The Masque of the Red Death | Essays and Criticism

  • Narrative Voice in "The Masque of the Red Death"

    In the following essay, the author discusses three possible interpretations of Poe's ‘‘The Masque of the Red Death’’ in terms of identifying the narrative voice of the story.

  • The Coy Reaper: Un-masque-ing the Red Death

    In the following essay, the author reasons that the narrator of the tale must be Death because he is the only one present at the festivity to survive to tell of the effects of the Red Death.

  • The Tempest and the Bible in "The Masque of the Red Death"

    In the following essay, the author argues that Poe's use of allusions to The Tempest and the Bible reverse their theme of victory over sin, death, and time with the victory of Darkness, Decay, and the Red Death over humankind.

  • The Mask of Indifference in "The Masque of the Red Death"

    In this essay, the author argues that the prince attempts to prepare to meet death by assuming a mask of indifference to the effects of the Red Death and to death itself, but he fails to maintain this indifference in the ultimate meeting with death.

  • "The Masque of the Red Death" - An Interpretation

    In the following essay, the author interprets time and the seven rooms in Prince Prospero's imperial suite allegorically as periods of a person's life.

  • Meaning and "The Masque of the Red Death"

    In the following essay, the author both reviews many previous interpretations of Poe's tale and offers his own interpretation of the Red Death figure as an allegory of life itself.