the masque of the red death by edgar allan poe essay

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Essays on The Masque of The Red Death

Prompt examples for "the masque of the red death" essays, the symbolism of the red death.

Examine the symbolism of the Red Death in Edgar Allan Poe's story. What does it represent, and how does it contribute to the overall theme and atmosphere of the narrative?

Prince Prospero's Character Analysis

Analyze the character of Prince Prospero. What motivates him to host the masquerade and isolate himself from the outside world? Explore his actions and their consequences.

Allegory of the Seven Rooms

Discuss the significance of the seven colored rooms in Prince Prospero's abbey. What do these rooms symbolize, and how do they reflect the stages of life or other thematic elements?

The Theme of Death

Explore the theme of death in "The Masque of the Red Death." How does Poe use imagery and symbolism to convey the inevitability of death, even in the face of wealth and luxury?

The Role of the Clock

Analyze the role of the clock in the story, which strikes fear into the hearts of the revelers. What does the clock symbolize, and how does it contribute to the sense of impending doom?

The Masquerade as a Metaphor

Interpret the masquerade as a metaphor for the human condition or society. How does it reflect the characters' attempts to escape the realities of life and death?

The Gothic Elements in the Story

Discuss the Gothic elements present in "The Masque of the Red Death," including the eerie setting, mysterious atmosphere, and themes of morbidity. How do these elements contribute to the story's impact?

Poe's Use of Foreshadowing

Examine Edgar Allan Poe's use of foreshadowing in the story. How does he build suspense and anticipation leading up to the revelation of the Red Death?

Interpreting the Ending

Interpret the ending of the story, where Prince Prospero confronts the Red Death. What does this final encounter symbolize, and how does it conclude the narrative?

Comparative Analysis with Other Poe Works

Compare and contrast "The Masque of the Red Death" with other works by Edgar Allan Poe, such as "The Tell-Tale Heart" or "The Fall of the House of Usher." How do common themes and motifs emerge in his writings?

The Masque of The Red Death

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Allegory, Symbolism, and Climax in The Masque of The Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe

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The Theme of Death in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of The Red Death

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Comparison of The Use of Figurative Language in The Masque of The Red Death and The Haunted Palace

Mankind's dualistic nature in the masque of the red death, symbolism and allegory in "the masque of the red death", the clock in the masque of the red death.

Edgar Allan Poe

Gothic fiction, horror

May 1842, by Edgar Allan Poe

Gothic fiction

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, hosts a masquerade ball in seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose "costume" proves to contain nothing tangible inside it; the guests also die in turn.

There are several themes in "The Masque of the Red Death". The central theme is that no man escapes death. Other main themes include time and madness.

Prince Prospero, The Red Death, Members of the Court

The disease called the Red Death is fictitious. Poe describes it as causing "sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores" leading to death within half an hour. The disease may have been inspired by tuberculosis, since Poe's wife Virginia was suffering from the disease at the time the story was written. Like the character Prince Prospero, Poe tried to ignore the terminal nature of the disease Poe's mother Eliza, brother William, and foster mother Frances had also died of tuberculosis.

The story was first published in May 1842 in Graham's Magazine and has since been adapted in many different forms, including a 1964 film starring Vincent Price. Poe's short story has also been alluded to by other works in many types of media.

“There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion.” “Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made.” “With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think.”

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“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe: A Critical Analysis

“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe first appeared in 1842 within his collection, Tales of Grotesque and Arabesque.

Introduction: “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe

Table of Contents

“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe first appeared in 1842 within his collection, Tales of Grotesque and Arabesque . The story confronts the inescapable nature of mortality, particularly for those who delude themselves into believing they can outrun it. Poe crafts a hauntingly evocative atmosphere through his detailed depictions of the gruesome Red Death and the opulent, yet crumbling, abbey. The characters’ futile efforts to drown out the plague with merriment only amplify the pervading dread, solidifying “The Masque of the Red Death” as a tale both suspenseful and imbued with profound contemplation.

