“And thus too, it happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before.”(Masque of Red Death, 45).

I believe this quote demonstrates the conventions of mystery and dread because the red death plague not only caught the eye of Prince Prospero, but also the unperceptive guests attending Princes masquerade. Phrases like “utterly sunk into silence” and “leisure to become aware of” causes a dreadful feeling for the reader. I also found myself more present in a mysterious way whiling coming upon this quote because you don’t know what kind of harm the disease can do, and how life threatening. This means that readers are interested in the mystery that lies ahead. The significance of this quote to the story is everyone in the palace is informed of the disease surrounding the city, but is shocked after being told it couldn’t come in to harm them. Towards the ending of the story, Prince Prospero is said to be afraid of the red death disease itself, but encounters his fear when he ends up chasing it through the rooms of his palace; and shortly after, finds himself dead. This image represents how the red death plague is inescapable and its just a matter of time before it will inflict pain on you.