The Masque of the Red Death

The Masque of the Red Death

by Edgar Allan Poe

(1850)

THE “Red Death” had long devastated the country. No pestilence (epidemic) had ever been so fatal (deadly), or so hideous. Blood was its Avator and its seal — the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.

Describes the deadly effects of the Red Death and the inescapable horror it brings. The disease inflicts sharp pain, sudden dizziness, and profuse bleeding from the pores, causing death within only half an hour. The red stains on the victim’s face symbolize terror and inevitability of death. These marks suggest contamination, causing the afflicted to be shunned and denied aid and sympathy by others. This is an atmosphere of fear and isolation, setting a grim tone for the story.

But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious (Polysyndeton, Tricolon). When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends (Alliteration) from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys (Imagery). This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in (Imagery). This wall had gates of iron (Symbolism). The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress (Foreshadowing) to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion (Irony). The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime, it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine (Anaphora, Imagery). All these and security were within. Without was the “Red Death” (Antithesis, Symbolism). It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence (Hyperbole, Imagery).

(His land is being ravaged by the Red Death with half the population already dead. He retreats with the healthy and joyful knights and ladies to a castellated abbey, which was plentifully provisioned.  could care less for the outside world because apparently it runs on an autopilot mode. Completely absorbed in their own isolated world of luxury and pleasure. Seemed foolish to grieve or even to think, because Prince Prospero provided every form of entertainment and comfort imaginable. In such an environment, there was no room for sorrow or serious thought, just distraction and indulgence. Disturbing indifference and lack of empathy. The castle’s deep seclusion represents his attempt to escape the deadly reality through denial and the illusion of control. With such precautions, the courtiers may defy the pestilence. This passage foreshadows that status, luxury or wealth aren’t privileged and powerful enough to escape the inevitability of death. The sealed gates and iron walls create only an illusion of security. Nothing can keep out what is inevitable, be it death, guilt, or fate itself. Human arrogance in the face of fate has futile consequences. The prince’s belief that he can defy contagion is a kind of hubris).

It was a voluptuous scene, that masquerade (Imagery, tone). But first let me tell of the rooms in which it was held. There were seven — an imperial suite (foreshadowing of the doom. the stages of life leading to death). In many palaces, however, such suites form a long and straight vista, while the folding doors slide back nearly to the walls on either hand, so that the view of the whole extent is scarcely impeded. Here the case was very different; as might have been expected from the duke's love of the bizarre (Irony).

The apartments were so irregularly disposed that the vision embraced but little more than one at a time. There was a sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards, and at each turn a novel effect. To the right and left, in the middle of each wall, a tall and narrow Gothic window (Gothic imagery) looked out upon a closed corridor which pursued the windings of the suite. These windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations (color symbolism, imagery) of the chamber into which it opened. That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue — and vividly blue were its windows (repetition, parallel structure). The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple (repetition, parallel structure). The third was green throughout, and so were the casements (repetition, parallel structure). The fourth was furnished and lighted with orange — the fifth with white — the sixth with violet (parallel structure, color symbolism). The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy folds upon a carpet of the same material and hue (imagery, alliteration). But in this chamber only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet — a deep blood color (metaphor, symbolism). Now in no one of the seven apartments was there any lamp or candelabrum, amid the profusion of golden ornaments that lay scattered to and fro or depended from the roof. There was no light of any kind emanating from lamp or candle within the suite of chambers. But in the corridors that followed the suite, there stood, opposite to each window, a heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire (contrast, symbolism of light vs. darkness), that projected its rays through the tinted glass and so glaringly illumined the room (imagery). And thus, were produced a multitude of gaudy and fantastic appearances (alliteration, imagery). But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood-tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme (mood via diction), and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all (mood, imagery).

