An extreme amount of wealth can corrupt literally anyone into acting unethically towards situations. Many wealthy people believe they have an advantage over those who are not. In The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe, he explains how arrogant the prosperous prince acts towards his people. While not all wealthy people do not behave in immorally wrong ways, the majority of wealthy people abuse their power. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Being a really rich prince who rules a huge kingdom seems pretty nice, but thinking you can outwit death by blocking it is something else entirely. Prince Prospero from the Masque of the Red Death Designed to celebrate the joy of all those who do not die from the disease by hosting the biggest party in all the land, he invites a friend's family and literally everything left in the land. Here's how Poe explains it to us: "He summoned to his presence a thousand healthy and carefree friends among the knights and ladies of his court, and with these he retreated into the profound isolation of one of his crenellated abbeys." This shows that Prospero is acting slightly arrogant because what happens at the party is that everyone is dressed as if they are dead insulting death. Being truly rich can also leave a taste of power, and the prince feels it. Prince Prospero and the party guests notice a masked figure that almost looks like an actual rotting corpse walking around the room. The prince feels disgusted to see this, what he tried to avoid by simply entering his own room like this, remembering the Death Read, he decides to kill this masked character on the spot. “A shrill cry was heard, and the dagger fell glittering upon the sable carpet, upon which, immediately afterwards, Prince Prospero fell prostrate dead.” The prince was brutally stabbed by the masked man with a dagger, proving that he was never invincible and the masked figure eventually kills everyone else in the group. With the death of the prince concluding at the end of the story it shows that being rich does not make you rich. immortal. The death of Prince Prospero proves that no matter how much money or wealth you have, the end is inevitable. The story lets us know that the presence of the plague becomes known after everyone is killed with, “And now the presence of the Red Death has been recognized.” He had come in the night like a thief." Ultimately, people like Prince Prospero are just like us. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The points given here are that the wealthy and wealthy may be arrogant or may think that they are immortal. Prince Prospero went ahead thinking he was better than everyone else at the party. He threw a party that insulted death leading to his death. We could all end up like Prince Prospero if we became passionate about our riches and became bullies.