The Masque of the Red Death1

By Edgar Allan Poe

The story narrates Prince Prosperos attempts to escape a dangerous plague, a plague known as
Red Death, by isolating himself in a castle. He, together with other rich and noble guests,
organizes a party in seven chambers of the castle, each colored differently. In the middle of their
orgy, a mysterious person appears and makes his way through every chamber of the building.
Prospero dies after the encounter with this person and so happens to the guests. The story shows
many elements of Gothic fiction and it is usually viewed as an allegory about the inevitability of
death.

The seven colored chambers participate in the construction of the symbolism and allegory and
can represent the seven stages of the human life. The first clue would be the order of the rooms
arrangement: from east to west. The east is usually associated with sunrise, therefore, beginnings,
and the west is associated with sundown, therefore, endings. The blue room, the farthest away
from the west could represent birth and it is also the room in which the ball is held. The unknown
dominates in this chamber (both literally and figuratively) through the masks and the uncertain
way of that of a new born being. The next room is painted purple, which is a combination of
blue (birth) and red (life, intensity) which might suggest the beginnings of a new development.
The next present color is green, which represents youth, regeneration while the next color,
orange, might signify the apogee of life. White is the next color which might stand for advanced
age (white hair and bones) but also wisdom. Mauve is a combination between purple and blue
and its a dark color which can possibly signify darkness or a possible death. The room painted in
black and crimson red represents, obviously, death.2 The role of these chambers is also that of
giving us hints connected to the story: we are told that the guests do not step in the dark room
which portrays their fear of death. This detail can be tied to the purpose of their coming to the
ball: running away from death. The fact that they dont step in that particular room seems kind of
ironic to me because they think that if they dont do a certain thing, they can escape death, which
is impossible. Also, we are described how Death passes from the blue room to the black room, so
it follows the course of life (birth-death). Prospero follows this course the moment he runs after
the intruder from the blue room to the black room (where he dies). The same thing do the guests
and they end up dead as well. So, the path that all the characters follow is, both metaphorically
and literally, the path of life to death.

1 Edgar Allan Poe, Stories of Mystery and Suspense, adaptation and activities by Janet Borsbey and Ruth
Swan, illustrated by Simone Rea, Young Adult Readers, 2003, p. 22.

2 Pillat-Stulescu, Monica, Modernitatea nuvelei fantastice a lui E. A. Poe: curs special pentru studenii anilor III
i IV, -A i B, Editura Universitii din Bucureti, Bucureti, 1983, p. 44 (traducere proprie)
Concerning The Red Death, this character is portrayed in a spectacularly grotesque way. Hes
ascribed as being twisted, oozing blood from every pore (especially the face) until the very end.
The victims are not drenched in blood but the image is more delicately described: they are
splattered with blood, almost decorated with it. Its a grotesque description and almost aesthetic,
beautiful at the same time, like Poes entire work. Why, though, did he choose the color red and
not black? I believe he didnt want any confusion with the Black Plague from the Medieval
Europe and also because I think he wanted to create his own plague, for a much greater effect of
thrill. Maybe that is the reason why he chose red: its a brighter color, more dramatic and of
effect than black and it tends to accentuate the thrilling effect of the black color when the two of
them are put together. But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock;
and thus it happened, perhaps that more of thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations
of the thoughtful among those who reveled. And thus too, it happened, perhaps, that before the
last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the
crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had
arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having
spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or
murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of
disgust. [] The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of
the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the
countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny, must have had difficulty in detecting
the cheat. And yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revelers around.
But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was
dabbled in blood and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the
scarlet horror.

The black, tall and terrifying clock sits in the black room, where no one enters, but from where
its ghastly sounds can be heard, announcing the Time that flies and its a symbol of the
inevitability of death. The fact that when it strikes, all music and dancing stops, frightens all the
guests. The clock is there, I believe, to remind everyone of the fact that death is coming and that
their lives fly away as the time does.