It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony (Symbolism). Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang (Auditory imagery, Onomatopoeia). And when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock (Personification) a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to harken to the sound (Imagery, Mood). And thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company (Contrast, Mood). And, while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation (Imagery, Symbolism). But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly (Alliteration, Contrast); the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly (Irony), and made whispering vows, each to the other, that the next chiming of the clock should produce in them no similar emotion; and then, after the lapse of sixty minutes (Parenthesis, Personification “Time that flies”), (which embrace three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies (Personification)), there came yet another chiming of the clock, and then were the same disconcert and tremulousness and meditation as before (Repetition).

(Each color means something symbolic. The progression of colors represents the journey from youth to death. The scarlet windows in the black room create a visual metaphor for the horror of mortality and the inescapable presence of the plague. The unusual layout of halls, rooms and the isolated chambers refer to the illusion of control by separating different experiences and emotions. The same facet traps the guests because it feels stagnant. They can’t see everything at once and anticipate the unknown to arrive at any moment in time. The light from the braziers symbolizes artificial life and hope. Darkness of the black room represents death and the unfamiliar. This is what humans project against the inevitability. Rooms are only lit by fire from the corridors, and filtered through tinted glass, so there is no light inside. The rooms are as distinct and powerful as they’re described to be. Such an aesthetic is already scary. Clock has brazen lungs but it speaks. The heavy, monotonous clang paints time as a sensory experience. Everyone including giddiest and sedate react together so the clock unites them. Freezing, paling, falling into reverie, the guests fear death subconsciously though they try to ignore it. Few guests dare enter the black-and-red chamber and death comes from there. The music and dancing mean art, beauty, and distraction but every hour, they stop when the clock chimes. Fear concerns them then they laugh it off and continue dancing. Being in denial magnifies fear. Denial makes fear stronger when it comes back. It doesn’t shield us from the truth. When people suppress awareness, it returns during situations beyond control. Swinging between awareness and avoidance is a human tendency. Facing mortality is clearly a part of understanding human existence, which thrives on challenges, and contrasting ideas but not control. What Prospero did was to make it more horrifying and disturbing).

But, in spite of these things, it was a gay and magnificent revel (Juxtaposition, Tone shift). The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects (Imagery). He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre (Imagery, Metaphor). There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt that he was not. It was necessary to hear and see and touch him (Polysyndeton, Imagery) to be sure that he was not.

(Duke is positioned as a godlike figure within his isolated world. His obsession with art and spectacle is a distraction from death and decline beyond the walls. Aesthetic pleasures can’t shield the truth! The oxymoron in barbaric lustre explains the nature of his grandeur that dates back to sheer barbarianism. The emphasis on seeing, hearing, and touching the Duke suggest how delicate is his sanity, which has got to be constantly proved through physical presence. It borders on being delusional. His peculiar tastes are preceded by foreshadowing downfall. Happiness shadowed by impending death. Anything in excess splendor ends in shambles. It’s a kind of a facade).

He had directed, in great part, the moveable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon occasion of this great fete; and it was his own guiding taste which had given character to the masqueraders (imagery). Be sure they were grotesque. There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm — much of what has been since seen in “Hernani” (alliteration, imagery). There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments (imagery). There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions (simile, imagery). There were much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust (repetition, parallel structure, contrast). To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of dreams (personification, metaphor). And these — the dreams — writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps (personification, imagery, simile). And, anon, there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet (symbolism, imagery). And then, for a moment, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock (personification).

(Masqueraders are a multitude of dreams absorbed into their surroundings. The creator and the spectator are consumed that way. much of the beautiful… much of the wanton… much of the bizarre… something of the terrible… doesn’t see the differences between different things going on. beautiful, wanton, terrible, and disgusting are just sensations. And not to forget, much glare and glitter and phantasm! Aesthetics, sensory perceptions and celebration cloud everything. Death is the audience waiting behind curtains. Good-looking, pleasurable chaos isn’t an eternally healthy state of life. Everything glows and writhes until it’s too artificial and unsettling. It moves from being beautiful to ugly cause it’s exhausting and unbearable once people know no bounds. The reference to a controversial play known for its Romantic flamboyance “Hernani” brings some reality).

