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Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque Of The Red Death

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Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque Of The Red Death
“The Masque of the Red Death” displays the gothic element of a character's motivation caused by fear. Prince Prospero insured his and his guests safety with “The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts” (Poe 430). In order to protect himself and the guests from the contagion he had the doors of the abbey sealed shut. The fear of getting the contagion caused Prince Prospero to seal himself in the abbey. Prince Prospero’s fear is not only shown towards the contagion but towards the masked figure. After he saw the masked figure, Prince Prospero shouted, “Who dares insult us with the blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him - that we may know whom we have to hang at sunrise” (Poe 433). Prince

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