“The Masque of the Red Death” Versus “Nothing in the Dark

General Information Author: Edgar Allan Poe “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” Author: Edgar Allan Poe Genre(s): Allegory, Horror short story Publication date: May, 1842 Author: George Clayton Johnson Genre(s): Science Fiction, Fantasy, Suspense Original air date: January 5, 1962

Setting When: Where: When: Where: “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” When: The Middle Ages During a plague outbreak During a masquerade ball Where: European countryside Prospero’s Abbey/Castle The royal suite of 7 interconnected rooms When: 1950s During the winter A single day Where: American city A condemned tenement Wanda’s apartment

General Characters Prince Prospero 1000 retainers Musicians/servants “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” Prince Prospero 1000 retainers Musicians/servants The Red Death Wanda Dunn Officer Harold Beldon/ Mr. Death Contractor

Protagonists Prince Prospero Wealthy Young Robust Cruel Extravagant “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” Prince Prospero Wealthy Young Robust Cruel Extravagant Wanda Dunn Poor Elderly Frail Compassionate Simple

Antagonists The Red Death Tall Gaunt Face of a stiffened corpse “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” The Red Death Tall Gaunt Face of a stiffened corpse Wrapped in funeral shroud Blood spattered Relentless merciless Harold Beldon /(Mr. Death) Young Well built Handsome Dressed as a policeman Wounded Determined Kind

General Plot “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” A wealthy powerful prince locks himself and 1000 loyal subjects in his castle in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid “The Red Death” A lonely old woman refuses to leave her apartment for fear of meeting "Mr. Death.“

Exposition Setting established Plague explained Prospero is introduced “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” Setting established Plague explained Prospero is introduced Prospero’s precautions/preparations against plague Setting established Wanda is introduced

Conflict Prince Prospero vs. The Red Death Wanda vs. Mr. Death “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” Prince Prospero vs. The Red Death Wanda vs. Mr. Death

Rising Action Prospero holds a masquerade “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” Prospero holds a masquerade Someone appears among the guests dressed as a victim of the plague Prospero pursues this guest through the rooms Wanda overcomes her fears of venturing outside to bring in a wounded policeman He tries to persuade her to obtain help for him A contractor shoves his way into her apartment The officer is of no help to her Wanda realizes the policeman is Death in disguise

Climax Prospero falls dead to the floor followed by everyone else “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” Prospero falls dead to the floor followed by everyone else Wanda takes Death’s hand

Falling Action Death holds dominion over all “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” Death holds dominion over all Wanda walks out of her apartment with Death

Resolution No one escapes Death “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” No one escapes Death Death is not necessarily something to fear.

Point of View “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” Third-person omniscient – the narrator knows all the thoughts, actions, and feelings of all characters. The author may move from character to character to show how each one contributes to the plot. Some critics have argued that Death, himself, is the narrator. Third-person objective – a narrator who tells a story without describing any character's thoughts, opinions, or feelings; instead, it gives an objective, unbiased point of view. Rod Serling’s Intro and Outro inject a bit of Third- person omniscience

Symbolism Rooms = stages of life/death Clock = passing of time “The Masque of the Red Death” “Nothing in the Dark” Rooms = stages of life/death Clock = passing of time Red Death = Death Policeman = Death Furniture = prison Winter = old age