The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand (metaphor, imagery). But the echoes of the chime die away — they have endured but an instant — and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart (personification). And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods (personification, imagery, symbolism). 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 (imagery, symbolism); and the blackness of the sable drapery appalls (imagery); and to him whose foot falls upon the sable carpet, there comes from the near clock of ebony a muffled peal more solemnly emphatic than any which reaches their ears who indulge in the more remote gaieties of the other apartments (imagery, contrast).

( Ruddier light and blood-colored panes don’t make death sound like something distant anymore. It’s real. The imagery of blood and blackness suggests that the fine line between the masquerade and the plague is slowly non-existent. For the night is waning away; and there are now none of the maskers who venture there. Now some are scared of entering the final room. The illusion when they were as a part of group isn’t going to save them anymore. Individual conscience is the way. West typically symbolizes sunset and death. Rooms are a journey from birth (east) to death (west). Getting closer to the ending that is all about confrontation. Finally, the clock sound is muffled, solemnly emphatic, and affecting only those near it. Time is targeting those who dare get close. Now its more of a suspense than a spectacle. The laughter that floats after them gives way to the rude awakening. Flows, falls and appals! )

But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them beat feverishly the heart of life (metaphor, personification). And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock (symbolism, imagery). And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions of the waltzers were quieted; and there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before (repetition, mood). But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock (symbolism, imagery); and thus, it happened, perhaps that more of thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations of the thoughtful among those who reveled (repetition). And thus too, it happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence (imagery, repetition), there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure (imagery) which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around (personification, auditory imagery), there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise, then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust (onomatopoeia, parallelism).

(Heart of life beating feverishly suggests that their vitality is already sickness. Ecstatic and hysterical delusion. ‘Thought’ matters now. Alas. Time forces awareness and reflection. Late realization is a tale as old as time. A buzz, or murmur… of terror, of horror, and of disgust engulfs the group. The masked figure is first felt through sound like a whisper, a rumor before anyone visibly sees it. Fear spreads faster than the thing itself).

In an assembly of phantasms (imagery, metaphor) such as I have painted, it may well be supposed that no ordinary appearance could have excited such sensation. In truth the masquerade license of the night (symbolism, imagery) was nearly unlimited; but the figure in question had out-Heroded Herod (allusion, hyperbole) and gone beyond the bounds of even the prince's indefinite decorum. There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion (metaphor, imagery). Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made (contrast). The whole company, indeed, seemed now deeply to feel that in the costume and bearing of the stranger neither wit nor propriety existed. The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave (imagery, symbolism). The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse (imagery, simile implied) that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. And yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revelers around. But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death (symbolism, metaphor). His vesture was dabbled in blood (imagery, symbolism) — and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror (imagery, alliteration).

When the eyes of Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral image (imagery, symbolism) (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, in the first moment with a strong shudder either of terror or distaste; but, in the next, his brow reddened with rage (imagery). “Who dares?” he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him — “who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him — that we may know whom we have to hang at sunrise, from the battlements!” (symbolism) It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince Prospero as he uttered these words (symbolism). They rang throughout the seven rooms loudly and clearly (auditory imagery) — for the prince was a bold and robust man, and the music had become hushed at the waving of his hand (imagery).

(Prospero’s rage shows his arrogance and denial on a whole insufferable level. The eastern chamber implies that he’s still far from the west chamber. Symbolically, he’s trying to move against the inevitable path of life).

It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of pale courtiers by his side. At first, as he spoke, there was a slight rushing movement of this group in the direction of the intruder, who, at the moment, was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate and stately step, made closer approach to the speaker (imagery). But from a certain nameless awe with which the mad assumptions of the mummer had inspired the whole party (tone), there were found none who put forth hand to seize him; so that, unimpeded, he passed within a yard of the prince’s person; and, while the vast assembly, as if with one impulse, shrank from the centers of the rooms to the walls (simile), he made his way uninterruptedly, but with the same solemn and measured step which had distinguished him from the first, through the blue chamber to the purple — through the purple to the green — through the green to the orange — through this again to the white — and even thence to the violet (symbolism, repetition, parallel structure), ere a decided movement had been made to arrest him.

