The Masque Of The Red Death Essay

Even during a national crisis, “Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious” and “resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within”, he decided that “the external world could take care of itself [,]in the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think” (Poe 1). Prince Prospero literally did all he could to avoid thinking about his subjects’ deaths. This intentional lack of thought left him and all the partiers open to any negative consequences of their actions and led them to being fully incapable of dealing with the masked stranger that eventually led them to their demise. This unwarranted pleasure in life demonstrates that the worst possible reaction to a problem is to ignore it. Later in the story, we see that “Some would have though [Prince Prospero] mad” the halls were full of “delirious fancies such as the madman fashions” (Poe 1.2).

In the short story, “Masque of the Red Death”, Edgar Allen Poe uses characterization to illustrate the psychological destruction of the Prince. Throughout the story, Prince Prospero struggles with

Prospero’s character is seen as incautious, and perhaps arrogant, which adds to the foreshadowing of the story’s ending. When nearly half of the town has died, Prosperous packs up his things and takes his close friends to live in the safety of one of his many palaces, leaving all the other citizens to fend for themselves against the Red Death. Upon moving to the castle “Prospero had supplied everything they needed for pleasure” (Poe 2) and never once stopped to consider his subjects, or their safety. In a crucial time of need, the leader could not be bothered and instead decides to flee, revealing the kind of person he really is. The king’s carelessness for everyone, except his own social circle suggests that this trait may get the best of him in the end. Karma is commonly a substantial factor in literature, and Prospero certainly appears to have something coming back to bite him. Similarly, the way in which Prospero’s character is portrayed proposes that maybe his own ego may

The overall conflict of the story “The Masque of the Red Death,” has to do with how death

The masquerade in Prince Prospero’s palace symbolizes an escape route for his guests to camouflage themselves within the elaborate works of art hanging on the walls. “The guests depend on art so much that it virtually animates them: when the orchestra stops playing, they freeze in terror” (Dudley). The guests use the art in a way to obscure themselves away from the sick-ridden world of the outside. Since art is such a prepossessing object, and eternal, the guests find a getaway from the evil that kills the living. The whole justification of the creation of the masquerade in a manner based off art, gives the guests a feeling of superiority over the power of fate itself:

Edgar Allen Poe is one of the most well-known authors from the dark romantic age. His story “The Masque of the Red Death” is a short fable about Prince Prospero and the Red Death, better known today as the bubonic plague. The prince is a very rapacious man so when he sees that his kingdom is dying, he chooses to save himself and his companions by bringing them to one of his many castles and simply closing the door on the plague. They continued to live their lavish lives, acting as if nothing was wrong behind the sturdy door of the castle. Then, when Prospero throws a big masquerade, he discovers that an intruder has crashed his party. Out of rage, he goes to stab the man, but, upon reaching the doorway of the room, he drops dead. After a mob of very upset partygoers tears apart the grotesque mask of the intruder, they discover that the “man” underneath is a personified version of the Red Death. Through a psychological lens, one would be able to see the different emotions portrayed through the characters. From beginning to end, “The Masque of the Red Death” brings forth a range of emotions through the characters and their uncontrollable and many times thoughtless actions.

As the royalty of the kingdom flee for safety inside the abbey, they suggest that showing concern about the people dying outside their fortitude is “folly”, reassuring themselves that the “external world could take care of itself”(Poe 3). The people of the upper class only care for their own welfare. The outside world is filled with hopelessness and anguish so they think it would be foolish to show any humanity towards the people suffering. Shortly after everyone gets settled inside, Prospero tries to erase any “impulses of despair” by entertaining “his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence” (3-4). To not bring up any relation to death, Prospero decides to distract his so called friends with a grand party.

Edgar Allen Poe's story, "The Mask of the Red Death" is a grotesque, but yet beautiful short story. Almost everything in the story has a deeper meaning or symbolism that connects to real life or reality. In the beginning of the story, the gruesome "Red Death" has killed half the population of the kingdom. King Prospero, thinking he could hide from this cruel death, locks himself, closest friends, knights, and dames away in a concealed castle.

