Poe's Short Stories
Contrast life inside the fortress with what is going outside the fortress. How else could the prince have dealt with the problem of the plaque?
The Masque of The Red Death
The Masque of The Red Death
Outside of the palace, thousands of people are being infected and killed by the plague. Inside the palace, the Prince and his friends were having a party. The Prince's only recourse might have been to leave the area all together. The plague was unstoppable.
The Masque of the Red Death