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When “The Masque of the Red Death” opens, a disease known as the Red Death is running rampant through a fictional country. The unnamed narrator explains that never has the world seen a disease more deadly and more gruesome. Once infected, the Red Death causes its victims to die quickly and hideously. The Red Death has three defining symptoms: every person who contracts this deadly disease is overcome by “sharp pains,” “sudden dizziness,” and a “profuse bleeding at the pores.” This last symptom is the most disturbing, and gives the disease its name. The bloody stains on the body, especially the face, mark the victim for death and render them beyond the reach of medical help. The Red Death spreads rapidly and kills rapidly. Once a person develops these three symptoms, they can expect to perish within thirty minutes. The Red Death has decimated the unnamed country in which the story is set and has claimed half of the population.
The country in “The Masque of the Red Death” is ruled by a Prince named Prospero. When the story opens, Prospero feels optimistic and cheerful despite the disease spreading rapidly through his country. This because he believes that he has both the wealth and the power to avoid the Red Death. He decides to gather 1,000 knights and dames from his court into his protection. Notably, he does not extend any invitations to the common people. Prospero decides to shelter himself and his companions in his castellated abbey—a large, lavish palace with high, impenetrable walls. Once everyone arrives, the guests reveal that they have brought furnaces and hammers which they use to weld the gates shut in order to fend off the plague. As a result, nobody can get in or out of the estate. Once they are securely locked in the castellated abbey, Prince Prospero and his wealthy companions ignore the illness ravaging the land and leave Prospero’s subjects to fend for themselves.
The narrator then goes on to explain that Prospero does not wish for himself or his companions to miss out on their luxurious lives while they wait until it is safe to go outside again. Prospero, according to his expensive taste and flair for the eccentric, has filled his palace with anything that he or his knights and dames could wish for. He has ensured that they would never know hunger, only decadence, because he’s kept the kitchens stocked with plenty of food and the cellars stocked with plenty of wine. He has also brought in means of entertainment so that he and his guests will have a pleasant stay in the palace. Prospero has hired a number of entertainers, among them clowns, ballet-dancers, and musicians. Additionally, he has hired improvisatori, people who can improvise music or verse for the amusement of others. Prospero has only used his exorbitant funds to fill his palace with the heights of luxury. He has not extended any of his money to aid his subjects in the fight against the disease. With locked doors, food, drink, and means of merriment, Prince Prospero is convinced that he and his companions can securely wait out the Red Death.