Main Events in “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe

• Plague Ravages: The Red Death is described as uniquely horrific: “Blood was its Avatar and its seal—the redness and the horror of blood.” Symptoms include “sharp pains…sudden dizziness…profuse bleeding at the pores”. Death is swift, occurring within roughly half an hour.
• Prince Secludes Himself: Prince Prospero isn’t just wealthy, he’s described as “happy and dauntless and sagacious”. In the face of the plague, he gathers “a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court” to isolate with him.
• Iron Gates Sealed: The abbey is described as “an extensive and magnificent structure,” created by the Prince’s eccentric tastes. It’s surrounded by “a strong and lofty wall” with iron gates. The courtiers themselves “brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts.”
• Provision and Entertainment: They resolve to “bid defiance to contagion” and stock the abbey with provisions. Crucially, the Prince brings in entertainment: “buffoons…improvisatori… ballet-dancers…musicians…Beauty…wine.”
• Masquerade Ball: This isn’t just a party, it’s described as a “voluptuous scene”. The ball occurs as “the pestilence raged most furiously abroad”.
• Seven Themed Rooms: The rooms aren’t in a line, but laid out “so irregularly disposed that the vision embraced but little more than one at a time”. Each room’s window is stained, matching the room’s color: blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet. Finally, the seventh is black with blood-red windows.
• The Ebony Clock: This clock is “gigantic”, and its pendulum swings with “a dull, heavy, monotonous clang”. Each hour, its chiming is so loud and startling that it forces the musicians and dancers to pause momentarily.
• The Figure of the Red Death: The uninvited guest is “tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave”. Most chillingly, his mask is so realistic that “the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat”. Crucially, his clothes are “dabbled in blood”.
• Prospero’s Confrontation: The Prince is initially gripped by “a strong shudder either of terror or distaste” but ultimately is fueled by rage. Demanding to know who dares to mock them, he orders the figure seized and unmasked.
• The Red Death Prevails: The Prince himself pursues the figure through the colored rooms. When the figure turns, the Prince lets out “a sharp cry” and dies. The mask and robes conceal nothing, the Red Death itself has infiltrated the party. The revelers follow and also die in the “blood-bedewed halls of their revel”.

Literary Devices in “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe

Characterization in “the masque of the red death” by edgar allen poe, major characters:.

• Prince Prospero: He is the main character in the story and is portrayed as a wealthy and powerful man who invites a thousand of his closest friends to stay in his abbey to escape the Red Death. Prospero is arrogant and believes that he can escape death, but he ultimately dies from the disease.
• The Red Death: The disease is personified as a figure that haunts the guests, adding to the overall eerie atmosphere. The Red Death is the main antagonist of the story.

Minor Characters:

• The Courtiers: They are the wealthy guests of Prince Prospero who attend the masquerade ball in the abbey. They are described as being “unhappy, and withal proud” and are shown to be detached from the suffering of the people outside the abbey.
• The Mysterious Guest: This character is a mysterious figure dressed in a blood-stained robe and a mask resembling the face of the Red Death. He appears in the ballroom and causes terror and confusion among the guests.
• The Clock: The clock is described as “of ebony” and has a “loud and solemn and deep” sound. It represents the passage of time and the inevitability of death.
• The Abbey: The abbey is the setting of the story and represents the attempt to escape death. It is described as being “secure” and “well-provisioned” but ultimately fails to protect the guests from the Red Death.

Major Themes in “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe

• Theme 1: The Inevitability of Death: “The Red Death” relentlessly emphasizes the unavoidable truth that death cannot be escaped. From the opening sentence, which starkly states “The Red Death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous,” Poe sets the stage for this inescapable theme. Prince Prospero’s attempts to seal himself and his chosen companions within an abbey merely emphasize this futility. His belief that he can “bid defiance to contagion” is fundamentally flawed. The relentless ebony clock, its chiming “a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical” yet forcing the revelers to pause, serves as a constant, ominous reminder of mortality’s inexorable approach.
• Theme 2: Human Arrogance and Denial: Prince Prospero and his guests embody a deep-rooted human arrogance, believing they can circumvent the natural order of life and death. When the Prince “summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends” amidst a depopulated kingdom, he displays a profound disregard for the plague’s power. The characters’ obsession with pleasure – “buffoons…improvisatori… ballet-dancers…musicians…Beauty…wine” – underscores their denial of the reality raging beyond their abbey walls. This attempt to create a self-contained world of revelry within the face of death reflects their misguided belief in their own exceptionalism.
• Theme 3: The Power of Fear: Poe masterfully evokes a chilling sense of terror in his portrayal of the Red Death. He describes its effects in graphic detail: “The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men.” The disease’s swift progression instills a primal fear throughout the story. This fear reaches its peak with the arrival of the masked figure embodying the plague itself, interrupting the masquerade and casting the revelers into a state of panic and dread.
• Theme 4: Mortality and the Futility of Pleasure: At its core, “The Masque of the Red Death” suggests that the blind pursuit of pleasure is no match for mortality. The characters’ initial stance, that “the external world could take care of itself”, shows a callous detachment and a belief that revelry can offer genuine escape. However, the intrusion of the Red Death shatters this illusion, proving that pleasure is fleeting and vulnerable. As the tale concludes with revelers dropping dead and “Darkness and Decay and the Red Death” reigning supreme, Poe delivers a sobering reminder that death ultimately triumphs over ephemeral attempts to defy it.

