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How Does Prospero Survive In The Masque Of The Red Death

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In the short story “The Masque of the Red Death,” by Edgar Allan Poe, Prince Prospero secluded himself from the Red Death. The plague quickly killed a large portion of the population. In the end, the Red Death kills the prince and his companions from within the abbey. The message conveyed in the story is that punishment is inevitable to those who allow others to suffer in their place due to the events that took place in the story.
In the beginning of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death,” Prince Prospero locks himself away in a castellated abbey to hide from a terrible plague. Prince Prospero leaves his people behind with only his own interests in mind and when the plague begins to spread quickly, Prospero gathers his friends and moves them to the abbey in order to hide from the deadly illness. In this way, Prospero shows little care for the well-being of his people, despite being trusted as their leader. He is aware of the dangers of the disease but rather than help his people, Prospero chooses to hide and remain ignorant of his people’s suffering. He chooses safety for him and his court, hiding himself and them away and leaving his subjects to suffer with no guidance or help. By hiding away, Prospero leaves others to die in place of him and his friends. …show more content…

During the masquerade, everyone was enjoying a night of blissful ignorance. They were interrupted by a figure they could not ignore. It is important to remember that Prospero had welded the doors to the abbey shut, so nothing could get inside. Ripped from their state of ignorance, they were forced to face the dim reality. They were forced to endure the punishment of the Red Death that had been avoided for months. Eventually, the plague found Prospero and his companions, leading to the conclusion that people who let others suffer will face

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