Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Can you relate to Prince Prospero, or to anyone in this story? Are there any genuine characters?
- Is Prince Prospero a tragic hero, or a fool? What is his primary flaw? Does he have one?
- What is the relationship between art and death in "The Masque of the Red Death"?
- Is Prince Prospero Poe? Is Poe Prince Prospero? If "The Masque of the Red Death" is a dream, whose dream is it?
- Is "The Masque of the Red Death" apocalyptic? Does it present a challenge to traditional ideas of the end of the world, or is it a fairly traditional vision itself?
- Why might "The Masque of the Red Death" be called a twisted version of Shakespeare's The Tempest? What similarities are there? What differences? Do they share a common message?
- Is fear Poe's intended effect in "The Masque of the Red Death"? Or does he have another one?
- Is "The Masque of the Red Death" scary?