"The Masque of the Red Death" is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in the May 1842 edition of Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine as "The Mask of the Red Death". The story was adapted in 1964 by Roger Corman into a film, The Masque of the Red Death starring Vincent Price. Costume for a Knight, by Inigo Jones: the plumed helmet, the heroic torso in armour and other conventions were still employed for opera seria in the 18th century. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor, critic and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American producer and director of low-budget films. ... The Masque of the Red Death is a classic 1964 horror film, directed by Roger Corman, based on the short story written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1842. ... Vincent Price on Broadway as Mr. ...

Plot summary

The story takes place at the castellated abbey of the "happy, dauntless, and sagacious" Prince Prospero. Prospero and one thousand other nobles are taking refuge in the abbey to escape the Red Death, a terrible and gruesome plague that has been sweeping the land. The symptoms of the Red Death are gruesome to behold: the victim is swept by convulsive agony and sweats blood instead of water. It is said to kill within half an hour. One night, Prospero holds a masquerade ball to entertain his guests, but late into the night, he notices one figure in a grey robe resembling a funeral shroud, with a mask depicting a victim of the Red Death, which all at the ball have been desperate to escape. Gravely insulted, Prospero demands to know the identity of the mysterious guest. To the horror of all, the guest is revealed to be the personification of Red Death itself. Once this is revealed, all the guests suddenly contract and succumb to the disease. The theme of this story is how, eventually, nature punishes the proud that believe themselves invulnerable, and that no one, no matter how hard they try, can escape death, as it comes unexpectedly, "like a thief in the night." The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the door of the Lodge of the Heralds. ... A pestilence is an epidemic or even a pandemic of a virulent and highly contagious disease. ... This article is about the medical condition. ... A masquerade ball (or masque) is an event which the participants attend in costume, usually including a mask. ... A ball is a formal dance. ...

The "Red Death"

The nature of the disease actually depicted as the Red Death is uncertain. Poe describes it as having "sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores" and death within half an hour. Some scholars feel that it is Poe's perception of tuberculosis (or consumption, as it was known then). Poe had already lost two of his female relatives to this disease. The onset of the disease was usually heralded by coughing up of blood. The infected person then went on to develop worsening blood loss as the disease progressed to fatality. However, unlike the "Red Death" which occurs within half an hour, tuberculosis usually took several years to kill its victims. It has been suggested that Antituberculant be merged into this article or section. ...

References

Stephen King's novel The Shining contains several allusions to the story. For other persons named Stephen King, see Stephen King (disambiguation). ... The Shining may mean: The Shining (novel), by Stephen King The Shining (film), Stanley Kubricks adaptation of the novel The Shining (mini-series), the ABC mini-series scripted by Stephen King The Shining (band), an English music group named after Kings novel This is a disambiguation page: a...

In Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera, Erik, the Phantom, dresses up as the Red Death with the inscription "Je suis la Mort rouge qui passe!" embroidered on his cloak in gold. The Red Death costume shows up in both the 1986 musical and 2004 film of the same name, though the stage production is somewhat more accurate regarding his appearance, as he bears a large feathered hat and lengthy cloak as described in the novel. Neither appearance, however, shows the inscription. The animated film also shows the Red Death scene. Erik dressed as the Red Death also appears on the cover of Sam Siciliano's "The Angel of the Opera." The title character as depicted by Lon Chaney (1883-1930) in the 1925 film depiction. ...

The 1994 computer game Under a Killing Moon featured interludes where text slides containing lines of The Masque of the Red Death were narrated by James Earl Jones. Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a cultural phenomenon. ... Under a Killing Moon (1994) was the third installment in the Tex Murphy series of adventure games produced by Access Software. ... James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla Township, Mississippi in Tate County) is among Americas best known African American film and stage actors. ...

The 1995 computer game The Dark Eye featured an abstract slide-show segment accompanying a reading of "The Masque of the Red Death" performed by William S. Burroughs. Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a cultural phenomenon. ... The Dark Eye was a computer game of the horror genre, released in 1995 by Inscape, a now-defunct software company. ... William Seward Burroughs II (pronounced ) (February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American novelist, essayist, social critic, painter and spoken word performer. ...

In the Terry Pratchett novel Maskerade, Death himself wears a Red Death costume at the climax of the story. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Maskerade is a novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. ... Death is a fictional character in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ...

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Masque of the Red Death

• "The Masque of the Red Death" at EServer.org
• "The Masque of the Red Death" with annotated vocabulary at PoeStories.com
• Sabrina Laurent (July 2003). "Metaphor and Symbolism in The Masque of the Red Death", Bohème Magazine Online.
• Analyzing Poe's Work Biographically and Psychologically Illinois State University

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