Montresor in The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

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A man clever and ruthless, but when one gets to know him one will realize he is a conceited murderer. The man that fits the description is Montresor, a fictional character created by Edgar Allan Poe. He is of noble venetian descent but other than that not much else is known about him. He is the villainous antagonist who illustrates the theme of a perfect revenge. In the story The Cask of Amontillado he exacts his perfect revenge without impunity upon his victim, Fortunato.
This man, Montresor is cunning and manipulative, as he'll get what he wants through trickery or deception. Montresor is sly because he notes that Fortunato is proud for being such a renowned wine connoisseur; therefore he utilizes this exploit to lure him into his trap. And so, Montresor appealed to his confidence of wine expertise by saying, “'As you're engaged I am on the way to Luchesi.' ”(133) This stirs up Fortunato's pride and makes him offer to check Montresor's amontillado instead of Luchesi, his supposed rival in wine expertise. Additionally, he plans the date of his murder on the carnival so Fortunato would be drunk as well as being inconspicuous to wear a mask and a costume so nobody would be able to identify the person that went off with Fortunato. When Fortunato arrives at the vault he makes a scene where he seems genuinely caring and toasts him, “'And I to your long life.' ”(135) The irony is that Fortunato won't have to wait long before his demise and that Montresor only said it to advert suspicion from Fortunato. He managed to trick Fortunato until the very end which proves how clever he is.
As devious as he is, he is also extremely patient as a crocodile waiting for it's prey. “I must be understood, that neither by word nor...

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... to it with more satisfaction, I ceased my labours and sat down upon the bones.”(pg 137-138) and later, “I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs, and felt satisfied.”(pg 138) This was the moment when Montresor basks in the satisfaction of successfully executing a perfect murder on account of his own actions. When he carried out the plan he felt no remorse because in his mind he justified his actions and that mind is the only one he cares about. This proves that Montresor thinks he is on top of the world and that other people's lives are just mere sacrifices in order for him to enjoy himself.
Most killers do it for money. Others for jealousy, but not Montresor, at first glance he did it for revenge but as he reveals himself one realizes its self obsession. His crafty and enduring composure gives him all the tools needs for a perfect retribution.

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