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The Color Red
The color red is invoked three times throughout “The Masque of the Red Death.” The first time is in the story’s opening paragraph in which Poe outlines the symptoms of the Red Death. The narrator explains that the plague got its name from the signature facial bleeding that its victims suffer before they die. The second time the color red is mentioned is when the narrator describes the large blood-red Gothic windows in the black velvet room in Prospero’s estate. The narrator explains that the deep red lighting creates unnerving, demonic shadows on the walls which unsettle Prospero’s guests to such a degree that most are unwilling to step foot inside the black room. The final time the color red is mentioned is when Prospero and his guests look with fear at the mysterious guest’s mask which is decorated to look like a bloody corpse, one which has recently succumbed to the Red Death.
It is important to note that the color red is associated with or compared to blood each time it appears in the novel. Blood is a tricky substance because it indicates both life and death. On one hand, blood is our body’s life-source without which we wouldn’t be here. On the other hand, the sight of blood is usually an indicator of injury or death, especially in the context of this particular story. The repeated references to the color red are a vital component to the narrative because they complement the themes of life and death that ground the text.
Descriptions of Grandeur and Hedonism
There are many detailed depictions of splendor and pleasure throughout “The Masque of the Red Death,” including the description of the elaborate fortifications that surround Prospero’s state; an overview of the food, wine, and entertainment that Prospero provides for himself and his 1,000 guests; the vivid descriptions of the ornate decorations in the seven colored rooms, and an account of Prospero’s final masquerade ball. All of these examples are dripping in opulence and decadence. However, Poe makes it clear to the reader that darkness underlies Prospero’s hedonism. For instance, the revelers enjoy the masquerade ball in a dream-like haze but their pleasant daydreams become the stuff of nightmares the moment they enter the black room, rendering the fantastical decor demonic and frightening. Poe characterizes the over-the-top decadence of the masquerade ball as simultaneously beautiful and disgusting, eccentric and terrifying.
Poe uses the repeated descriptions of Prospero’s hedonistic tendencies to show Prospero’s moral corruption. The descriptions of Prospero’s excessive wealth and pleasure are especially grotesque when they are juxtaposed against the gruesome and tragic descriptions of the Red Death victims. While Poe’s attention to the Red Death victims is brief, he leaves much to the imagination—especially after the narrator mentions that half of the country’s population has already been claimed by the plague. Readers cannot help imagining the destitute conditions that Prospero’s poorer subjects are living in while he is reveling in his luxurious palace. If “The Masque of the Red Death” is a cautionary tale, then the repeated descriptions of Prospero’s gluttony and hedonism warn readers what can come from excessive greed and selfish designs.
