Edgar Allen Poe: The Masque Essay

            The Masque Essay: No Clever Title Intended.
            
             CI: In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death- the setting creates a threatening atmosphere.
             TS: The layout of the abbey, the seventh room, and the clock all contribute to the ominous mood.
             TS:.
             1) The curious construction of the abbey sets the beginning of an inauspicious mood.
             2) The grim symbolism of the seventh room creates a foreboding ambiance.
             3) The large ebony clock harbored in the seventh chamber is the all-encompassing portent of doom, contributing to a sinister mood.
             CS: The dark elements of the setting magnify the miserable fate of the Prince and his compatriots.
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             The Masque Essay: No Clever Title Intended.
             The backgrounds of many prominent pieces of literature are particularly memorable, whether it be the jungles in Heart of Darkness or the seamy French Quarter of New Orleans in A Streetcar Named Desire. These tales could not be the same without their setting. The setting to a story is critical; it can create mood, be satirical, or even a separate character itself. In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death- the setting creates a threatening atmosphere. The story centers on the arrogant Prince Prospero and his folly in trying to avoid a plague sweeping the countryside. He gathers 1,000 of his friends to wait out the disease by barricading themselves within his abbey and throwing an extravagant masquerade. The deaths of the Prince and the nobles are the inevitable results of these efforts. However, the striking setting is the driving force in this tale. The layout of the abbey, the seventh room, and the clock all contribute to the ominous mood. The portentous atmosphere expresses the piece far better than the fate of the Prince.
             The curious construction of the abbey sets the beginning of an inauspicious mood. The abbey itself is formidable and intimidating. It is welded shut so that no disease can enter yet no one can escape.