Writing Style in “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe

• From the opening line, “The Red Death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous,” Poe establishes a chilling atmosphere with stark imagery.
• His portrayal of the disease’s effects is gruesomely detailed: “The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men.”
• The progression of colored rooms in the abbey can be interpreted symbolically. Each hue, “blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet,” might represent a different stage of life or evoke a specific emotional state, culminating in the darkness of death.
• The ebony clock with its monotonous chime becomes a constant reminder of the passage of time and the inevitability of death: “And the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay.”
• The repeated mention of the “Red Death” throughout the story reinforces its dominance and inescapable presence.
• The ominous chiming of the ebony clock at each hour creates a sense of foreboding and punctuates the revelry with a chilling reminder of mortality: “a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause.”

Literary Theories and Interpretation of “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe

Questions about “the masque of the red death” by edgar allen poe.

• How does Poe use symbolism in “The Masque of the Red Death” to convey his message about the inevitability of death?
• In what ways does the character of Prince Prospero embody the theme of hubris in “The Masque of the Red Death”?
• How does the use of repetition contribute to the building of suspense and tension in “The Masque of the Red Death”?
• What is the significance of the seven rooms in “The Masque of the Red Death” and how do they relate to the theme of time?
• How does Poe use imagery to create a sense of horror and dread in “The Masque of the Red Death”?

Thesis Statements

• Thesis Statement: In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe uses symbolism to convey his message about the inevitability of death. The colors, the clock, and the seven rooms in the story all serve as powerful metaphors for larger ideas and themes, ultimately underscoring the futility of trying to escape death.
• Thesis Statement: Prince Prospero’s obsession with isolation and control in “The Masque of the Red Death” serves as a clear example of the theme of hubris. Prospero’s belief that he can cheat death through his wealth and power ultimately leads to his downfall, highlighting the destructive consequences of excessive pride.
• Thesis Statement: The use of repetition in “The Masque of the Red Death” is a key element in the building of suspense and tension throughout the story. The repeated descriptions of the Red Death and the clock’s ominous chimes create a sense of dread and foreboding, ultimately contributing to the story’s haunting and unsettling atmosphere.
• Thesis Statement: The seven rooms in “The Masque of the Red Death” serve as a powerful metaphor for the stages of life, highlighting the theme of time and the inevitability of death. The progression from the blue room, representing birth, to the black room, representing death, underscores the inescapable passage of time and the ultimate futility of trying to outrun death.
• Thesis Statement: Poe’s use of vivid and macabre imagery in “The Masque of the Red Death” creates a sense of horror and dread that is central to the story’s impact. The descriptions of the Red Death itself, the gruesome fate of the party guests, and the haunting imagery of the ebony clock all contribute to the story’s enduring power and influence.

Short Question-Answers about “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe

• What is the significance of the seven rooms in “The Masque of the Red Death”?
• The seven rooms in the castle represent the stages of life, from birth to death. The progression from the blue room to the black room underscores the inescapable passage of time and the ultimate futility of trying to outrun death. Each room is also decorated in a different color, which serves as a powerful metaphor for the impermanence of life and the inevitability of death.
• How does “The Masque of the Red Death” reflect the social commentary of Edgar Allan Poe?
• The story reflects Poe’s critique of the relationship between wealth, privilege, and mortality. The wealthy and privileged guests at Prospero’s party are insulated from the suffering of the masses, but their indulgence and excess ultimately prove to be hollow and meaningless in the face of death. This commentary highlights the inequality and injustice of a society that allows the wealthy to isolate themselves from the suffering of others.
• What is the main conflict in “The Masque of the Red Death”?
• The main conflict in the story is the struggle of the characters to escape death. Prospero and his wealthy friends attempt to insulate themselves from the Red Death by locking themselves in a castle, but they ultimately fail to escape the inevitable.
• What is the tone of “The Masque of the Red Death”?
• The tone of the story is ominous and foreboding, with a sense of impending doom throughout. Poe uses vivid and macabre imagery to create a sense of horror and dread, underscoring the inevitability of death and the futility of trying to escape it.

