea that everyone is equal in the eyes of Death by using symbols and element such as; Castellated Abbey, The Clock and Colored Rooms, and lastly the Red Death. The Castellated Abbey is used to symbolize solidarity and safety for the wealthy and powerful, from …show more content…
The Clock is a symbol of death and when it strikes midnight or the twelve chime it calls upon the death of all living things pertaining to the Castellated Abbey. “commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock… twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock… individuals… found… the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before… whispering… arose at length from the whole company…and surprise --then, finally, of terror, of horror...there were found none who put forth hand to seize him… he passed… the vast assembly, as if with one impulse, shrank from the centres of the rooms to the walls, he made his way uninterruptedly,” the quote explains that upon the twelfth and final chime, Death himself sneaks into the castle like a thief through the night, and makes his presence known to the barrage of wealthy individuals. He strikes fear into everyone and eventually puts an end to the castles festivities alongside with the lives of the masses. Lastly, the Red Death. The Red death, literally symbolizes death, “Even… to whom… death is equally… whilse… a deadly terror that had seized upon all,” As weird as this may seem, the Red Death appears to resemble the likes of a judge, or as someone who decides fate. As the legal system claims everyone is equal underneath the law, the same applies to Death as no one is greater in death's eyes, we are all equal. He will come for all some sooner than
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