Gothic Romanticism, Poe, and “The Masque of the Red Death”

Poe and Gothic Romanticism: Allegory Objective: students will read “The Masque of the Red Death” in order to compare to other romantics and examine for allegory. Warm-up: Define allegory. Copy the following chart to fill out.

Allegory Person, Object or Event Possible Meaning Possible Lesson of Story The prince The abbey The series of seven rooms The clock The stranger

The Masque of the Red Death Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849

His Family and Tragic Life Born in Boston The son of traveling actors Lived a tragic and unhappy life

. . . continued Studied briefly at the University of Virginia Drinking and gambling difficulties kept him from continuing at UVA University of Virginia, 1856

. . .continued Received an appointment to West Point, but provoked his own dismissal Caused a final separation between himself and step-father West Point Crest

. . .continued In 1836 married his 14 year old cousin, Virginia Last 12 years of life worked as journalist, editor, and creative writer Virginia Clemm

. . . continued Lived in poverty stricken conditions most of his life In 1846 wife died after a long illness Poe’s home during the 1840’s

Addiction All evidence suggests that Poe was an alcoholic. Poe also habitually used drugs such as morphine, opium, and laudanum to treat depression and other health conditions. Poe had a weakened nervous system due to a brain lesion and a heart condition. Laudanum, a highly addictive, opium based medicine, was commonly used to treat headaches and stomach pains in 1800’s.

. . . continued Died in Baltimore after having been found in a stupor Died a poor, broken man

Poe’s Work Known for: Tales of mystery and terror stories Introducing the modern detective story

Just a Few Titles Short Stories: Poems: The Tell-Tale Heart The Raven The Cask of Amontillado The Black Cat, The Pit and The Pendulum Poems: The Raven Annabel Lee To Helen Lenore

“The Masque of the Red Death”

The Setting is an abbey, or monastery, converted by the rich Prince Prospero into a private palace and banquet hall. The time is the Middle Ages

The Setting: An abbey

The Plague is usually associated with the worst contagion to hit Europe before the 20th century— the Black Death — which, in the mid-14th century, killed about one-third of the human population.

The Plague 1347-1351

The Plague came from a bacterium now named Yersinia pestis that normally lived in the bloodstreams of fleas, which, in turn, lived on rats.

The Plague infected the lymph nodes, causing black swellings, called buboes. From this symptom came the disease’s common names: Black Death, Bubonic Plague.

Poe’s version of this illness — the “Red Death” — does not strictly correspond to bubonic plague. He combines it with tuberculosis, which killed several family members, and plays up the bloodiness of the disease. For dramatic effect, he also shortens the infection’s time span, from years (tuberculosis) or days (bubonic plague) to minutes (Red Death).

The Plague : Poe’s version “… The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.” From “The Masque of the Red Death”

killed millions, The Plague

The Plan Before the Red Death arrived, Prospero planned to be elsewhere — specifically, in his converted abbey, with all that extra room.

The Plan ”a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court.”

The Plan ... then the doors could be welded shut, and the abbey could become a fortress …

The Masquerade So the guests prepared their costumes ... “There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm … So the guests prepared their costumes ...

“… There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, …” The Masquerade “… There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, …”

The Masquerade ... and the ball began. And it was a success — up to a point, anyway —

Literary Term: Allusion Reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event Best sources are literature, history, Greek mythology, and the Bible Serves to explain or clarify or enhance whatever subject

Literary Term: Gothic Elements Supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terror pervades the action High emotion, sentimentalism, but also pronounced anger, surprise, and especially terror Use of words indicating fear, mystery: apparition, devil, ghost, haunted, terror, fright, fainting

Literary Term: Symbol Something that is itself and yet also represents something else Universal symbols embodying universally recognizable meanings Invested symbols give symbolic meaning by the way an author uses them in a literary work Symbols are very common in Poe’s work, and in Gothic Romanticism.

Allegory: A Story Behind a Story An allegory is a narrative that is really a double story. One story takes place on the surface. Under the surface the story’s characters and events represent abstract ideas or states of being, things like love or freedom, evil or goodness, hell or heaven. To work, an allegory must operate on two levels. On the level of pure storytelling, an allegory must hold our attention. Its characters must seem believable and interesting enough for us to care about them. On the allegorical level the ideas in the story must be accessible to us. As you read, you should find that the allegorical level of the story gradually begins to strike you. See if you find that Poe’s story of arrogance and death hooks you on both levels.

The Masque of the Red Death: Background Poe’s fictional Red Death is probably based on the Black Death, which swept fourteenth-century Europe and Asia, killing as many as two thirds of the population in some regions in less than twenty years. Poe calls the plague “the Red Death” because victims oozed blood from painful sores. In this story a fourteenth-century prince gives a costume party, or masque, to try to forget about the epidemic raging all around him.

The Black Death This particular type of plague was the bubonic plague, which is caused by a bacteria that lived in rats and other rodents. Human beings were infected through bites from the fleas that lived on these rats. The symptoms associated with plague are bubos, which are painful swellings of the lymph nodes. These typically appear in the armpits, legs, neck, or groin. If left untreated, plague victims die within two to four days. Victims of this disease suffered swelling in the armpit and groin, as well as bleeding in the lungs. Victims also suffered a very high fever, delirium, and prostration.

Summary Poe’s tale of an eccentric nobleman and the Red Death ravaging his land can be read both as a chilling ghost story and as an allegory representing human folly and the inevitability of death. (In other words, you cannot hide from death regardless how much money you have.)

Comprehension Check Why does Prince Prospero close himself and his courtiers off in the abbey? Why does the masked figure’s presence cause such a sensation? What happens to the prince and the revellers?

Summary Prince Prospero invites a thousand lords and ladies to escape death by living luxuriously in his castle until the pestilence passes. To entertain his guests Prospero hosts a masquerade party that takes place in seven halls, each a different color.

Summary At the stroke of midnight, a tall figure in a blood-splattered burial costume appears. Prospero demands that his friends seize the intruder, but everyone is frozen with fear as the stranger slowly walks through the rooms. Finally, Prospero rushes after him into the black seventh room.

Summary When the intruder turns, the host falls dead. The revelers then grab the stranger but find the costume empty. All soon die of the Red Death.

Comments “No matter how beautiful the castle, how luxuriant the clothing, or how rich the food, no mortal, not even a prince, can escape death. ”

Symbolism What symbols do you see in this story?

The Seven Rooms Blue- East, windows the same color Purple- windows the same color Green- windows the same color Orange- windows the same color White- windows the same color Violet- windows the same color Black- West, blood-red windows

Other Symbols & Meanings The Ebony Clock The Masquerade Ball wearing masks, anonymous… could represent everyone Plague (The Red Death) The Uninvited Guest

The Seven Rooms: What do they symbolize? Where does the sun rise/set? East & West Which color symbolizes death? Black A day can represent a person’s life… Sunrise is birth Sunset(or night) is death

The Ebony Clock: What does it mean? Time… running out? Mortality – time running out eventually ending in death Tempus Fugit!

The Uninvited Guest? A representation of death (specifically The Red Death) that comes to kill Prince Prospero and the rest of the nobles.

Theme? No one, no matter how rich or powerful, can escape the slow march of time…and ultimately death.