Dec 15, 2009

The Masque of the Red Death | Summary

"The Masque of the Red Death" (1842) is a tale of plague, of terror and of death, written in Poe’s gothic style.

In an unspecified year an unnamed land is besieged by the Red Death, a plague which spreads and kills rapidly. Victims are swiftly affected by sharp pains and dizziness, followed by bleeding form the pores. The disease is named for the blood stains on the body and, especially, the face. Victims die within half an hour of the first symptoms.

The land is shrouded in terror, but Prince Prospero is determined not to be a victim. He gathers a thousand of...