Red Death
The Red Death resembles this real historical disease known for its high death rate and bleeding symptoms.
What is the Black Plague (or the bubonic plague)?
The rooms are arranged in this direction, symbolizing the passage of time.
What is east to west?
Prince Prospero invites 1,000 of his friends to his abbey to do this while the plague rages outside.
What is to avoid the Red Death (or to party in safety)?
The ebony clock in the seventh room symbolizes this aspect of existence.
What is the passage of time (or the inevitability of death)?
Victims of the Red Death suffer from sharp pains, dizziness, and this gruesome symptom.
What is bleeding from the pores?
The seventh and final room is decorated in these two colors, creating a disturbing atmosphere.
What are black and red?
Prospero can be described with this character trait, shown by his belief that wealth can protect him from death.
What is arrogance (or pride, or selfishness)?
The masked figure who appears at the ball is symbolic of this.
What is the Red Death (or death itself)?
The Red Death kills its victims in about this amount of time after symptoms begin.
What is thirty minutes (or half an hour)?
Many readers believe the seven rooms represent this aspect of human existence.
What is the stages of life (or a human lifespan)?
Prince Prospero represents this type of person in society who thinks privilege can prevent suffering.
What is the wealthy elite (or the ruling class, or the privileged)?
The color red in the story, especially in the final room, is symbolic of this.
What is blood, suffering, or the presence of death?
This is the ironic outcome of Prince Prospero and his guests hiding from the Red Death.
What is they all die from it anyway (or it enters the abbey despite their precautions)?
Guests avoid the seventh room for this symbolic reason.
What is it reminds them of death (or it makes them uneasy because of its connection to the Red Death)?
This is the irony in Prince Prospero’s name, considering his fate by the end of the story.
What is that his name means success/prosperity, but he dies just like everyone else?
The masquerade ball symbolizes this human desire, which ultimately proves futile in the face of death.
What is the desire to escape reality or avoid death (or to maintain illusions of control)?
The Red Death entering the abbey without anyone stopping it suggests this about human efforts to avoid fate.
What is that no barrier can keep death out (or fate/death cannot be escaped)?
Unlike a traditional ballroom, the rooms in Prince Prospero’s suite are arranged with sharp turns and a winding layout, symbolizing this concept about life or understanding.
What is that life (or fate) is unpredictable and difficult to fully see or control?
Prince Prospero’s decision to host a lavish party while the Red Death ravages the land reflects his belief in this, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
What is his hubris (or overconfidence, or false sense of invincibility)?
Prince Prospero’s attempt to evade the Red Death through isolation and luxury symbolizes this broader theme about human nature.
What is the denial of death or the belief that wealth and power can protect individuals from fate?