Disease In The Masque Of The Red Death

The Underlying Themes of Disease in The Masque of the Red Death
Disease being a main predator of the human race, has killed and destroyed humanity as a whole in most of history. The Masque of the Red Death was written by Edgar Allen Poe as a disturbing piece of literature to highlight concepts of disease and their effects on the psychology of the human mind and actions. The head of royalty, Prince Prospero reacts to the conflict of disease by hiding away in his castle throwing extravagant masquerades for those who are wealthy and known whilst leaving his people to die from illness. However this falls apart as the infectious fear travels through the courtiers as time passes. Seemingly this fear becomes reality as a stranger enters the castle

Prince Prospero is the character that acts as a lead in the socio-economy that is based in the story. He holds a festive event, while in quarantine, as a reason to flaunt his position in comparison to those around him, ignoring their suffering. As Prince Prospero decides that “When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and lighthearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys” (Poe 82). Holding this situation for only those of his choosing, ones with wealth and power, is appointing to his position and his actions towards his people who are suffering during this celebration. This is similar to those in the deadly historical event of the plague, people who were wealthier tended to try to escape from the sickness by throwing those who had less under and into the fray that had a high chance of leading to their death. While Prince Prospero is also seen to quarantine himself from that of the Red Death, he fears the fate of which awaits him as he tries to hide from it within the confines of the abbeys around him. Representing the fears of an inescapable death as he tries to shield it with the festivities and distractions of the masquerade, Prince Prospero fails as by the end he finally faces the Red Death

The timepiece chimes as a prompting of doom, that time will continue passing with the inability to slow an occurrence. As the festivities continue there is the consistent acknowledgment of “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 reverie or meditation”(Poe 84-85). The chiming of the clock enacts a pause of the courtiers activity because of the prompting concern about the time they have left. This is significant of the inescapable symptoms of tuberculosis and its effect during the Black Plague. These symptoms would present the unnerving feelings of death creeping slowly as the disease itself would slowly kill you, similarly to the slow chimes of the hours passing emerging from the clock. The courtiers are halted with discontent as they become aware of their coming fates whilst they try to celebrate their belief of escaping the inevitable. Symbolizing the relation to past plagues and death the clock presented through the slow and unnerving occurrence of its