The Masque of the Red Death Essay Examples

Edgar Allan Poe

Gothic fiction, horror

May 1842

United States

The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague known as the Red Death by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, has a masquerade ball within seven rooms of his abbey, each decorated with a different color.

Throughout this story, Poe addresses a few distinguishable themes, or ideas meant to convey universal messages: humanity's desire to escape death, madness, and human selfishness.

In ''The Masque of the Red Death, '' there are only two major characters: Prince Prospero and the mysterious masked figure, who we later find out is the Red Death.