Irony In Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado

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"The Cask of Amontillado"

Friend. A friend is someone you are supposed to be able to trust. What do you do when you no longer hold that trust? In the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado”, which was written by Edgar Allan Poe and was published in 1846. The protagonist, Fortunato, is about to find out. This is a story of revenge. They say, revenge is bitter sweet. To the reader, the antagonist, Montresor, whom is narrating the story, seems friendly to Fortunato. He soon begins to speak of hatred and revenge. He claims he must, “punish with impunity”. Although, it is never actually understood, what Fortunato did to Montresor to warrant such revenge. It is believed by Montresor, that Fortunato spoke ill of him. The use of irony is very clear …show more content…

He is not someone you would want to have a run in with, he had proven this by the comments he made about revenge in the beginning. The comment, "I must not only punish, but punish with impunity." Edgar Allan Poe has always had a way of using great elements. The theme itself became justified with the use of irony and all of the symbols hidden in the story. Another use of the irony in this story is a comment made by Fortunato, he said "I shall not die of a cough." This is irony, due to the fact that we as readers can see where this is leading.The theme of the story, revenge is presented throughout the …show more content…

Montresor actually makes a comment to Fortunato, along the lines of his name. "My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met." This story is what I call dramatic irony. As I previously stated, the readers understand what is going on even when the character does not. Foreshadowing. Another huge literary element. Cask, the first major word in the title of the story, similarly, it almost sounds like casket. Montresor tells Fortunato about the pipe of Amontillado, he has recently purchased. Fortunato 's reply, "How? Amontillado? A pipe? In the middle of a carnival?" The response isn 't necessarily directed at Montresor, as he believed. It was directed towards the fact that wine had been bought while they were in the middle of a carnival. Montresor smiles, all the while he holds thoughts of deception and hatred. He make it seem that Fortunato will have to follow him to prove he is a better option than Luchresi. A man who apparently can 't tell his wines apart. Montresor, has not care for Fortunato, or his health. Yet, he pretends to persuade him to turn back due to a cough. Fortunato denied his request. Fortunato is not aware of anything that is happening to him, because to him Montresor is a friend. Someone who would never hurt him, much less murder

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