Literary Works Similar to “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe

• “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839) by Edgar Allan Poe: This classic by Poe complements “The Masque of the Red Death” with its similar atmosphere of decay and dread. It explores the decline of a reclusive family haunted by a mysterious illness and the crumbling walls of their ancestral home.
• Frankenstein ; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) by Mary Shelley: A foundational work of Gothic fiction, “Frankenstein” delves into the dangers of scientific ambition. Like “The Masque of the Red Death”, it explores themes of mortality and the monstrous consequences of tampering with the natural order.
• Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker: This iconic vampire tale stands as a cornerstone of Gothic literature. “Dracula” shares elements of the supernatural with “The Masque of the Red Death”, weaving a chilling story of seduction, danger, and the undead.
• The Turn of the Screw (1898) by Henry James: This psychological horror novella explores the nature of reality and sanity. Similar to the unsettling atmosphere in “The Masque of the Red Death”, “The Turn of the Screw” leaves readers questioning the truth as a governess cares for two children in a possibly haunted mansion.
• Carmilla (1872) by Sheridan Le Fanu: An earlier and influential vampire tale with a subtle lesbian subtext, “Carmilla” explores themes of isolation, desire, and the seductive power of the supernatural, mirroring elements present in “The Masque of the Red Death”.
• “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” (1962) by Shirley Jackson: This unsettling tale follows two isolated sisters suspected of witchcraft in a decaying mansion. Similar to “The Masque of the Red Death”, “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” creates a suspenseful and unsettling atmosphere.
• “The Haunting of Hill House” (1959) by Shirley Jackson: Another chilling story by Jackson, “The Haunting of Hill House” follows a group of researchers who investigate a supposedly haunted mansion. This work, like “The Masque of the Red Death”, delves into the psychological effects of fear and the unknown.

Suggested Readings: “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe

Scholarly articles:.

• Dameron, George H. “Death’s Satire: Dance and Disease in Poe’s ‘The Masque of the Red Death.'” Studies in Short Fiction 15.2 (1978): 147-152. [This peer-reviewed article explores the thematic significance of the masquerade ball and the Red Death itself.]
• Fisher, James E. “Space and Time in Poe’s ‘The Masque of the Red Death.'” American Transcendental Quarterly 2 (1972): 71-79. [This article, potentially found in academic databases, delves into the symbolic meaning of the colored rooms and the role of time in the story.]
• Quinn, Arthur Hobson. “Poe’s Allegory.” The American Literature 19.1 (1947): 3-19. [This article, likely found in JSTOR or other academic databases, offers a broader analysis of Poe’s use of allegory, including a potential interpretation of “The Masque of the Red Death.”]
• Leary, Lewis. Edgar Allan Poe: A Biography . Rutgers University Press, 2009. [This comprehensive biography provides historical context for Poe’s work and explores the influences that shaped his writing.]
• Solow, Daniel. The Insanity of Language: Kierkegaard, Lacan, and Literary Theory . Princeton University Press, 2000. [This critical analysis, while not solely focused on Poe, offers a psychoanalytic lens that can be applied to “The Masque of the Red Death.”]
• Thompson, G. R. Poe’s Fiction: Mirrors and Madness . University of Wisconsin Press, 1987. [This book offers in-depth analysis of Poe’s short stories, including “The Masque of the Red Death,” exploring themes and literary techniques.]
• The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore: https://www.poeinbaltimore.org/ [This website, maintained by the esteemed Edgar Allan Poe Society, offers a wealth of resources on Poe’s life and works, including critical essays and interpretations of his stories.]

