The Masque of the Red Death

Josh Lapp The Masque of the Red Death Masquerade ? type of ball, party, fete, where participants are dressed in costume, identity concealed Red Death ? Bubonic Plague that killed sometimes up to 75% of the population during the 14th century Avatar ? ?Blood was its Avatar? Symptoms ? Sharp pains, sudden dizziness, profuse bleeding from the pores, death in 30 minutes Prospero ? described as happy, dauntless, sagacious Irony ? others terrified, confused and dying Heavily secures one of his abbeys ? wall around it with gates of iron that are welded shut to keep out contagion ? no means of ingress or egress Brings 1000 of his closest nobles and friends inside ? the external world could take care of itself ? obviously the rest of the population could fight off the Red Death as best as they could Has every means of entertainment ? buffoons (jesters), improvisatori (permormers), masques, wine, dancers, music ? party amidst the time death Toward close of 5th or 6th month, party held in 7 rooms ? significance of 7 Can?t see from one room to the next ? chart Rooms all different in hue ? blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet, black + red Color of room and color of window panes consistent except for last room ? scarlet windows No light from within ? torches in outside corridor shine through colored windows illuminating the room Ebony Clock located in black room strikes on the hour ? forces dead silence, people become pale, hands to brow, can?t ignore even when they resolve to the next hour Prospero ?some thought him mad, his followers did not ? but had to see him, touch him to be sure Has given free reign, no limits on costumes ? the more bizarre, terrifying, grotesque, the better ? an array of phantasms, dreams milling about Clock strikes midnight ? brazen lungs bringing everyone once again to a standstill Without realizing it they discover the presence of an uninvited guest who had ?out Heroded Herod? His costume was made exactly like the Red Death Blood speckled all over his garments Looks exactly like a corpse Prospero can?t laugh at his costume Prospero speaks, enraged ?Who dares insult me? Who dares insult me with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him so we will know whom to hang at sunrise from the battlements? Irony is that he feels insulted by this costume when he has given his guests free reign to dress however they want Intruder moves from the blue room through the other rooms virtually unimpeded People scared to death of death and moved to the side Prospero chases after him finally catching him in the black room with a dagger which falls to the floor with Prospero When others rush in ?to help? they discover that the intruder is untenanted by any physical form ?He came like a thief in the night? ?Darkness, Decay, and the Red Death held dominion over all.? Many of Poe?s stories about people who were rejected, insulted and left out because they were not socially acceptable ? and their retribution Elements of irony in story Name Prospero sounds like prosperous ? not very prosperous, dies in the end