A disease known as the Red Death plagues the fictional country where this tale is set, and it causes its victims to die quickly and gruesomely. Even though this disease is spreading rampantly, the prince, Prospero, feels happy and hopeful. He decides to lock the gates of his palace in order to fend off the plague, ignoring the illness ravaging the land. After several months, he throws a fancy masquerade ball. For this celebration, he decorates the rooms of his house in single colors. The easternmost room is decorated in blue, with blue stained-glass windows. The next room is purple with the same stained-glass window pattern. The rooms continue westward, according to this design, in the following color arrangement: green, orange, white, and violet. The seventh room is black, with red windows. Also in this room stands an ebony clock. When the clock rings each hour, its sound is so loud and distracting that everyone stops talking and the orchestra stops playing. When the clock is not sounding, though, the rooms are so beautiful and strange that they seem to be filled with dreams, swirling among the revelers. Most guests, however, avoid the final, black-and-red room because it contains both the clock and an ominous ambience.
Vocabulary:
Avator: An old spelling of "avatar", an incarnation in human form. Today, avatars are graphic representation of people in chat rooms or online forums.
Ex: It was only possible to move the user's avator along the line of sight. Bedewed: To wet with or as if with dew.
Ex:
Buffoons: Clowns, ludicrous figures.
Ex: He has a keen sense of humor without becoming a buffoon. Candelabrum: A candlestick with multiple branches allowing it to hold a number of candles.
Ex: Its culmination was an offering of light to the sacred river in the form of an elaborate brass candelabrum sprouting dozens of little flames. Castellated: Having battlements and high walls like a castle.
Ex: The sheer volume of objects which found their way into Burrell's hands forced him to buy a castellated mansion to house them all. Decorum: Propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance.
Ex: Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore. Disapprobation: Condemnation. The act or state of disapproving.
Ex: I never heard my daughter express any disapprobation at being married. Fete: A lavish often outdoor entertainment, a large elaborate party.
Ex:Find out who won the draw to open the fete. Habiliment: Clothing. The dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion.
Ex: The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. Improvisatori: Those that improvise, like actors or poets.
Ex: Mummer: Actor, one who goes merrymaking in disguise during festivals.
Ex: Over the years dialog was added to the mummer's plays - they became a forerunner of the theater. Phantasm: Illusion, ghost, a product of fantasy, a mental representation of a real object.
Ex: Not only are phantasms of the living experienced, we find also clear records, of phantasms of the dead. Revel: A wild party or celebration.
Ex:We were all reveling in the stunning beauty of the scenery and keeping a wary eye on the army in front of us. Sagacious: Having or showing keen discernment, sound judgment, and farsightedness.
Ex: It did not require the wizard's altered tone to inform the sagacious animals that the danger was past. Hernani: A famous play written in 1830 by French dramatist Victor Hugo.
Ex: I was watching the Hernani yesterday, when the phone rang.
Summary:
A disease known as the Red Death plagues the fictional country where this tale is set, and it causes its victims to die quickly and gruesomely. Even though this disease is spreading rampantly, the prince, Prospero, feels happy and hopeful. He decides to lock the gates of his palace in order to fend off the plague, ignoring the illness ravaging the land. After several months, he throws a fancy masquerade ball. For this celebration, he decorates the rooms of his house in single colors. The easternmost room is decorated in blue, with blue stained-glass windows. The next room is purple with the same stained-glass window pattern. The rooms continue westward, according to this design, in the following color arrangement: green, orange, white, and violet. The seventh room is black, with red windows. Also in this room stands an ebony clock. When the clock rings each hour, its sound is so loud and distracting that everyone stops talking and the orchestra stops playing. When the clock is not sounding, though, the rooms are so beautiful and strange that they seem to be filled with dreams, swirling among the revelers. Most guests, however, avoid the final, black-and-red room because it contains both the clock and an ominous ambience.
Vocabulary:
Avator: An old spelling of "avatar", an incarnation in human form. Today, avatars are graphic representation of people in chat rooms or online forums.
Ex: It was only possible to move the user's avator along the line of sight.
Bedewed: To wet with or as if with dew.
Ex:
Buffoons: Clowns, ludicrous figures.
Ex: He has a keen sense of humor without becoming a buffoon.
Candelabrum: A candlestick with multiple branches allowing it to hold a number of candles.
Ex: Its culmination was an offering of light to the sacred river in the form of an elaborate brass candelabrum sprouting dozens of little flames.
Castellated: Having battlements and high walls like a castle.
Ex: The sheer volume of objects which found their way into Burrell's hands forced him to buy a castellated mansion to house them all.
Decorum: Propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance.
Ex: Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.
Disapprobation: Condemnation. The act or state of disapproving.
Ex: I never heard my daughter express any disapprobation at being married.
Fete: A lavish often outdoor entertainment, a large elaborate party.
Ex:Find out who won the draw to open the fete.
Habiliment: Clothing. The dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion.
Ex: The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave.
Improvisatori: Those that improvise, like actors or poets.
Ex:
Mummer: Actor, one who goes merrymaking in disguise during festivals.
Ex: Over the years dialog was added to the mummer's plays - they became a forerunner of the theater.
Phantasm: Illusion, ghost, a product of fantasy, a mental representation of a real object.
Ex: Not only are phantasms of the living experienced, we find also clear records, of phantasms of the dead.
Revel: A wild party or celebration.
Ex:We were all reveling in the stunning beauty of the scenery and keeping a wary eye on the army in front of us.
Sagacious: Having or showing keen discernment, sound judgment, and farsightedness.
Ex: It did not require the wizard's altered tone to inform the sagacious animals that the danger was past.
Hernani: A famous play written in 1830 by French dramatist Victor Hugo.
Ex: I was watching the Hernani yesterday, when the phone rang.