Mortality In Poe's The Masque Of The Red Death

The Masque of the Red Death examines the inevitability of death and showcases humans natural inclination to attempt to prolong the unavoidable. In The Masque of the Red Death the Red Death has plagued the countryside with impending doom and has created a constant threat of mortality. With the Red Death having killed half of the country and the looming threat of mortality, Prince Prospero attempts to seclude himself in an effort to avoid dying himself. “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” (Poe 1). This attempt to avoid death emphasizes Prince

After the fearful description of the population's doom, Poe introduces the world of Prince Prospero. The atmosphere is different but still frightening. There's no blood or disease in his apartments, but the Prince is stated to be "eccentric" and "bizarre," and the rooms of his home are irregularly disposed of, which puts forth the idea of Prince Prospero's apartment being similar to a maze. The Gothic-style windows are tall and narrow, the hallway is closed, and each one of the chambers is painted in a different color, as if to make up for the dullness of the external world, producing an oppressive ambiance. The most striking room is the seventh and final one, entirely decorated in black except for the window panes which are covered in scarlet. There's no light in this chamber, but there's a large clock of ebony that rings each hour; it is a dark and monotonous ring which creates an inexpressible feeling of fear among the Prince's guests. “The suspense reaches its climax when a ghostly figure finally appears, among the crowd, at the stroke of midnight, causing terror, disgust, and panic.” (Laurent, Web). When the Red Death appears in the room, there is an uneasy feeling and a sense of dread. Prince Prospero freaks out and orders his men to capture the Red Death. When nobody approaches the Red Death, Prince Prospero tries to stop him himself which leads to his own demise and violent death which shows the archetypal meaning of red symbolizing violence. “All of this allegory and metaphor lead back to the moral of the story that tells us that attempting to dodge death is futile, and Death will find you, even if you are wearing a mask.” (Miller, Web). No matter how many barriers and protection Prince Prospero put up he was still not able to avoid death in the end because death is the only thing that is certain in