It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers, while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all (personification). He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached, in rapid impetuosity, to within three or four feet of the retreating figure, when the latter, having attained the extremity of the velvet apartment, turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer (imagery). There was a sharp cry — and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet (visual imagery, symbolism), upon which, instantly afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero (symbolism).

Then, summoning the wild courage of despair (personification), a throng of the revelers at once threw themselves into the black apartment (symbolism), and, seizing the mummer, whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within the shadow of the ebony clock (symbolism, imagery), gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave cerements and corpse-like mask which they handled with so violent a rudeness, untenanted by any tangible form (imagery, irony). And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death (symbolism, personification). He had come like a thief in the night (simile, biblical allusion). And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel (imagery, symbolism) and died each in the despairing posture of his fall (imagery). And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay (personification, symbolism). And the flames of the tripods expired (personification, symbolism). And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all (personification, alliteration, symbolism).

(Prospero’s rage comes from shame at his own fear. He tries to fight death with a dagger. Human arrogance at its peak. The instinct to conquer death is what destroys him. Nobody is inside the costume. The formless and shapeless death reminds us that it is the absence itself! How can we conquer or control absence? What do we obtain from confronting it? All art, beauty and beat extinguish at the same time. The clock stops, the flames go out, the revelers die in the posture of their fall. This is absolute. Everything and everyone on an equal footing. Now we acknowledge the presence of the Red Death. Unfortunately, destruction wakes up humanity).

Vocabulary Words

Avator:

An old spelling of “avatar”, an incarnation in human form. Today, avatars are graphic representation of people in chat rooms or online forums.

Bedewed:

To wet with or as if with dew.

Buffoons:

Clowns, ludicrous figures.

Candelabrum:

A candlestick with multiple branches allowing it to hold a number of candles. Also spelled “candelabra”.

Castellated:

Having battlements and high walls like a castle.

Decorum:

Propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance.

isapprobation:

Condemnation. The act or state of disapproving.

Fete:

A lavish often outdoor entertainment, a large elaborate party.

Habiliment:

Clothing. The dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion.

Hernani:

A famous play written in 1830 by French dramatist Victor Hugo.

The play was classified as “Romantic” and was opposed by people who were referred to as “Classicists”. On opening night, Hugo was determined to fill the auditorium with his fans, so he handed out special “red” tickets. Loyal groups were seated next to anyone that might be tempted to try to hiss the cast off the stage. The auditorium turned into a spectacular field of battle; Liberals versus Royalists, Romantics versus Classicists, free expression versus aesthetical conformism and the young versus the old.

Herod:

“Herod the Great” was the King of Judea around the time of Christ's birth (0 BC).

He was known for his extravagance.

Herod was also known for his violence and cruelty. He executed his wife after she had 5 of his children.

Later, he had his brother-in-law and a couple of his sons executed.

In the Bible, Matthew's gospel describes how Herod had all children under 2 years old killed, in an attempt to prevent the birth of the Messiah.

Improvisatori:

Those that improvise, like actors or poets.

Mummer:

Actor, one who goes merrymaking in disguise during festivals.

Phantasm:

Illusion, ghost, a product of fantasy, a mental representation of a real object.

Revel:

A wild party or celebration.

Sagacious:

Having or showing keen discernment, sound judgment, and farsightedness. Shrewd.

Pestilence:

a fatal epidemic disease, like plague

Dissolution

formally ending or dismissing

Dauntless:

showing fearlessness and determination

August:

respected and impressive

Ingress:

entering

Egress:

exiting

Defiance:

Disobedience, open resistance.

Cessation:

end

Spectral:

of or like a ghost

Blasphemous:

sacrilegious against god or sacred things

Impetuous:

acting quickly without thinking

Prostrate:

lying face down, stretched out

Cerements:

waxed cloths used to cover/wrap corpses

Untenanted:

unoccupied by a tenant (person who occupies property)

Analysis Questions for “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe

Answer in full sentences, USING & CITING QUOTATIONS from the story.

