Irony In The Masque Of Red Death

Edgar Allan Poe uses irony to help his readers understand that everything isn’t what it seems. In the story, “The Masque of Red Death”, Poe has the setting in Prince Prospero’s castle, where he holds a masquerade ball for thousands and thousands of guests. Poe prints, “And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all” (61). The irony that Prince Prospero has is that he believes he can escape the Red Death, but in the very end, he is killed by the terrible disease. The narrator’s fear of the disease has lead him to hold a masquerade ball to get his mind and all his guests minds off the fact that death is near and coming for them. In the story, “The Tell Tale-Heart”, Poe has the setting in the old man’s house.