This story is really an allegory because it presents a series of symbols easily recognizable with
meanings which are put together in order to forward a commonly known truth: the fact that life is
ephemeral and that death will take over, inevitably, the lead at some point. An allegory operates
on two levels of understanding: the literal elements of the story/action (e.g.: the colors of the
castles chambers) and their symbolic counterparts which, usually, need some philosophical
concepts (e.g.: the life-death parallel). If we see this story as an allegory about life and death,
and the human incapacity to escape from the claws of the latter, evidently, the Red Masque
would represent both literally and allegorically Death itself. It does not matter how alluring the
castle is, how luxurious the clothes and the atmosphere or how varied and rich the food, no
mortal, not even a noble one (e.g.: Prince Prospero), can escape death. This is a short story that
presents some sort of apocalypse, being inspired from historical facts (Iustinians plague from
541-542, The Black Death from XVI century and the plague from 1855).3 The name given to the
main character is very symbolic: it reminds of prosperity, richness but also some dose of
arrogance proven by the fact that he thought that richness and luxury can annihilate the imminent
proximity of a natural phenomenon: death.4

The story can be a moralizing one because it may seems like a punishment for the princes
attitude who, instead of using his fortune to help those in need, he prefers to spend it on some
sort of protection and self indulgence. However, his selfish behavior turns him into a caged
animal who cannot escape (e.g.: It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of
pale courtiers by his side.).

The masquerade (Poe probably uses this term in order to portrait the grotesque and the fake
image that represents the ball: no one is really who he claims to be) is in itself an apocalyptic
image: everything is too intense, too wild, too much, too frenetic, too grotesque to be just an
ordinary party. There are bright colors, out of the ordinary, in eccentric combinations, as well as
chambers colored unusual, either in macabre ways (e.g.: the red and black room), either in way
too light colors (the much too light blue of the chamber in which the masquerade was held).5In
the apocalyptic atmosphere also joins the guests costumed in bizarre outfits, forming a collage of
images that reaches the limit of grotesque.6 The author uses intentionally extreme details in order
to describe the wild atmosphere of the ball: There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs
and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There were much
of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a
little of that which might have excited disgust. To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in
fact, a multitude of dreams. And these the dreams writhed in and about, taking hue from the
rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps. Poes
characterization of the guests as writhing, a well used word throughout the story, and of the
music which grows in intensity and reflects in the moves of the guests suggests a horrifying,
carnavalesque and dizzying image.

3 Levin, Harry, The power of blackness, Vintage Books, New York, 1958, p.44.

4 Creia, Petru, Studii despre E. A. Poe: Infernul terestru, ediia a II-a, editura Muzeul Literaturii
Romne, Bucureti, 2001, p. 27 (traducere proprie)

5 The Cambridge Companion to Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Kevin J. Hayes, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, 2009.

6 Universul lui Edgar Allan Poe, coord. Mihai A. Stroe, Editura pentru Literatur i tiin, Iai, 2011, p. 14
(traducere proprie)
The ending refers to death as coming like a thief in the night. Poe extracted it from the Bible
where apostle Paul speaks about Doomsday (Thesalonians 5:1 , 5:2, 5:3, 5:4, 5:5, 5:6, 5:7).
According to him, Jesus will come when humankind will expect less (like a thief in the night) in
order to judge the sinners for eternity: Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers,
[ ]
a you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware
that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, There is
peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a
pregnant woman, and they will not escape.4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to
surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the
night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be
sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.7

Poe takes those words of Paul and makes Red Death seem like an apocalyptic figure, who
symbolizes the end of the world. Just like sinners, the masquerade guests forget about the
inevitable end of the pleasures of life. The difference is that in the story Death does not judge the
guests, it kills them instantly. The inevitable end mentioned by Poe does not refer to judgement
and eternal salvation/forgiveness or eternal suffering. It is all reduced to a single idea, appeared
in the end:And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

The Masque of the Red Death is in fact an allegory due to the fact that it provokes us to think
about life, our behavior, morals and so on. The fact that he used historical facts (such as the three
plagues in the history of mankind) and religion (The Judgement Day) as inspiration, makes this
story available for every kind of reader. In addition to what I suggested about the message of the
ending, I believe it is also useful to remember that Poes main goal in writing was to create an
effect in the reader in the form of an intense emotion or experience. He often chose the themes of
his works nor for their own sake, but because he thought they were best suited for creating the
effect he desired. And if Poes aim in this story was to unnerve his readers and fill them with
dread, I cannot think of a better way to end than with Darkness and Decay and Death
conquering all.

7https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?
search=1+Thessalonians+5%2C1+Tesaloniceni+5&version=ESV;NTLR;ASV
Gorgos Roxana-Maria, romn-englez, grupa 1, anul III.