What is the Red Death? Explain how it affects its victims, using support from the story.

The red death is repugnant such that “victims would get sharp pains, sudden dizziness and bleeding out of pores on skins”. It is a terrible and deadly disease that kills people very quickly. Poe says it brings “sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution.” The victim bodies and faces are covered in “the scarlet stains”. Sickness leaves no way to hide it. It kills within “half an hour”. The “blood was its Avatar and its seal,” making it a very raw mark that everyone receives. The Red Death shows how powerful and unstoppable death is. It brings pain, fear, and destruction to everyone it touches.

How does Prince Prospero react to the fact that half of his country’s people have been killed by the Red Death? Describe what he does, using specific imagery and phrasing used in the story.

Prince Prospero was “happy and dauntless and sagacious,” meaning he was glad, brave, and wise while the Red Death was destroying his kingdom. He ordered “a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court,” and together they “retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys.” He made sure “the abbey was amply provisioned,” and he gave commands to “weld the bolts” on the iron gates so that “the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion.” He didn’t express any emotions that might indicate his lamentation for the victims of the Red Death. Neither his actions nor his thoughts showed concern for his people. He just left them to die while he and his court partied in isolation, holding “a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence.” This shows his negligence and lack of empathy. A true prince would have cared for his people, but Prince Prospero chose selfish pleasure and denial over responsibility. Unfortunately, this reaction shows that Prospero believes he can outsmart death through wealth and isolation.

“The external world could take care of itself” (Poe 1). Who is “external” in this story? What do Prospero’s actions show about him as a ruler and his society?

Poe meant that Prospero and his courtiers have placed themselves in an internal world, one “with no connection to the world without” because of the “weird and bizarre abbey of the Prince.” In the story, “external” refers to everything outside the abbey, meaning the suffering people afflicted by the Red Death. This is indicated when Poe writes that Prospero provided his guests with “all the appliances of pleasure” and ignored “the external world”. Prospero’s actions show that he is a ruler who cares only for luxury and personal enjoyment. He makes sure that he and his courtiers can experience these “appliances” by ignoring his dying, abandoned subjects outside. This exposes a selfish and disconnected society that believes it can escape reality by hiding in wealth. 

How is the ball described? What diction and imagery does Poe use to describe the ball and the guests? How do the images created juxtapose with what is happening outside?

“There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine” vividly describes the ball or masquerade. Readers can visualize the extravagant environment in the abbey. The diction emphasizes the beauty and the bizarreness, because  Poe writes there was “much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre… and not a little of that which might have excited disgust.” The imagery implies pleasure and eeriness. Guests feel secure and entertained by these “appliances of pleasure” inside, which creates a strong juxtaposition with what is happening outside, where the Red Death is killing people with “sharp pains and sudden dizziness”. The repeated moment when “the music ceased… and the giddiest grew pale” each time the clock struck suggests that despite the festive atmosphere, horror intrudes. The joyful music and luxury are in contrast to the suffering and death outside the abbey walls. This juxtaposition suggests that the revelers try to escape reality though death surrounds them, as futile as their denial sounds.

Discuss the significance regarding the colors of the rooms, and the direction in which the rooms are built. Consider the symbolic properties of these colors and directions.

“That at the … precincts at all” entirely talks about how the colors symbolize the atmosphere of each of the imperial suites. Such color symbolism lies in the sequence from east to west. Blue, purple, green, orange, white, and violet possess a more positive tone and mood compared to the black velvet of the last chamber. For example, if we say white, then it suggests light, brightness, and positivity. The glowing and brightening colors like purple, green, white, and blue have shades that bring optimism to us. The black chamber, however, has the “wild and ghastly” effect of the scarlet windows and represents darkness and blood-like imagery, symbolizing horrific, ghostly, and pessimistic moods throughout. So, the colors depict life’s bitterness and sweetness accordingly. Rooms progress from blue in the east to black in the west, so the direction of the colors moves from positive to negative, or from sweet to bitter. After the black chamber, there are no more rooms, which symbolizes the end, the death. The progression from east to west symbolizes the movement from birth to death. 

