The Masque of the Red Death

1
The Masque of the Red Death

• By Edgar Allan Poe
• Caty Evans, Ellie Byom and Sydney Hayes

2
Table of Contents

• Plot Summary
• Setting
• Historical Context
• Main Characters
• Themes
• Discussion Topics

3
Plot Summary

• The Red Death Plague is spreading throughout
  the town
• Prince Prospero invites about 1,000 friends to
  stay in his castle in seclusion
• At the end of the 5th or 6th month he holds a
  masquerade ball for his guests
• At midnight a mysterious character shows up
• Prospero falls dead to the floor when he is
  perusing the masked figure
• The guests find that there is no physical figure
  underneath the mask
• The Red Death eventually wins as everyone dies

4
Setting

• The Setting takes place in Prosperos Castle

5
Historical Context

• It is thought that the Red Death is associated
  with Tuberculosis with which Poe has history with
• Symptoms of the Red Death are sharp pains,
  sudden dizziness and profuse bleeding at the
  pores, with dissolution

6
Main Characters

• The Masked Figure
• Tall and ominous
• Resembles a dead body who was infested with the
  Red Death
• Turns out to be the Red Death itself
• Prince Prospero
• ignores the suffering of others and invites his
  friends to escape from the Red Death
• Very excessive and extravagant
• Dies in the face of the Masked Figure

7
Themes

• Death
• Cannot be escaped, even by the wealthy
• Time
• Time symbolized the arrival of death amongst the
  party goers
• Specifically the clock in the black and red room
  that rings each hour and serves as a distraction
• Madness
• Poe was thought to be mad, so was Prince Prospero
  

8
Discussion Topics

• Why does Poe go into such detail when describing
  the Princes home?
• Do you think that Prince Prospero may be
  mentally-ill?
• Was the Red Death a real sickness that existed
  at this point in history, or was it a
  self-inflicted illness brought on by the people?
• What elements of this story mirror Poes life?