The Masque of the Red Death

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Slide 19

Summary

Poe’s tale of an eccentric nobleman and the Red Death ravaging his land can be read both as a chilling ghost story and as an allegory representing human folly and the inevitability of death. (In other words, you cannot hide from death regardless how much money you have.)

Slide 20

Summary

Prince Prospero invites a thousand lords and ladies to escape death by living luxuriously in his castle until the pestilence passes.

To entertain his guests Prospero hosts a masquerade party that takes place in seven halls, each a different color.

Slide 21

Summary

At the stroke of midnight, a tall figure in a blood-splattered burial costume appears.

Prospero demands that his friends seize the intruder, but everyone is frozen with fear as the stranger slowly walks through the rooms.

Finally, Prospero rushes after him into the black seventh room.

Slide 22

Summary

When the intruder turns, the host falls dead.

The revelers then grab the stranger but find the costume empty.

All soon die of the Red Death.

Slide 23

Comments

The allegorical meaning of the story is found in such details as

Prospero’s name (Prospero means prosperous)

Unfortunately, the Red Death attacks the rich and poor alike

The stranger’s appearance (Dressed like the Grim Reaper or Death)

The arrangement of the seven halls

The rooms of the palace, lined up in a series, allegorically represent the stages of life.

Their colors, particularly the black (death) and red (blood) of the westernmost room with its ebony clock marking the inevitable passage of time.

“No matter how beautiful the castle, how luxuriant the clothing, or how rich the food, no mortal, not even a prince, can escape death. “

-Sparknotes.com