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Thematic idea of the cask of amontillado
Thematic idea of the cask of amontillado
In the story of the cask of Amontillado what is the symbolism
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Revenge in The Cask of Amontillado
Revenge is the deliberate act of inflicting injury in
return for injury. Revenge also is the ghost that haunts one
man's soul for almost fifty years in Edgar Allen Poe's "The
Cask of Amontillado." Is vengeance really satisfied by
Montersor in Poe's tale? No, not only is it not satisfied,
but also ironically he damns himself for all eternity!
At the beginning Montersor gives us his two criteria
for revenge: "A wrong" he says "is unredressed when
retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally
unredresse[d] when the avenger fails to make himself
felt as such to him who has done the wrong."
(Harris 335)
Are these two criteria met? "No retribution seems to over
take Montresor" (Harris 335). But, that is just how it
seems. From the onset of the story "... the narrator
[Montresor] suffers from a guilty conscience..." (Gruesser
1), which means that Montersor did suffer. Poe also makes no
indication that Montersor ever told Fortunato why he is
executing this "motiveless evil"(Harris 335). Therefore,
neither of Montresor's requirements of vengeance are
accounted for. In reality Montersor permits himself to be
transformed from family avenger into a cold-blooded murder.
"He [Montresor] count[s] on God's judgment as the final
instrument of his revenge. He kill[s] his enemy by leading
him into sins of pride, vanity and drunkenness" (Cooney
195). Here Montersor fails also. When Fortunato poses a last
prayer for mercy to his murderer and his God, "'For the love
God, Montersor!' 'Yes,' I said, 'for the love of God'"(Poe
153). "To this, Montersor [is] deaf and when the prayer
receive[s] a merciful hearing in heaven, Montersor's
stratagems backfire[s]. Fortunato, lucky as his name
suggests [is] saved; Montersor damned"(Cooney 196). This is
reiterated by Gruesser when he writes "...going through with
the murder, Montersor boldly defies God, damning himself for
all time." Cooney also states that Montersor misses the
irony at the beginning of his own confession, "You who so
well know the nature of my soul"(Poe 149). This implies that
he has been confessing to this "priest" for quite a while,
but has not been confessing all of his sins; this in turn
makes all of Montersor's confessions in vain. Cooney also
shares with us that because of these false confessions
instead of being instruments of salvation they become
instruments of damnation. "Here, surely, is the irony of a
confession without repentance, an irony that makes the
entire plan double back upon the doer"(Cooney 196). So now
not only does he have the blood of Fortunato on his hands,
but the wrath of God on his head.
In Poe's last line "In pace requiescat," "let him rest
in peace," Montresor prays for the soul of Fortunato, but as
It is constantly seen that people take revenge on each other in the real world so it comes to no surprise that Montresor is taking revenge on Fortunato. Specifically in this story Montresor will feel better if he “not only punish but punish with impunity” (108 Poe). But further on what I found to even more realistic was that this wasn’t normal revenge, this was pure mastermind torture. Montresor knew that Fortunato was sick with Montresor saying “…but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted”(109 Poe) regarding that he didn’t want Fortunato to come down to his vaults, but Montresor true intentions were wanting Fortunato to fight Montresor request of not coming, and it worked. Montresor also knew how well Fortunato was at differencing wine “I was silly enough to pay the full Amontillado price without consulting you in the matter” (109 Poe). By Montresor exploiting Fortunato’s sickness and skill of wines, Montresor knew that he could get Fortunato in the vaults where he could execute his revenge. At a first glance this may not seem lifelike because there’s an assumption to be made that people aren’t this immoral. But the truth is that the revenge that Montresor conducted is seen constantly in our culture. It’s undeniably real of the monstrosity that was made by Montresor when comparing it to the wicked
Montresor, fifty years after it happened, is confessing to the murder of his foe, Fortunato. He justifies his actions by saying that Fortunato caused him a thous...
Fortunato “takes possession” of Montresor’s arm, for which he suffers (716) in order to carry out his plan. Poe’s use of possession and suffer give the impression that Montresor is being afflicted again by Fortunato. Once Montresor reveals this meeting at this evening is no coincidence by divulging he made sure none of his attendants would be home. By giving the direct orders to be home. Poe shows us that Montresor was not respected or feared by his servants’ actions. The servants’ leaving after being given a direct order to stay does give credence to the fact that Montresor must be very methodical and unyielding to his schedule. Only once Fortunato to the catacombs does he betray his own premise. Montresor refers to Fortunato as his “poor friend” (716). At this point Poe has depicted this instigator of a “thousand injuries” as a drunken jester that can barely catch his breath at this point in the story. Now Montresor is showing some sympathy towards him. At this point the transition is complete. Where the two men stopped at the entrance to Fortunato’s tomb, this is the moment that leaves no doubt that Montresor is the villain and Fortunato is the
Montresor is a man who feels pride in himself and in his family, so when Fortunato—an acquaintance of Montresor— “venture[s] upon insult,” Montresor “vow[s] revenge” against him (1). Montresor hastily decides that he must kill Fortunato, even though his use of the word “venture” implies that Fortunato had not yet insulted him, but nearly did. Montresor’s impulsive need for revenge causes him to formulate a plan to murder his acquaintance. He keeps Fortunato intoxicated by “presenting him…[with] wine,” he “fetter[s] him to the granite,” and he “plaster[s] up… [a wall of] new masonry” to trap Fortunato in the catacombs (39, 71, 89). All of these acts are signs that the need for revenge has made Fortunato insane. A person who has any sense of morals would not commit crimes such as Montresor’s. His impetuous decision to exact revenge caused him to lose his
Literary devices are tools used by the author to help the reader understand a given literary work. Writers use different literary devices depending on their style and what they wish their reader to get out of their work. One important literary device that is essential for a successful literary work is theme. Theme is the general insight into life that the author shares with the reader. There are a number of different methods from which an author can choose to present his/her theme. One common strategy is to communicate the theme through the use of mood; the overall feeling or emotion conjured within the reader. In Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado," and in Saki's short story, "The Interlopers," the mood evoked within the reader is used to communicate the short story's overall theme.
Symbolism is something that represents more than what it really is. It is often by authors in their writing to give it more emphasis. For example:" In life there will always be peaks and valleys" meaning in life there will be ups and downs but we should enjoy the peaks and fight through the valleys. Objects can also be a form of symbolism such as The Bible, it represents more than just a book. It represents Life, Church, Religion, and the life of Jesus Christ and what he stood for. Irony is like a twist or words or the opposite of what is intended. For example: Laughing at someone that just slipped and fell, then later you find yourself slipping and falling is a form of irony. Irony is found in real life situations as well as writings. Symbolism is a technique that gives authors a better story and shows objects as more than what they are. They use techniques like this to catch the reader’s attention.
One of the most horrifying lines in the story is given by Montresor after Fortunato says, “I will not die of a cough” (Baym ). Montresor says, “True— true....” (Baym ). It seems that Montresor 's murder plot became subconsciously manifest in those two words. Dramatic irony is irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the story (“dramatic-irony”) and Poe uses this effectively in this story. For example, Montresor expresses concern about Fortunato and says, "Come, I said, with decision, we will go back; your health is
Anything not taken in moderation can be damaging. In one of Edgar Allen Poe's best-known tales of horror, "The Cask of Amontillado," he suggests that pride can be a very dangerous thing, when one is overwhelmed with it. Through the use of foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism, Poe presents a horrific drama of two men. One who will stop at nothing to get the revenge that he deems himself and his family worthy of, and another who's pride will ultimately be the fall of his own death. Fortunato falls prey to Montressor's plans because he is so proud of his connoisseurship of wine, and it is for the sake of his own pride that Montressor takes revenge on Fortunato. Poe utilizes the theme of pride and many other literary techniques such as foreshadowing, revenge, and irony, in order to create a horrific and suspenseful masterpiece.
Accordingly, Poe is well responsive to this psychological trait of the human brain. Likewise, Poe employs the perception of perversity and remorse in “The Cask of Amontillado.” The reason of burying Fortunato is not only vengeance, but also a robust reaction that is described in “The Black Cat”. There is a passionate yearning in Montresor to hurt Fortunato even if he has not made any harm to him. Although Montresor asserts that he has been injured several times by Fortunato, he cannot defy calling him “respected, admired, beloved,” admitting his “good nature,” and also calling him “noble” (Little 212). These expressions confirmed that Fortunato is a good quality person and the expression “injuries” used in the first phase of the story is simply a hyperbole that Montresor’s psyche has fabricated. Furthermore, wickedness does not come unaccompanied, but it carries itself a sense of remorse. Even if Montresor reflects himself as the diplomat of his family for deafening down rivals, he suffers remorse while walling up Fortunato. Consequently, Poe’s clasp of unreasonableness and culpability of the human mind is
renovating a palazzo his men found the bones of a human. When I got to
In "Cask of Amontillado", Montresor is the narrator. "The thousand of injuries of Fortunato he has borne as he best could; but when he ventures upon insult, Montresor vows revenge" (Poe 528). As the story unfolds, "Montresor's idea of perfect revenge" is "characteristically precise and logical in detail" as to how he commits his crime (Delaney 1).
Thompson states, “He similarly shows confidence in the rightness of his action in his last words to Fortunato. Fortunato, desperate for his life, pleads, ‘For the love of God, Montresor!’ Montresor, with what must strike Fortunato as biting irony, replies, ‘Yes,... for the love of God!’. He is doing this ... not ‘For God and Country!’but for ..., "For God and family!"(555) This shows the irony of the situation. Fortunato expected this all to be a joke, but he soon realizes that it is not. This also shows the final example of poetic justice. Montresor commits murder for the love and the name of his family which Fortunato has disgraced.
The first indirect factor that could contribute to Montresor’s vengeful act, and thus the story’s theme of revenge, is the character of Montresor. Montresor tends to harbor feelings of resentment and has a hard time not taking things out of context (Womack). He also plans the murder of Fortunato in advance and devises it in such a way that he will not be caught. In killing Fortunato, Montreso...
This immediate familiarity helps the reader to see inside the calculating mind of Montresor, whom we later learn is a killer. When talking about the past insults of Fortunato, he takes on a cold, determined tone: “At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled […] I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (Poe, 618).
Even though Montesor has his traits of anger, hatred, and revenge on Fortunato from firmly believing in his family motto and arms, he shows signs of feeling guilty for wanting to kill Fortunato. He attempts to keep Fortunato from following him into the catacombs even though Fortunato still refuses, not know what was going to happen to him. However, at the very end of the story, Montesor seems to have lost all feelings of guiltiness when he says, “For half a century no mortal has disturbed [Fortunato’s grave]. In pace requiescat!” (Poe). ‘In pace requiescat, to me, means, “Rest in peace!” He finally done the deed and feels prideful.