The Masque of the Red Death
"The Masque of the Red Death" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball in seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose "costume" proves to contain nothing tangible inside it; the guests also die in turn.
Illustration for "The Masque of the Red Death" by Harry Clarke, 1919
Illustration of Prince Prospero confronting the "Red Death" by Arthur Rackham, 1935
Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley, 1894–1895.
First appearance in Graham's Magazine, May 1842 (Vol. XX), published in Philadelphia
A masquerade ball is a special kind of formal ball which many participants attend in costume wearing masks. Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tradition. A masquerade ball usually encompasses music and dancing. These nighttime events are used for entertainment and celebrations.
Masquerade ball at the Carnival of Venice.
A Veneziana mask from Verona, Italy.
German 16th century, a masquerade from Freydal, the tournament book of Maximilian I, c. 1515, pen and brown ink with watercolor on laid paper. One in a series at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, Rosenwald Collection.
Masquerade ball at Château de Hattonchâtel, France.