The Unreliable Stressor In Cask By Edgar Allen Poe

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Edgar Allen Poe has remarkable writings that are still analyzed today. In a few of his writings he speaks from the murders point of view. This helps the reader stay enthralled. In this short story, Montressor is considered an unreliable narrator, contains several instances of irony, and contains several events of foreshadowing. In this short story, Montressor is considered an unreliable narrator. He is a conniving murderer. Montressor is unreliable because this story is told many decades after it takes places. Years can affect his memory, and the way he remembers. He hides his true feelings. For example, when he feels remorse from killing Fortunato, he blames his surroundings. He cannot be trusted because he is a mastermind at manipulation. In this short story, it contains several instances of irony. One of the first instances is in the title “Cask.” Fortunato takes it to mean that he will be viewing a cask of fine wine, but in the end he meets his casket. They both come from the same root word. A second example would be his name, Fortunato. His name means fortunate, but he is murdered. That is not fortunate. …show more content…

Firstly, Montressor asks Fortunato if he would like to turn around, but Fortunato says that the cough will not kill him. Montressor replies with “True—true.” This is an example of foreshadowing because Montressor knows that Fortunato will die in the cellars, but by his hand. Secondly, Fortunato is dressed as a traditional fool. This is another example of foreshadowing because he becomes a fool around Montressor the drunker he gets. This eventually leads him to his death. Thirdly, when Montressor states the family motto, “No one provokes me with impunity,” he is foreshadowing the death of Fortunato. In the beginning, Montressor is brooding over all the “injuries” he obtained from Fortunato. This foreshadows the death because of the translation meaning, “No one can harm me

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