Question

Read The Masque of the Red DeathLinks to an external site. Then answer the questions below. 1) According to the first paragraph, what characteristics of the "Red Death" make it a horrifying disease? 2) Describe Prospero's plan for surviving the epidemic. 3) Poe gives a great deal of space in the story to the palace plans and decorations, providing us with a lot of texture and color.  What are some of the sensory images that create a vivid, concrete impression of Prince Prospero's hall? 4) What happens at the climax of the story? 5) The story concludes, "And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all." List the specific images of darkness, decay, and death in the final paragraph. Interpreting Meanings 6) What do the ebony clock and its arresting chimes add to the plot? Can you think of any symbolic value the clock might have? 7) What symbolic significance can you find in Poe's use of numbers? In his use of colors, especially the black and scarlet in the seventh room? In the movement from east to west in the sequence of rooms? 8) Poe's story is clearly not meant to be realistic; instead, it is a masterpiece of imaginative atmosphere that may be read as an allegory- a story in which characters, objects and events symbolize various ideas and qualities. The mysterious guest, for example, turns out not to be a real person, but the embodiment of the Red Death.  What, in a still larger sense, might this figure symbolize? What attitudes toward life and death do you think the Prince and his partygoers might symbolize?

Answer 1

1 The "Red Death" is characterized by sharp pains, sudden dizziness, and profuse bleeding, instilling fear and horror.

2 Prospero plans to evade the epidemic by secluding himself and a thousand followers in an abbey-like castle, avoiding contact.

3 Poe vividly describes the palace with tapestries, stained glass, and a bizarre sequence of rooms, creating an opulent, eerie atmosphere.

4 At the climax, a mysterious guest, masked as the Red Death, appears, revealing the inevitability of death and the futility of escape.

5 The concluding imagery includes darkness, decay, and the Red Death holding "illimitable dominion," signifying the inescapable triumph of mortality.

6 The ebony clock and its chimes intensify tension, symbolizing the march of time and the imminence of death, enhancing the plot's suspense.

7 Symbolically, numbers and colors represent life stages and mortality; black and scarlet in the seventh room foreshadow death, emphasizing inevitability.

8 The mysterious guest symbolizes death, embodying the inescapable nature of mortality. Prospero and guests may represent indulgence and denial of mortality.

A horrifying plague that sweeps the land, causing excruciating pain, bodily disfigurement, and death within minutes. Prince Prospero: A wealthy and arrogant ruler who attempts to escape the Red Death by throwing a lavish masquerade ball in his secluded abbey.

The Masquerade Ball: A decadent and extravagant affair filled with revelry and a deliberate disregard for the suffering outside the walls. The Seven Rooms: The abbey's seven rooms are decorated in different colors, representing different stages of life and culminating in a black room with crimson windows.