Assignment task: As the story opens, the narrator describes how the prince has "protected" his guests from the outside world. What words or phrases does the author use to support the idea that the guests are well cared for and protected? Find specific words or phrases from the short story to use in your answer.
Poe offers the reader a detailed description of the castle and its rooms. We have discussed how setting can help create the mood in a literary work. How does Poe use his description of the castle to convey an eerie or haunting mood? Remember mood/atmosphere is the feeling created in the reader when reading a literary work or passage. In your answer, be sure to use examples/evidence from the story to help support your answer.
Often in films or stories, a clock or timepiece is used to symbolize time passing. In "The Masque of the Red Death," Poe's ticking clock is a threatening presence in the palace. Find a quote about the clock in the story and explain what this chiming clock may mean to the guests.
Using details from the story, describe the unwelcome guest and his costume. Who do the party-goers (revelers) think the stranger is? Why is Prospero upset with the intruder's arrival at the party?
When Prospero realizes there is an unwelcome guest at his party, he is in the blue room of the palace. How does Poe lead up to the climax in the story? HINT: Think about how Prospero moves through the palace to reach this intruder? Use specific details from the story in your answer.
The last sentence of the story is " And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all." Why are the words "darkness" and "decay" capitalized in this sentence? What is this literary device and why did Poe chose to use it in his ending?
As discussed in class, Poe uses allusion throughout this story. Find one example of an the allusion in the story and explain where it comes from and its significance in this story.
In many of Poe's short stories, he suggests that his main character may be crazy or "mad." In your opinion, do you think Prospero is mad? Support your answer with details from the story.