Review for "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe. Originally published in 1842 in Graham's Magazine. First published as "Mask of the Red Death: Fantasy". As I mentioned in my previous post I will begin to review works of the Dark Fantasy genre. Edgar Allan Poe is well known for writing short stories and poems that are considered dark fantasy due to his Gothic influence. This is just one of his many tales and the first one of his that I ever read. So I thought that it would be fitting that this story serve as a kick starter for my reviews of dark fantasy literature. Hope you enjoy! Review contains spoilers.

Summary

Rumors about a figure known as The Red Death plague a noble land. The Red Death brings disease and pain that kills its victim in half an hour. The scared people take refuge in the abbey of Prince Prospero. One night he holds a masquerade ball for his guests to take place in the seven rooms of the abbey. The first six rooms are all decorated with a solid color theme; blue, purple, green, orange, white and violet. The last room is black with crimson stained glass windows. Most guests are afraid of this room and do not enter it. In the black room stands a grand clock that chimes every hour. When it does the guests and the band stop dancing and playing. They wait in silence until the clock stops. At midnight the clock chimes again and the guests notice a hooded figure with a corpse mask. Prospero demands to know who the guest is, so he follows him through the six chambers with a dagger in his hand. The hooded figure enters the seventh room. Prospero walks into the black room to face the figure and immediately drops to the floor. He is dead. The other guests rush into the room to check on Prospero. They remove the mask and robe from the figure only to find there is nothing underneath. Every person becomes infected and dies. The Red Death strikes again.

Analysis

Setting
The story takes place within the castle walls of an abbey. There are seven rooms that the masquerade ball takes place. This gives the story a very gothic feel, which is what Poe is known for. It is an eerie setting that gives a feeling a suspense and adds to the effect of the story.

Irony and Allusions
The castellated abbeys are said to be guarded well behind iron gates and girdled walls. The only people there are the ones the Prince invited. So if the hooded figure were a common man, then how would he have arrived unnoticed? However underneath the robe and mask there is nothing, so the Red Death can come and go as it pleases. Undetected. The Prince's name is Prospero similar to the word "prosper" meaning to live wealthy and thrive. So it would appear ironic that he would be the first to die.

In the description of the Red Death the words "blood" and "scarlet" are mentioned. In the description of the seventh rooms window, the words "blood" and "scarlet" are also mentioned. This could be a subtle foreshadowing that the Red Death would end up in the Black room.

There are really only two characters that are discussed in the story. The guests aren't very descriptive. Prince Prospero is told to be a happy man that wants to ensure the safety of his townspeople and friends. The Red Death is talked about like a plague that comes into a place and kills everyone and then moves onto to another place. This clearly sets up the protagonist and the antagonist of the story.

Author's Influence
Red Death could be a symbol of many deadly diseases. Tuberculosis had taken the life of a few family members of Poe. The Red Death could then reflect some of his personal experiences. It could also represent the disease cholera that was an epidemic in 1831. The fact that in the Red Death in the story ends in the black room could also suggest that it is meant to represent the Bubonic (or Black) Plague. "

Personal Thoughts

The first time I read this story I found it to be interesting. I love the concept of the seven chambers each with a single color theme with the exception of the last one. I knew that something bad would happen in that room because its colors were black and red, which usually symbolize blood and death. Having read the story a few more times I like the introduction of the Red Death at the beginning and then we forget about it until the hooded figure shows up near the end.

The ending in which the Red Death kills the Prince did not come as a surprise to me. Being that the title of the story is "The Masque of the Red Death", it is easy to assume that the Red Death will show up at the masquerade. There are really no other characters mentioned so the only choice for death was the Prince, followed by his guests. It's not a predictable story but it also doesn't offer any real twists.

I am not a huge fan of Poe, but I do like the work that I have read by him so far. This story definitely has the same dark and Gothic elements that most of Poe's work has. One thing I really enjoyed were his use of visual language. Using the words "scarlet" and "deep blood" to describe the window panes. He uses several descriptive words twice, such as "bizarre" and "phantasm". Even the robe of the Red Death was described as "scarlet horror". Poe's use of imagery really allows the reader to visualize the story that is being told and allows them to get invested.

Lastly, I like the ending. While it is terrible that the Prince and townsfolk all died, I like the sentence that Poe ends with. He writes "And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all" (Pg 457)**. This states that the Red Death is in control and with it brings darkness and decay to every place it touches. It's a very depressing and dark look at what has happened to this world. For that, I simply love it. Poe is never afraid to go dark and horrific and here is no exception. If you like Edgar Allan Poe and have not yet read this story then I don't know why you've read this far, go read it, now. I highly recommend it.

The next story will be "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs.
Read The Monkey's Paw here


** "Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems". Dore, Gustave and Edmund Dulac. Top Five Books, LLC. 2013.