Cornell Notes: Masque of the Red Death
Allegory
Interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning.
Pestilence
Fatal plague/disease
“The Red Death” Can potentially be interpreted as “the
black death”: pg.341: Sharp pains,
sudden dizziness, bleeding from pores.
Lasted a half hour until death.
Sagacious
Having shown good judgment
Prince Prospero He hid in his castle, trying to make it as
“death” proof as possible. He never left,
and had everything brought to him. He
stayed in for 6 months.
Voluptuous
Characterized by luxury or sensual
pleasure
The Rooms
Stained glass windows that matched
the color of the room. The room went
from east to west.
1. East: Blue
2. Purple
3. Green
4. Orange
5. White
6. Violet
7. Black decorations, Red stained
window: pg. 342. Scarlet: a deep
red color: the light creeped the
people out. So no one went in
there.
There was no light inside the rooms.
There was coal burning at the end of
every corridor allowing the stained
glass to illuminate.
Candelabrum
Countenances
Giant Ebony
Clock
Perforce (343)
Reverie
Tremulousness
Revel
Piquancy
Phantasm
Peal
Solemnly
emphatic
A large branched candle stick-or a
candle holder
A facial expression.
It was in the “west” black & red room. It
would go off very loudly with music
every hour. The orchestra would stop
playing, and everyone would stop and
listen.
Deal with an issue immediately
Pleasantly lost in ones thoughts, a day
dream.
Trembling, quivering, shaking
Even with these things being weird the
party was still delightful/revel.
Pleasantly sharp flavor
Apparently seen but having no physical
reality.
A loud ringing of bells
“grave” “Showing emphasis”: of a more
grave emphasis
Summary 345
Gaieties
“the masked
figure”
Those who reached the 7th room, heard
a much more “grave” sound from the
clock than the others.
A state of joyful exuberance
They never noticed it before because
they were all partying. Now that they
had to stop for 12 gongs of the clock.
-The people were creeped out and
everyone was dressed in costume.
-It was creeper than the “princes
decorum”
“There are
chords in the
hearts of the
reckless which
cannot be
touched without
emotion”(346)
Jest
Joke: Even with people who don’t care
about life and death. There are matter
where no joke can be made.
Vesture
Clothing
Unimpeded
Without obstruction
Impetuosity
Sudden and forceful
Death of
-He stood in the blue room yelling at
prospero?
the mocker who was dressed as “the
Illimitable
dominion
red death”
-the red death passed by, but no one
reached out to stop him
-He then walked from the blue chamber
to the black
-The prince embarrassed that he let him
pass, followed him with a dagger in
hand.
-At the edge of the violet carpet, the
“mummy” turned around and looked at
the prince. He dropped his dagger, and
fell face first.
Without limits or an end; control.
Limitless control.
Symbolism?
Allegory?
Sunrise-Sunset. East to West. Life to
Death.
Room represent stages of life.
Clock: deaths final judgment. Their lives
are going away with time. They are
always moving closer to death.
“A Thief in the
Night”
Compares to the rapture of Paul’s
letter. A lot of allegorical messages
come from the Bible.
Theme: we cannot escape death, we
can only accept it.