The Setting in “the Masque of the Red Death”

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“The Masque of the Red Death” is a story in which the prince, Prospero, is hiding within the confines of his own palace from the “Red Death”. The “Red Death” is a violently bloody terminal disease that has plagued Prospero’s country, killing nearly half the populous. Despite the plight of his people, Prospero, summons a thousand nobles and entertainers to hide within his palace. The palace was a large, magnificent structure; with a strong wall enclosing the palace. The iron gates within the wall were welded shut after all the guests were inside, to prevent ingress or egress, thus turning the palace into a sanctuary, or a coffin. The intricate detail of the palace plays a big part in this story. The prince’s eccentric taste is manifested in the design of the palace. The palace had seven suites each with a different color theme. The suites were set up in a way that ran from east to west. The first eastern most room had decorum of blue tapestries, ornaments and blue window panes. The second had a purple theme, the third was green, the fourth was a light orange, the fifth was white and the sixth had a violet theme. The seventh suite had black velvet tapestries that hung from the ceiling and walls, with the carpet of the same color. The window panes in this room, unlike the others did not match the room, instead they were scarlet, a deep blood red. The placement of the suites in an east to west fashion seemed to follow the 24 hour cycle of day and night. The sun rising in the east and setting in the west seemed to follow the color pattern of the suites which started with dimmer colors, into brighter colors then culminated in the seventh suite with the darkest room or darkest hour of the day. The seventh room also contained a gigantic ebony clock. The ebony clock had a pendulum that swung to and fro and had a loud peculiar note when each hour was struck by the clock.

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