Ventura 1

Agnezze Ventura

Ms. Woelke

Pre-Ap ELA 9

09 November 2018

“The Masque of the Red Death” Allegory Essay

Edgar Allan Poe. A name that comes to mind with the impression of gothic and ominous

short stories that, up to this day, is celebrated for his writing prowess. Those who are familiar

with his works would not be surprised to find abstruse or profound significance laced within his

writing. Namely, ”The Masque of the Red Death,” tells of an eccentric tale in which an affluent

prince hosts a masquerade party alongside his associates, whilst a lethal endemic rages outside

his palace walls. The event persists through months until the enigmatic presence of a masked

intruder impedes the festivities. One by one, the revellers succumbed. Though as bizarre as the

story seems, many speculate that within the passage underlies another story or an allegory. One

that depicts the black death. In ”The Masque of the Red Death” Poe uses a plethora of

ambiguous symbols such as Prince Prospero, the clock, the seventh room and visual imagery to

convey an allegory of the inevitability of death.

Prince Prospero represents the upper class’ futile attempt to avoid the Red Death. Prince

Prospero paid no heed of the calamitous illness that rampaged outside of his residence, instead,

bearing a “dauntless and sagacious” stance he hosts a masquerade and invites his acquaintances

to “his castellated abbeys” (Poe 1). Prince Prospero’s reaction to the tragic consequences of the

Red Death, shows him to be a victim of human folly. Instead of fearing for his life, Prospero

believes, with his wealth, he will be able to withstand the plague unscathed. As a majority of the
 Ventura 2

victims are those who inhabit squalid homes in confined areas, unable to provide protection to

the same extent as Prospero’s palace walls. Inside his festive household, Prospero provides his

guests with “appliances of pleasure” ranging from “improvisatori...ballet dancers…[to]

musicians” (Poe 1). Prospero had provided entertainment usually associated with grace or

beauty, as a way to develop an elegant atmosphere. A complete contrast to the outbreak, which

correlates to the fetid, decaying corpses. The masks in the masquerade could symbolize a façade

the guests put on, feigning ignorance, to be purposefully oblivious to the plague. Entrusting their

life to Prospero, to shield them from death.

The grandfather clock is a representative of the time limit the revellers had. Occasionally,

there would be “a brief disconcert” whenever the grandfather clock chimed the guests would be

stuck in a state of “disconcert[ment] and tremulousness” before resuming the party (Poe 2). The

guests’ response to the grandfather clock indicates that they are aware of imminent death.

Though the unnerved feeling would cease, time did not. The grandfather clock’s continuous

ringing gives the revellers a grim reminder of the pestilence raving about the country. When the

clock struck twelve, the multiple chimes put the party to a halt, various people had taken notice

of a masked individual; inciting mixed emotions from “disapprobation” to feelings of

“terror...horror...disgust” (Poe 3). The extended period of chiming allowed the crowd to feel

agitated to a greater extent, worsening their uneasiness. From the disapproving thought of their

dying peers to the growing anticipation of their own deaths. In brief, the subject of death is a part

of life and cannot be ignored.

Pursuing this further, the seventh room serves as the representation of death itself. Poe

describes it as a black room that contained “blood-tinted” windows and barely any of the guests
 Ventura 3

were “bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all” (Poe 2). The color black represents

death and darkness while red represents blood. The majority of revellers, as mentioned before,

avert their attention from death and such topics. The room makes them feel unsettled as the

general vibe it emanates reeks of death. When Prince Prospero ran “hurriedly” through all the

“six chambers” starting in the blue room, to chase the masked figure. About to confront the

individual with a dagger, but fell to his death (Poe 4). The chambers of each color represent a

stage in life and rushing through all the chambers would mean he had completed his whole life

cycle. So, he reached his final destination in the seventh room. Prince Prospero tried to defeat

death but ultimately met his own doom. Given these points, the clock emphasizes how death

does not discriminate when it comes to its victims.

In the final analysis, “The Masque of the Red Death” is an allegory about inexorable

death and proven so by Poe’s abundant use of sight imagery and symbolism. Prince Prospero

symbolizes the higher class, portraying them as foolish and ignorant. The grandfather clock

signifies the revellers limited time and a constant reminder that death is unstoppable. The

seventh room represents death, it is the most sinister and completes the cycle of life.