Student Question
What is meant by the line "they were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments" in Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death"?
Quick answer:
The line "they were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments" describes the nobles as distorted and contradictory in appearance. While "arabesque" suggests fluid, graceful forms, these figures are actually grotesque and bizarre, as further emphasized by Poe's use of terms like "grotesque," "bizarre," and "terrible." This description creates a sense of hideousness and horror for the reader.
Here Poe is referring to the nobles who are described in contradictory terms. When one hears the word "arabesque," one thinks of the fluid and sensuous lines of a ballet dancer. But these figures are distorted. They have "unsuited limbs and appointments." In paragraph seven, Poe also calls these people "grotesque," "bizarre" and "terrible." The effect for the reader is to feel the full hideousness of their being.
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