The Masque of the Red Death – Interesting Literature

A Short Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Masque of the Red Death’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Recently we put together a brief plot summary of ‘The Masque of the Red Death’, Edgar Allan Poe’s short but terrifying story about a prince who retreats to his castellated abbey with a thousand of his courtiers, to avoid the horrific and fast-acting plague known as the ‘Red Death’. Now, it’s time for some words of analysis concerning this intriguing story which, like many of Poe’s best stories, seems to work on several levels.

‘The Masque of the Red Death’: A Summary of Poe’s Short Story

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Among Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous tales, ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ is one of the shortest. In just a few pages, Poe paints a powerful picture of a luxurious masked ball, which is then interrupted and ultimately destroyed by the presence of a mysterious figure. You can read ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ here before proceeding to our summary of the story below.