“Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe
Reading Guide
1.
What are the symptoms of the Red Death?
2.
How long does it take this disease to kill its victim?
3.
What did the Prince decide to do? Whom did he include?
4.
What can the reader tell about the Prince’s house?
5.
What did the Prince provide for his guests?
6.
What point does Poe make about the layou t of the rooms?
7.
What was distinctive about the windows?
8.
What was unique about the windows in the 7th room?
9.
What effect did the firelight have for those who entered the 7th room?
10. Where was the clock? What reaction did it cause?
11. Why did Poe make an allusion to the play, Hernan?
12. Why do the people seem to stay away from the 7th room?
13. What happens when the clock strikes midnight?
14. Why did Poe say the masked figure “out-Heroded Herod”?
15. Describe the masked figure?
16. What was Prince Prospero’s reaction to the uninvited guest?
17. Did the Prince stab the masked figure? Explain.
18. What did the revelers try to do? What is the result?
19. Who was the uninvited guest?
20. What was Poe trying to show about death? Think about the symbolism of Prince Prospero, his guests, and the uninvited
guest.