Question

Can anyone explain Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" to me? I read it, and I don't know if I fully understand what happened.

Answer 1

All these rich people are having a party in Prince Prospero's house, even though there is this "Red Death" plague that's sweeping through their town.
This guy arrives dressed as a victim of the Red Death. He makes everyone uncomfortable, so Prince Prospero confronts him.
There's actually no one in the costume, it's empty, and the prince dies after confronting the Red Death and one by one, so does everyone else at the party.

The idea behind the story is you can't avoid death, it's inevitable.