Essay Database

"The Masque of the Red Death", written by Edgar Allan Poe, is about a masquerade party, hosted by a man named Prince Prospero. During the course of a plague, Prince Prospero invites together his friends to come to his castle for fun. In the middle of the party, the gathering is interrupted by a guest dressed in garments associated with the plague of the "Red Death". Without explanation, all the guests begin to die as …

…Prospero as an example of how anyone can be affected by death and how no one can escape it as much as they try to hide it or seclude themselves. The foreshadowing of the black clock and the seven rooms reveal the outcome of Prince Prospero and his guests, as they display the theme of how death will eventually reach you. The title also symbolizes how death cannot be predicted because a "masque" is undetectable.