Describe the clock that stands in the seventh room. Where does it stand? What does it look and sound like? What happens each time the clock chimes? Why? What might this signify?

From “It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall a gigantic clock of ebony”, the huge ebony clock clearly stands against the western wall of the seventh room, which is the black chamber. Its sound is described as “a dull, heavy, monotonous clang”, and the pendulum swings with a “dull, heavy, tedious” movement. A strange “peculiar note” is heard each time the hour is completed, and whenever it chimes, the musicians “were constrained to pause” to listen to it. The guests “grew pale” and then tried to laugh it off afterward, as if pretending the moment had not frightened them even though they couldn’t ignore the terrifying nature of the ebony clock.

The castellated abbey carries fear and horror throughout its descriptions, and the clock intensifies that feeling. The impact of the clock’s chime is to signify the extreme fear, tension, and the ghostly nature of the seventh room. Each interruption creates “a brief disconcert of the whole gay company,” so the people in the abbey can’t really escape time or death. This visual and emotional tension conveys the horrifying fate awaiting them, that the clock reminds them of passing time, and therefore of mortality.

The author creates this tension to show the bitterness of life and the foolishness of ignoring danger. The colored rooms can symbolize the positivity (brighter chambers) and darkness (the black room and the ebony clock). The clock shows that something ignored like death does not vanish. Rather, it becomes more terrifying. Ignorance is useless, because time and death continue no matter how much one tries to shut them out. The clock signifies the unavoidable continuity of time and the certainty that death is near irrespective of how ignorant the revelers seem.

What happens to the clock at the end of the story? How is this symbolic?

“And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay” is where we learn that the clock had no option but to stop. The clock couldn’t escape the death that killed the last of the revelers, just like the prince and the others. This shows that we aren’t immortal since we’re living beings.

The clock is a non-living thing, so it can’t literally die. However, the clock symbolizes living organisms who can’t escape death, and the author uses personification to show this. We can still question ourselves if a non-living thing is described as dying, then immortality for living things is even less possible. This is symbolic because the stopping of the clock represents the end of time, the collapse of Prospero’s illusions, and the absolute inevitability of death in the story.

Who is the “midnight guest”? How is the guest described?

The midnight guest is described as a masked figure who is very tall, extremely thin, and covered from head to toe in the “habiliments of the grave.” It was difficult for anyone nearby to inspect the masked figure because the mask almost resembled a stiff cadaver, and there was no way to see the actual physique of the figure. A mummer assumed that it was a form of the Red Death, because vesture was dipped in blood and its broad brow and facial features were entirely besprinkled with crimson horror. The above description insinuated to the audience that the figure represented the Red Death.

How does Prince Prospero react to the midnight guest? Why? What happens to the prince? To his guests? To the clock?

In his first sight of the midnight guest, the prince “trembled with a strong shudder,” which indicates either terror or aversion, although his brow soon became “red with rage.” Prince Prospero daringly asked the courtiers who the masked figure was, as if the figure were a blasphemous mockery, when the courtiers themselves felt suspense and terror. The prince ordered that the masked figure be seized and unmasked, so that he could be hanged at sunrise. Up until the line “when the Prince Prospero…,” the prince is described as wise, brave, and extravagant, but now he suddenly feels terror and disgust. A group of pale courtiers stood by his side, but none of them dared to seize the masked figure as it walked through all the chambers up to the violet room. He was supposed to be arrested by then, but no one would approach him. The prince felt cowardice, shame, and rage, and he ran after the figure along the same path it took. His reaction delineates his identity, i.e. “sagacious,” “dauntless,” and careless toward the Red Death and its effects on his people. He had organized a masquerade ball far away from his subjects in the belief that he could escape death. So, his reaction to the midnight guest is different from that of his courtiers. The inevitability of death made him feel some of the terror they felt, but while the courtiers were so frightened they could not get near the figure, the prince still tried to confront it. This shows the power of death. He reached the end of the velvet (black) apartment, where he turned and confronted the masked figure. A sharp cry was heard, and the dagger he carried fell onto the sable carpet, and then the prince fell dead as well. The throng of revelers entered the black apartment all at once. Within the shadow of the clock, the masked figure stood motionless and upright. We see how the prince showed his bold, reckless nature, whereas the guests behaved in the opposite way. However, in the end, the ignorant, the brave, and the cowardly all had to die. The clock also stops, showing that time itself, like life, has ended.

