“The Masque of the Red
Death”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
Known for what type of literature?
Horror, Suspense,
Mystery
Other works by Poe include:
 CASK
OF AMONTILLADO
 FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
 MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE
 THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
 ANNABEL LEE
 ELDORADO
 THE RAVEN
 THE TELL-TALE HEART
REVIEW: Compare and contrast
inside versus outside of the Prince
Prospero’s Abbey.
Inside
Wealth
Fantasy
Life
Happiness
Health
Hope
Outside
Poverty
Reality
Death; Destruction
Sorrow
Disease/Sickness
Despair
Going from East to West:
Blue
White
Purple
Violet
Green
Black/Red
Orange
Literary Focus
Suspense
 Foreshadowing
 Symbolism

Suspense
The
quality of a story that
keeps you guessing
Makes you read to find out
what happens next!
Foreshadowing
 The
use of hints about what
is going to happen next
 Heightens suspense
Examples of
Suspense/foreshadowing
 Description
of the plague’s symptoms
 Doors welded shut; one couldn't leave
even if one wanted to
 Dim, pulsing lights from the burning coals
 Black room with the red panes
 Appearance and behavior of the intruder
 Clock constantly stopping the party
Why does the prince think he can
escape the plague? (infer)

Various answers…
Uninvited guest or something
else?

Prove your point…
Symbolism

Symbol – an object, person, or event that
represents something else
 Used
to make a point, create a mood, or
reinforce a theme
 Many
symbols have obvious/universal
meanings, like COLORS
WHAT MIGHT EACH
COLOR REPRESENT?
Group Work

Symbolism through colors
 Rotate
through “Color” Stations
 Think about objects associated with the colors
to help you come up with ideas that the
colors symbolize!
 Write your ideas on your Group Chart
 Pick your best ideas and write them on the
COLORED construction paper
 Answer the questions at the bottom
1. BLUE
Masculinity; Sadness;
Melancholy; Calm
2. PURPLE
Royalty
3. GREEN
Envy; luck; nature
4. ORANGE
Caution
5. WHITE
Purity; peace
6. PINK
Femininity
7. BLACK
Death; mourning
7. RED
Love; Hatred;
Passion; Help
Symbolism creates the “Mood”
 What
mood or effect is
created by the colors and
the lighting in the rooms of the
ball?
 It
causes a dream-like effect.
 Fantasy
Symbolism makes a point…

Why do you think the rooms are aligned
from East to West?
 The
sun sets from east to west
 symbolizing something coming to an end;
death
Why do you think Poe chose to
have SEVEN rooms?
What could the number 7
represent/symbolize?
The Seven Deadly Sins!
Or
The Seven Stages in Life
Seven Stages of Life

When you get to the “White” Room You
will completed the 7 Stages of Life
Handout.
Seven Deadly Sins
“GELCAPS” is a mnemonic
device.
Mnemonic devices are tools for
those who want help in
remembering important facts.
Click here for top 10 mnemonic
devices!
Group Work

Seven Deadly Sins
 Find
the name(s) of the 7 deadly sins on the
back of colored construction paper.
 Write the name on the appropriate line for
“GELCAPS”
 You will complete 2 sins in the GREEN ROOM
 Come up with a definition
 Write down consequence(s) for each sin
 Answer the question at the bottom
 In the WHITE ROOM you will complete the 7
Stages of LIFE activity
Use these pictures to help you
define the 7 Deadly Sins
GNAME
- Gluttony
DEFINITION
- The
overindulgence of anything.
CONSEQUENCES
- Death
ENAME
- Envy
DEFINITION
others.
- Jealousy of
CONSEQUENCES
- Death
LNAME
- Lust
DEFINITION
- Impure
thoughts and desires.
CONSEQUENCES
- Death
CNAME
- Covetousness
DEFINITION
- The desire
for others’ things
CONSEQUENCES
- Death
ANAME
Anger
DEFINITION
- An out-ofcontrol emotion of rage
CONSEQUENCES
- Death
PNAME
Pride
DEFINITION
- An
overconfidence in one’s self
or one’s abilities
CONSEQUENCES
- Death
SNAME
- Sloth (Procrastination)
DEFINITION
- Laziness
CONSEQUENCES
- Death
* Give (2) reasons why these
sins are considered to be so
dangerous.
Society
them.
When
accepts and promotes
taken to the extreme
they all lead to death.
Other symbols in the story…

What might the following symbolize?
 Prince
Prospero…
 The Masquerade…
 The Masked Figure…
 The Clock…
Prince Prospero –
Wealth; prosperity
He represents mankind's futile
attempt to live forever.
The masquerade –
Fantasy; escaping from reality
The masked figure –
Death in general;
More specifically, the Red
Death Plague
The Clock
It symbolizes reality; their lives
slowly ticking away.
Why use all of these symbols?
To say something without saying it!
 Poe is try to convey a deeper meaning
from this story.
 In other words, we aren’t just talking
about a party and a murdering spree!
 When a story has a deeper meaning than
what’s on the surface it is called an …

Allegory:
A
type of story in which the
characters, settings, and events
are an interconnected series of
SYMBOLS.
 The deeper or symbolic
meaning of the story may
contain a LESSON ABOUT
LIFE.
What do you learn about Prospero's
character from his desire to keep
his palace free of the plague?
He
is afraid to die.
He is prejudice against the
poor.
He thinks he can cheat death.
(He thinks he can buy his way
out.)
What is the allegorical
lesson in the story?
(write in the 3rd Person)
One cannot escape his or her
fate or death.