"The Masque of the Red Death"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Poe's extensive use of symbolism to describe the setting, the characters and the elements of his story in "The Masque of the Red Death" while focusing on death as the the main theme. As this story relates, time marches on and there is no escaping the inevitable death.

From the Paper:

"During this time of isolation, as the fatal disease is at its worst on the outside, the prince entertains his friends with a magnificent masked ball. Poe describes the costumes worn at the masquerade as beautiful, yet as delirious madman fashions, bizarre, terrible and disgusting. This would point to the symptoms of the disease, yet the prince's guests masquerade thus, perhaps alluding to the fact that the party is not protected from the plague at all. The dancers are described as a "multitude of dreams", nightmarish characters."

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