Masque of the Red Death
Context Clues: words or phrases to help with the understanding of the new word
Using context clues, define the unfamiliar words from the story.
Directions: For each of the following sentences, use context clues to determine the meaning of the italicized word. Write
the meaning of the word on the lines below.
1. “He had directed, in great part, the moveable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon occasion of
this great fete.”
2. “There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores.”
3. “But to the chamber which lies most westwardly of the seven, there are now none of the maskers who
venture; for the night is waning away; and there flows a ruddier light through the blood-colored panes.”
4. “When the eyes of Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral image (which with a slow and solemn
movement, as if more fully to sustain its role, stalked to and fro among the waltzers) he was seen to be
convulsed.”
5. “There was a sharp cry --and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly
afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero.”
Masque of the Red Death
Answer the following questions about the story.
Why does Prince Prospero fortify his home?
What do the dancers do when the clock strikes?
How does Prince Prospero react to the stranger?
Why does Prince Prospero hide in his palace?
How is life different outside of the palace?
Describe the uninvited guest.
What happens at the end of the story?
Would you like to have the prince as a friend? Explain
Masque of the Red Death
Symbol: a character, place, object or event that represents something else.
Directions: Answer the question below then complete the following chart. Explain what each symbol in “The Masque of
the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe represents and how it helps teach the lesson of the story.
Briefly explain what happens in this story. Then look for another layer of meaning. What lesson is Poe trying
to teach us?
Symbol
Example: Dreams
The Masked Visitor
The Black Chamber
The Music
The Tripods with Flames
What it represents
Masqueraders, fantasies
How it helps teach the lesson
Shows that life is short; foreshadows the grim
ending to the story
Masque of the Red Death
Symbol: a character, place, object or event that represents something else.
Pg. 83
Who are the first people Prospero invited to his masquerade? What do they represent?
Who are the other group of people Prospero has invited? What do they represent?
Pg. 85
Describe the clock, pay careful attention to the author’s description.
What might the clock symbolize?
Pg. 87
Describe the revelers’ response to the new guest?
.
What details in the description of the new guest help you to understand the symbolism of the
character?
End
Describe the seventh apartment and explain what it might represent.
What do you think the gigantic clock symbolizes?
What do you think Poe (the author) is trying to say? What is the theme?
Masque of the Red Death
Setting: Time and place in which the events occur.
What is the setting of the story? (hint it is an event)
Why is the setting a good one for this story? (hint, why are the people having a party? Are they avoiding
something?)
The boxes below are numbered 1-7 for the seven apartments in the story. Describe each of the apartments
below:
Given the details you have gathered, what do you think the seven apartments symbolize?
How is the significance of the 7th apartment revealed in the end of the story?
Masque of the Red Death
Theme: the central idea or ideas explored by a literary work.
List 3 ways in which the theme “mortality” is used in the story.
List 3 ways in which the theme “fear” is used in the story.
List 3 ways in which the theme “foolishness and folly” is used in the story.
Masque of the Red Death
Characters: There are different types and classifications for characters in a short story. Fill out the following
worksheet using what you know about the characters from The Masuque of the Red Death.
ProtagonistI know that _________________________ is the protagonist because:
I know that __________________________ is a flat/round character because:
I know that __________________________ is a static/dynamic character because:
AntagonistI know that _________________________ is the antagonist because:
I know that __________________________ is a flat/round character because:
I know that __________________________ is a static/dynamic character because: