"The Masque of the Red Death", originally published as Β«The Mask of the Red Death: A FantasyΒ», is an 1842 short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ballwithin seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose Β«costumeΒ» proves to contain nothing tangible inside it; the guests also die in turn.
Poe's story follows many traditions of Gothic fiction and is often analyzed as an allegory about the inevitability of death, though some critics advise against an allegorical reading. Many different interpretations have been presented, as well as attempts to identify the true nature of the titular disease. The story was first published in May 1842 in Graham's Magazineand has since been adapted in many different forms, including a 1964 film starring Vincent Price.
Edgar Allan Poe is also famous for such works as Β«The RavenΒ», Β«The Cask of AmontilladoΒ», Β«The Fall of the House of UsherΒ», Β«The Masque of the Red DeathΒ», Β«The Pit and the PendulumΒ», Β«The Murders in the Rue MorgueΒ», Β«The Tell-Tale HeartΒ», Β«The Gold-BugΒ», Β«The Black CatΒ», Β«The Facts in the Case of M. ValdemarΒ», Β«Hop-FrogΒ» and many more.
There are chords in the hearts of even the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made.
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