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The Masque of the Red Death

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The 'Red Death' Plague is spreading throughout the town ... Specifically the clock in the black and red room that rings each hour and serves ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: The Masque of the Red Death


1
The Masque of the Red Death
  • By Edgar Allan Poe
  • Caty Evans, Ellie Byom and Sydney Hayes

2
Table of Contents
  • Plot Summary
  • Setting
  • Historical Context
  • Main Characters
  • Themes
  • Discussion Topics

3
Plot Summary
  • The Red Death Plague is spreading throughout
    the town
  • Prince Prospero invites about 1,000 friends to
    stay in his castle in seclusion
  • At the end of the 5th or 6th month he holds a
    masquerade ball for his guests
  • At midnight a mysterious character shows up
  • Prospero falls dead to the floor when he is
    perusing the masked figure
  • The guests find that there is no physical figure
    underneath the mask
  • The Red Death eventually wins as everyone dies

4
Setting
  • The Setting takes place in Prosperos Castle

5
Historical Context
  • It is thought that the Red Death is associated
    with Tuberculosis with which Poe has history with
  • Symptoms of the Red Death are sharp pains,
    sudden dizziness and profuse bleeding at the
    pores, with dissolution

6
Main Characters
  • The Masked Figure
  • Tall and ominous
  • Resembles a dead body who was infested with the
    Red Death
  • Turns out to be the Red Death itself
  • Prince Prospero
  • ignores the suffering of others and invites his
    friends to escape from the Red Death
  • Very excessive and extravagant
  • Dies in the face of the Masked Figure

7
Themes
  • Death
  • Cannot be escaped, even by the wealthy
  • Time
  • Time symbolized the arrival of death amongst the
    party goers
  • Specifically the clock in the black and red room
    that rings each hour and serves as a distraction
  • Madness
  • Poe was thought to be mad, so was Prince Prospero

8
Discussion Topics
  • Why does Poe go into such detail when describing
    the Princes home?
  • Do you think that Prince Prospero may be
    mentally-ill?
  • Was the Red Death a real sickness that existed
    at this point in history, or was it a
    self-inflicted illness brought on by the people?
  • What elements of this story mirror Poes life?
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