The Red Death “had come like a thief in the night” and “held illimitable dominion over all (Poe 4) What poetic devices are used in these quotations? Explain how the use of figurative language helps convey Poe’s allegorical ideas.

The quotation “had come like a thief in the night” uses a simile, because compares the arrival of the Red Death to a thief. “held illimitable dominion over all” uses hyperbole and personification, giving Death unlimited power as though it were a ruler. These devices emphasize Poe’s allegorical idea that death is inevitable and absolute. The story’s title itself suggests the contrast between life inside the party and death outside caused by the Red Death. Poe also refers to the biblical phrase “like a thief in the night,” which appears in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians 5:4, i.e. Final Judgment coming unexpectedly. Poe uses this allusion to discuss the idea that death arrives suddenly and without warning. From “And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all”, we learn that unlike Paul’s message of salvation/eternal judgment, Poe’s vision is that the Red Death destroys everyone. In apocalyptic literature, “the world” symbolizes a sinful or corrupt state of existence. In the context of Poe’s allegory, the “masquerade” can represent the worldly distractions and pleasures that can’t protect people from death. The figurative language helps Poe communicate that no matter how humans attempt to hide behind wealth, pleasure, or isolation, death ultimately has complete power.

THEMES:

What messages might Poe be conveying about:

Life:

Life is said to be a happy, masked deal filled with “appliances of pleasure,” whereas the external world is seen as bad or profane with sins easily committed. In reality, life is bittersweet. When hard times occur, choosing to hide from it is an act of cowardice, especially for someone with responsibilities to others. A leader should face danger and support those who depend on them rather than escaping for personal comfort. Poe suggests that living only for pleasure is an illusion, and that ignoring suffering eventually destroys those who try to avoid it.

Death:

Death is inevitable, and escapism is no tactic against it. its  the one force no human can outwit. Its arrival demystifies the limits of human control and the futility of denial.

Class/Inequality: 

Be it a king, prince, or reveler, life and death wait for no one. It doesn’t discriminate. Life continued inside the castellated abbey, but death was approaching for all the characters in the story. The revelers acted unjustly by celebrating while the Red Death caused massacre and pain among their own people outside. Life ran its course, and death killed all the revelers equally. Whether someone is a coward or a steward, noble or common, death holds greater power than all. Status offers no protection against mortality. 

Ignorance:

The participants in the masquerade ball were ignorant of the havoc caused by the Red Death among their people, and this wilful ignorance led to their own deaths. Ignorance is a dangerous trait, especially for someone in position of power. Ignorance wasn’t bliss. Here it was blind and harmful, because the people afflicted by the plague needed help, not abandonment. Eventually it meant grave consequences that everyone paid for.

Knowledge/Awareness:

Though the revelers knew the Red Death was devastating their people, they chose not to intervene. They were aware of the disease, but addressing it appeared to be of no interest or responsibility to them. Otherwise, Prince Prospero would not have planned the masquerade ball, and created a world of entertainment and luxury. Knowledge and awareness were replaced by escapism. Not addressing, resolving and confronting the crisis is a sign of lacking conscience.

Compassion:

Compassion is necessary. Prospero and his followers could have shown care for those suffering from the Red Death. The victims were members of Prospero’s own kingdom, and therefore his responsibility. His failure to show compassion reflects his failure as a leader. The deeper implication is that a society without compassion ultimately destroys itself.