The Masque of the Red Death Theme Topic of Mortality

“The Masque of the Red Death” Theme Topic of Mortality

How could an Edgar Allan Poe story called "The Masque of the Red Death"notbe about death? Death is everywhere in this story, from the opening description of the "Red Death" plague to the closing line about death's "dominion." Images and symbols of death practically drip from its pages, reminding the characters, and the reader, of death's inevitability. The characters in the story all try to ignore and escape death, preferring to stay focused on living life to its fullest. But mortality can't be avoided, as they are reminded when Death literally crashes their party.

Questions About Mortality

What symbols or images of death can you find in the story?
What is the connection between Death and Time in "The Masque of the Red Death"?
Is death presented as a force of evil in "The Masque of the Red Death?" Or is it a neutral force?
Why do you think Prince Prospero chooses to design a room so suggestive of death, since this is just what he and his followers are trying to avoid?

“The Masque of the Red Death” Theme Topic of Versions of Reality

In the "The Masque of the Red Death," Edgar Allan Poe immerses us in an atmosphere that feels more dreamlike than real. This is in no small part because, as the story progresses, we get drawn ever more completely into a world imagined by Prince Prospero, the designer of the castle where the story takes place. Prospero is an eccentric artist figure – he may actually be mad – and everything in the masquerade ball he throws bears the mark of his weird but ingenious artistry. From the seven elaborately colored rooms in which the ball is held, to the whirling, writhing, costumed masqueraders, everything feels fantastic andimagined, like a dream or a work of art spun out of control. Just like in a dream or an artwork too, here, everything seems to mean something. In this world, it's almost impossible it to draw the line between what's real and what's a product of Prospero's half-mad mind. And there's a curious overlap between the imagination of Prospero and the imagination of Poe himself.

Questions About Versions of Reality

Is Prince Prospero actually mad?
Why might Prince Prospero be called an artist figure? Is he one? What evidence do you see in the text?
Does "The Masque of the Red Death" feel surreal to you? Why? If so, how does Poe achieve this effect?
Why do you think Poe uses such explicit dream imagery to describe the masquerade?

“The Masque of the Red Death” Theme Topic of Fear

Poe's main aim in "The Masque of the Red Death" is to create a growing sense of fear and dread in his reader, starting in the opening sentence and building straight through to the story's dark climax. There's nothing in the world Poe creates which lets the reader feel at home, no source of comfort or stability. The reader's fear is also mirrored in the fear felt by the masqueraders in the story towards their own death and anything that reminds them of it. Over the course of the story, their fear builds in a clearly traceable manner, from a nervous unease to an "unutterable horror" at the climax.

Questions About Fear

What techniques does Poe use to build fear in the reader?
Is fear the main force that drives Prospero and his friends to retreat to Prospero's castellated abbey? Or is it something else?
How does the fear of the masqueraders develop through the story? Can you point to specific moments in the text?
Is anythingbesidesdeath an object of fear in the story? What might be?

“The Masque of the Red Death” Theme Topic of Foolishness and Folly

Prince Prospero, the main character in "The Masque of the Red Death," lives mainly for pleasure, as do his friends. Better not to think, and not to grieve, they believe – just enjoy life and keep on laughing. They refuse to give death the time of day, and so when a plague strikes the kingdom, they retreat to a pleasure palace to keep on partying, with buffoons and alcohol galore. Poe structures his frightening tale around a contrast between the looming presence of death and the happy-go-lucky folly of Prospero's court, who foolishly believe they can ignore it.

Questions About Foolishness and Folly

What indications are there in the text that Prince Prospero and his friends are foolish? Or are there any? What does it mean to be foolish in the context of the story?
In what respects does Prince Prosperonotseem foolish?
Ultimately, doyouthink Prospero and his friends are foolish? Or do they have the right attitude to their situation? Why?

(1)No man or woman can escape death. It is human nature, of course, to attempt to escape death, and many of us in the modern world resort to extreme measures to postpone entering the “seventh room” as long as possible. For example, some of us make unnecessary visits to physicians, refuse to prepare a will, or buy “magic” pills that promise youthful vigor well into old age.

(2)Members of a community–especially the leaders–have a duty to help those in need. Prospero and hiscourtiersabandon the rank-and-file citizens of the realm, welding shut the iron gate of their refuge so that no one from the outside can get in. Although Poe does not sermonize against Prospero’s selfishness and his failure to take care of his people, he does imply that the prince is acting shamefully. “The external world could take care of itself,” the narrator says, reporting on Prospero’s attitude of complacency and neglect. “In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure.”