Setting in The Masque of the Red Death

Poe is considered one of the defining influences on Gothic literature, and “The Masque of the Red Death” blends traditional tropes and Poe’s own style to establish an unmistakably Gothic setting. Of particular note is the secluded nature of the abbey and the decision to lock the castle from the inside. The idea of being trapped or surrounded creates a sense of isolation and claustrophobia, a concept also explored in Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Cask of Amontillado”. Though they locked themselves away to avoid the plague, Prospero and his friends have also trapped themselves with no way to escape should anything go wrong.