Essay on Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque Of The Red Death

Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Masque of The Red Death” forms a setting revolving around Prince Prospero. Living in extravagance, hiding from the epidemic, and described as a ravenous and egotistical man. A relentless sensation of stifling terror. An account of dismay and the inescapability of death. This tale tells how death riddles the body and mind despite attempts to evade it.  

The author communicates to us that the prince has fostered about one-thousand inhabitants in his abbey as a hide-away from the present outbreak. He has seven rooms, each of which are color coordinated: representing the stages of life in a biblical parody. birth (blue), youth (purple), adolescence (green), adulthood (orange), old age (white), imminent death (violet), and death itself (black/scarlet). He holds a masquerade for his fellow inhabitants in hopes of bringing them all together to despite the existing conditions.  “The prince and his friends have no desire to share death's horror. Poe, however, expresses no disapproval of his character's actions or of his apparent attitudes. Prince Prospero's supposed pride is best seen as a protective mask, a mask of indifference with which he tries to shield himself from death.” (Wheat 1). Prospero has spent so much time in isolation that he’s built his own world controlled by himself. Before his self-solidarity around half the surrounding population was lost to the plague. ‘The situation is something like that of the laboratory rat trained to run a maze for a food pellet. When an essential corridor is closed off, the rat will eventually stop trying to run the maze and will sit down in his hopelessness to starve. Prince Prospero differs only in that, as a human, he can use his inventiveness to make the best of his hopeless situation.” (Wheat 3).  

The masqueraders are merely spirits haunting Prospero: his insecurities and fears. He has taken the opportunity to create a utopia in these horrid times in order to ground his sanity. “The wearing of costumes might suggest that people put on an appearance that hides their true selves. Some of our assumed personas are beautiful, some are bizarre, some disgusting, but all, the passage seems to say, are grotesque.” (Amper 3).  He uses his capital as guidance throughout his life and a way to manipulate people for his own use. Only growing his reputation with death.

The ebony clock embodies Prospero’s time until death. Rhythmically ticking until midnight. Once midnight arises, The Red Death materializes.  “In the striking of the hours which dictates the rhythm of the festivities, time, like space, is made conscious not only as a consitutive category of narrative fiction, but as an existential manifestation of a principle which consumes itself and which, as such, is built into the events of the masque as their structuring law.” (Zapf 9). The Masqueraders awe as The Red Death seems to materialize from thin air. The Red Death terrorizes the masqueraders and slaughters them hastily. Leaving only Prospero left, there must be a battle between them. In all his deranged interruption he wraths and provokes the malevolent head on. Fundamentally committing suicide. “The stranger is, throughout, the challenger who need not fight. He approaches the prince with a "deliberate" step and later, when the prince pursues, he simply turns and confronts him. Prince Prospero is dead before the Red Death can do its work.” (Wheat 12).

The Red Death, the embodiment of karma for Prospero. As voracity intoxicated him, death followed. The cupidity of the people along with the prince deserved punishment. Therefore, The Red Death follows.  “The story is better seen, however, as an allegory about death, i.e., that no matter how wealthy one is, death can only be delayed but never defeated. The Red Death is, in this case, the great equalizer.” (Backer 4). Prospero died as did everyone else despite his wealth. He cannot buy life. Life is earned. Originating to original sin and the story of The Garden of Eden. God retreats to death and shame to punish wrongdoings. Since then, sin has erupted, and death will last forever.