Edgar Allan Poe's "The
Masque of the Red Death"
About the Author
•
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston. After being
orphaned at age two, he was taken into the home of a childless couple–
John Allan, a successful businessman in Richmond, Va., and his wife. Allan
was believed to be Poe’s godfather. At age six, Poe went to England with
the Allans and was enrolled in schools there. After he returned with the
Allans to the U.S. in 1820, he studied at private schools, then attended the
University of Virginia and the U.S. Military Academy, but did not complete
studies at either school. After beginning his literary career as a poet and
prose writer, he married his young cousin, Virginia Clemm. He worked for
several magazines and joined the staff of the New York Mirror newspaper in
1844. All the while, he was battling a drinking problem. After the Mirror
published his poem “The Raven” in January 1845, Poe achieved national
and international fame. Besides pioneering the development of the short
story, Poe invented the format for the detective story as we know it today.
He also was an outstanding literary critic. Despite the acclaim he received,
he was never really happy because of his drinking and because of the
deaths of several people close to him, including his wife in 1847. He
frequently had trouble paying his debts. It is believed that heavy drinking
was a contributing cause of his death in Baltimore on October 7, 1849.
Plot Summary
• ...A terrifying disease called the Red Death ravages the kingdom of
Prince Prospero. So deadly is it that it kills within a half-hour after
the start of its symptoms: sharp pain, dizziness, and bleeding from
the pores.
.......However, the prince is safe and happy in an abbey to which he
has gone with a thousand knights and ladies selected from his court.
The abbey, which resembles a great castle, is surrounded by a
sturdy wall. Its iron gate has been welded shut, making it impossible
for anyone to enter or leave.
.......Inside, the prince has stocked much food and drink and keeps
companies of musicians, dancers, and clowns for his
entertainment.
After about six months, while the disease was taking its toll outside
in his kingdom, the prince decides to hold a masked ball in the
abbey.
Setting
• Setting The action takes place in the
castle-like abbey of a prince who rules a
kingdom in an age of castles and knights.
Poe does not name the country, but he
uses words suggesting the country of Italy.
Characters
• Prince Prospero: Selfish, wealthy ruler who
withdraws to a castle-like abbey to avoid an
epidemic of a deadly disease.
Knights and Ladies: Members of the court
whom the prince has invited to the abbey. There
are one thousand of them in all.
Entertainers, Musicians, Dancers: They
amuse the prince and his guests.
Uninvited Masquerader: Intruder dressed like
the corpse of a victim of the red death
Type of Work and Year of
Publication
• "The Masque of the Red Death" is a short
story in the Gothic horror genre. It was
published in 1842 in Graham’s Magazine.
• Gothic horror stories focus on dark,
mysterious, and terrifying events.
Meaning of Masque
In Renaissance Europe, a masque was an
elaborate party with guests wearing costumes
and masks. They sang, danced, recited poetry,
and sometimes acted in a play. A masque could
also consist only of a procession or pageant of
costumed persons–or simply the kind of
costume ball staged by Prince Prospero in “The
Masque of the Red Death.” Of course, in Poe’s
story, masque not only refers to Prospero’s ball
but also to the disguise (mask) of the Red
Death.
The Red Death
• The Red Death is like a real disease that occurred in
Medieval and Renaissance Europe–septicemic plague.
Within hours after infecting a person, this deadliest form
of plague caused high fever and turned the skin purple. A
victim of septicemic plague sometimes got up in the
morning healthy, without an ache or a pain, and went to
bed in a grave. Plague was spread from rats to humans
by fleas. Septicemic plague, poisoned the bloodstream.
Europe suffered from three different plagues. Together
these three kinds of plague were known as the Black
Death. It is thought that 25 million people died during the
Back Death. This was about 50% of the population of
Europe at the time.
Themes in “The Masque of the Red
Death
• (1) No man or woman can escape death.
• (2) Members of a community–especially
the leaders–have a duty to help those in
need