Masque Answers
1. Prospero: Prospero' is as his name implies, very prosperous. He throws lavish masquerade balls and always has more than enough food to feed everybody. He has a sort of false prosperity because all of his wealth and power vanishes quickly.
2. The Clock:  The clock is like a countdown to the arrival of the Red Death. It is a very frightening and ominous figure. Its power over the party is demonstrated whenever it rings the hour. All of the guests and entertainers become silent and nervous whenever the sound of the clock is heard.
3. East to West: Going from east to west can be symbolized in many things such as going from birth to death or the rise and fall of something or someone. For Prospero, going from East to West is like going from birth to death. He starts in the green room, which is the symbol color for life, and runs through all of the others, until he reaches the scarlet room with black furnishings, with balck being the symbol color for death.
4. The Abby: The Abby used to be a place of worship and holyness. The Prince came and locked himself in, driving the monks and other worshippers out. The Prince threw parties and ate excessive amounts of food, while the rest of the denizens of the land starved and suffered from the Red Death. Prospero is hiding in the Abbey from death.
5. Room colors: The color blue represents innocence, purple is the morning, green is growth and life, Orange is pride and ambition, white represents winter, violet is twilight and black is the night or death.
Irony


A. Prospero locked himself in an abbey, a house of monks. This place was once an area for worship and piety, but now it is being used for heathenism and parties. What was once shared for all is now held by the elite few and allowed to no one else. The Abbey wsas built so that Monks could pray for human salvation, yet Prospero retreats to the Abbey to escape death and throw a party.

B. Prospero is described as "dauntless, happy and sagacious". This should be the exact opposite of what he is right now. His kingdom is falling apart and most of his vassals and peasants are dead or dieing. But because he has locked himself into his abbey, he thinks that nothing can hurt him. He cannot always be happy as he cannot escape death. At first he fears the mummy, and his decision to try to escape death turns into a situation where he chases death annd allows it to kill him.

C. Prospero's name is a quite obvious irony in that he only has a false prosper. The image of having a thriving kingdom and being fearless of the Red Death is only a trick of smoke and mirrors. In reality, Prospero's kingdom is being ravaged by the Red Death, and he has fearfully holed up in an abbey to desperately try to stay alive.
Characterization


Prospero: Ignorant, insane, peculiar, demanding, short tempered, doomed, arrogant

Hale and light hearted freinds: Fearful, doomed, nervous, pompous, arrogant, cowardly, uncaring, acquaintences, followers, no indivudual can achieve prosperity unless they are devoted to their responsibility.

Death: All powerful, decides your fate, no human can escape death
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