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The Masque of the Red Death

by Edgar Allan Poe (published 1850)

   THE "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avator and its seal -- the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.     But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious . When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons , there were improvisatori , there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the "Red Death."     It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence.     It was a voluptuous scene, that masquerade. But first let me tell of the rooms in which it was held. There were seven -- an imperial suite. In many palaces, however, such suites form a long and straight vista, while the folding doors slide back nearly to the walls on either hand, so that the view of the whole extent is scarcely impeded. Here the case was very different; as might have been expected from the duke's love of the bizarre. The apartments were so irregularly disposed that the vision embraced but little more than one at a time. There was a sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards, and at each turn a novel effect. To the right and left, in the middle of each wall, a tall and narrow Gothic window looked out upon a closed corridor which pursued the windings of the suite. These windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened. That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue -- and vividly blue were its windows. The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was green throughout, and so were the casements. The fourth was furnished and lighted with orange -- the fifth with white -- the sixth with violet. The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy folds upon a carpet of the same material and hue. But in this chamber only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet -- a deep blood color. Now in no one of the seven apartments was there any lamp or candelabrum , amid the profusion of golden ornaments that lay scattered to and fro or depended from the roof. There was no light of any kind emanating from lamp or candle within the suite of chambers. But in the corridors that followed the suite, there stood, opposite to each window, a heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire, that projected its rays through the tinted glass and so glaringly illumined the room. And thus were produced a multitude of gaudy and fantastic appearances. But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood-tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme, and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all.     It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to harken to the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and, while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused revery or meditation. But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly, and made whispering vows, each to the other, that the next chiming of the clock should produce in them no similar emotion; and then, after the lapse of sixty minutes, (which embrace three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies,) there came yet another chiming of the clock, and then were the same disconcert and tremulousness and meditation as before.     But, in spite of these things, it was a gay and magnificent revel . The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre. There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt that he was not. It was necessary to hear and see and touch him to be sure that he was not.     He had directed, in great part, the moveable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon occasion of this great fête; and it was his own guiding taste which had given character to the masqueraders. Be sure they were grotesque. There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm -- much of what has been since seen in " Hernani ." 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. And, anon, there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, for a moment, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away -- they have endured but an instant -- and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart. And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods. But to the chamber which lies most westwardly of the seven, there are now none of the maskers who venture; for the night is waning away; and there flows a ruddier light through the blood-colored panes; and the blackness of the sable drapery appals; and to him whose foot falls upon the sable carpet, there comes from the near clock of ebony a muffled peal more solemnly emphatic than any which reaches their ears who indulge in the more remote gaieties of the other apartments.     But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them beat feverishly the heart of life. And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock. And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions of the waltzers were quieted; and there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before. 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 revelled. 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.     In an assembly of phantasms such as I have painted, it may well be supposed that no ordinary appearance could have excited such sensation. In truth the masquerade license of the night was nearly unlimited; but the figure in question had out-Heroded Herod , and gone beyond the bounds of even the prince's indefinite decorum . There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made. The whole company, indeed, seemed now deeply to feel that in the costume and bearing of the stranger neither wit nor propriety existed. 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 revellers 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.     When the eyes of Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral image (which with a slow and solemn movement, as if more fully to sustain its role, stalked to and fro among the waltzers) he was seen to be convulsed, in the first moment with a strong shudder either of terror or distaste; but, in the next, his brow reddened with rage.     "Who dares?" he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him -- "who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him -- that we may know whom we have to hang at sunrise, from the battlements!"     It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince Prospero as he uttered these words. They rang throughout the seven rooms loudly and clearly -- for the prince was a bold and robust man, and the music had become hushed at the waving of his hand.     It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of pale courtiers by his side. At first, as he spoke, there was a slight rushing movement of this group in the direction of the intruder, who, at the moment was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate and stately step, made closer approach to the speaker. But from a certain nameless awe with which the mad assumptions of the mummer had inspired the whole party, there were found none who put forth hand to seize him; so that, unimpeded, he passed within a yard of the prince's person; and, while the vast assembly, as if with one impulse, shrank from the centres of the rooms to the walls, he made his way uninterruptedly, but with the same solemn and measured step which had distinguished him from the first, through the blue chamber to the purple -- through the purple to the green -- through the green to the orange -- through this again to the white -- and even thence to the violet, ere a decided movement had been made to arrest him. It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers, while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all. He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached, in rapid impetuosity, to within three or four feet of the retreating figure, when the latter, having attained the extremity of the velvet apartment, turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer. There was a sharp cry -- and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero. Then, summoning the wild courage of despair, a throng of the revellers at once threw themselves into the black apartment, and, seizing the mummer , whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within the shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave cerements and corpse-like mask which they handled with so violent a rudeness, untenanted by any tangible form.     And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood- bedewed halls of their revel , and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

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