The Masque of the Red Death is a short story written by acclaimed literary author, Edgar Allen Poe. The story is an emphasis on the fact that there is no avoiding death, no matter how hard you try, which is the overall theme. The text tells the story of Prince Prospero whose town is being plagued by the dreaded Red Death. He attempts to avoid the plague by inviting 1,000 of his closest friends, all of which are variably different, to isolate themselves in his palace. Throughout the story, Poe frequently uses symbolism to depict the theme of the Red Death.

Prince Prospero lives in the era of 1500’s when a disease called the Red Death, occurs. The setting of the story has an eerie, dark view that mirrors what the ‘red death’ is which increases the fear of death to the kingdom. Edgar then writes about the Prince’s motives to move a thousand friends along with entertainment into isolation far away from the kingdom. In this part of the story, the reader can see that Prince Prospero is considered a symbol within himself and has some personality traits greater than others. Prince Prospero’s name is meant to symbolize prosperity, money, stature, and power.

Prince Prospero tries to distract people from the Red Death by throwing a party, thinking he can keep everyone safe from the Red Death because they’re not thinking about it. Poe uses the setting of the short story, the castle, to portray where everyone is hiding from the Red Death, it’s a beautiful place that is supposed to be protected. Then he uses the Prince to symbolize distraction, as he attempts to keep everyone’s mind of what was coming to them. He says, “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. All these and security were within. Without was the “Red Death””(Poe. Pg 1).

When he allows his emotions to take control, the “nameless awe” of the unknown foe destroys him” (Wheat 56). While Prince Prospero remains in his abbey, the outside world remains a mere delusion. He can control all aspects of life inside the abbey and therefore gains the idea he can also control death. His “supposed pride is best seen as a protective mask, a mask of indifference with which he tries to shield himself from death” (Wheat 51). This mask exists at a personal level as well as the entire abbey.

Prince Prospero does not care for the outside world and leaves them to die at the plague’s hands. Poe details Prince Prospero’s response to the plague with, “When his dominions were half-depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys.” (Poe) Prince Prospero makes no effort to aid his people, instead, isolating himself and his friends to seek protection from the disease. Isolation plays a powerful role here in providing a means of protection that ultimately proves false when the Red Death itself comes into the abbey and all succumb to it. Isolation also serves to prove the failings of self-importance in that no one is above one another. In attempting to shield only themselves, those in the court exhibited a selfish importance that isolation fails to corroborate. Even isolating themselves, Prince Prospero and his courtiers fall victim to the Red Death the same as the rest of the world. As a theme in “The Masque of the Red Death”, isolation does not equate protection and to seek it with a self-important worldview is to bring destruction to yourself. In seeking isolated protection, Prince Prospero is thus exposed in his cowardice and is proven as equal to those dying outside the walls, for he falls victim to the Red Death as well.

Poe uses allegory to allude to the double meanings of the characters Prince Prospero and the masked figure, as well as the setting of the chambers. Prince Prospero represents prosperity. While his nation is suffering from the “Red Death”, “…he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and lighthearted friends…and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbey” (420). His nobility and wealth give him the ability to ignore the horror around him and live in luxury. This refers to real life in that the privileged are the ones who are able to still live comfortably even if others are in a crisis. Prince Prospero also represents an ignorance, selfishness, and arrogance that come with wealth through right instead of hard work. He believes that “[t]he external world could take care of itself” and that it is “…folly to grieve, or to think” (420). Instead of taking action to help his people, he just leaves them in the grips of the “Red Death”. The “Red Death” is

With a kingdom in ruins and people dying of disease all around him, Prince Prospero is consumed with no worry except to throw a fabulous masquerade ball for his knights and maidens safely tucked away in his castellated abbey. Separated from the rest of the kingdom dying from disease, Prince Prospero is a coward, afraid of Red Death. Prince Prospero is not an admirable character because of his attempts to cheat death which make him a fool, and by leaving the people of his kingdom to fend for themselves.