Question

Which word best describes the tone of this passage from “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe?

And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall.

Answer 1

Grim.

Step-by-step explanation:

Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Masque of the Red Death" revolves around the story of the Red Death and how it affected the party of Prince Prospero. The attempts of the Prince in organizing a masquerade to 'overcome' the plague would only result in the death of all of the revelers.

In the given excerpt from the story, the narrator reveals how grim despair of the people at the hands of the plague. This shows the futility of man against death, and its victory over all., irrespective of the wealth or power of the person.

Thus, the correct answer is grim.