Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is a hair-raising tale that follows one man’s twisted quest for revenge. Although Carnival season is in full-swing above ground, Fortunato finds himself being led to his death below ground. Fortunato’s past insults will ensure that he will never again participate in another party; Montresor will make sure of that. As if the story’s main idea was scary enough, Poe uses specific details and descriptions and dialogue to produce a mood that is both chilling and horrifying. Throughout the story, the author uses dialogue and Montresor’s thoughts and motives as a way of moving the plot forward and sustaining the nail-biting feeling. Poe sets a mood of tension and apprehension right off the bat at the first line of the story with, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe 1). Montresor introduces the idea that he wants revenge and that he will do anything to make sure that he achieves that goal. The audience is aware that the narrator has something wicked up his sleeve, while they don’t know exactly what Fortunato did, how much Fortunato knows, or what Montresor is planning on doing to him, which creates a mood of suspense. Similarly, the author creates a quite literal chilling setting …show more content…
Poe weaves in dialogue, descriptions, and details that add to the frightening and hair-raising mood of the story. The fact that the narrator is the murderer forces the reader to look through his eyes. Montresor gives a vague reason as to why he is murdering his friend and business partner, but the reader has to ask him/herself if there is anything so cruel someone could do unintentionally that would deserve that kind of death. It leaves the reader questioning, wondering, and with goosebumps at the end, which is Poe’s
When he does Montresor tries to be firm in his conviction of revenge, notwithstanding reacting briefly to Fortunato’s desperation, “I hesitated—I trembled” (Poe). After a
With a premeditated motive to commit such an act, the culprit, Montressor, thinks, constructs and orchestrates a presumed murder against his insulter, Fortunado. “Poe begins by describing, in characteristically precise and logical detail, Montresor’s (and Poe’s) idea of perfect revenge. At the same time, he needed to end his story by telling how his revenge had affected him. When Fortunatosays, “For the love of god, Montresor!” and Montresor repeats, “Yes, for the love of God,” Poe is indicating that Montresor is already experiencing the closure he sought”(Delaney 39) Unbeknownst why he wants retribution, or what it is that his victim has done to compel Montressor to kill him. What is given is a recount of the night under discussion.
As a story opens, an unnamed narrator first words says, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.”(164) Montresor who tells a story is taking revenge on Fortunato because he has suffered a “thousand injuries” although he never mentions exactly what happened. Edgar Allan Poe creates a perfect crime in a murder story “The Cask of Amontillado” through the use of a character that exhibits characteristics of a psychopath, a horrifying plot and a dramatic irony.
Vengeance and pride are fundamentally important to this short story. From the inception of the tale it is clear that the narrator is a proud, vindictive man; opening with, “the thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge,” the narrator immediately alerts the reader to the dark aspects of his own character. Because “insult” and not “the thousand injuries” caused the narrator to “vow” revenge, the reader can infer Montresor is prideful because, although he already had conflict with Fortunato, insult was what made the tense situation unbearable for Montresor––so much so that he vowed to take action. Use of the word “vow” is significant because it indicates that the grievance was meaningful in the mind of Montresor, allowing for the reader to more easily identify with the actions to be revealed throughout the course of the story; if the reader believes that Montresor was provoked in a profound way, ...
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
A main theme presented in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is that Montresor shows obsession with the murder of fortunato. This is exemplified by Montresor’s precise planning, carefulness and slowness of speed in the process.
Poe describes a change in Montresor, a dynamic character’s attitude, toward Fortunato, where in the beginning of the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor thought of Fortunato as a living thing but near the end he no longer had this thought. In the beginning of the short story, the author described Montresor’s point of view toward Fortunato as acquaintances, which makes the reader think Montresor wasn’t impacted deeply by the incident between him and his “friend”. According to Poe, my dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day!” (Poe, 2). In this quote, Poe conveys the relationship between Montresor and Fortunato. Montresor is considering Fortunato as a friend and greeting him. He also shows his underhandedness because later in the story his feelings change. By the end of the story Montresor’s point of view changed and had gone from compassionate to heartless. For example, after Montresor buried Fortunato alive he mimicked his “friends” screams. “I reechoed -- I aided -- I surpassed them in volume and in strength” (Poe, 6). Montresor had changed his attitude toward Fortunato by this point in the story, he was now only considering the man as nothing more than a sound in the wind.
Edgar Allan Poe, a troubled yet brilliant writer, wrote many remarkable stories throughout his marvelous writing career. Poe produced a distinguished body of stories, in which he includes Gothic elements to give his audience a dark and eerie feel. In November of 1846, Poe published a story titled "The Cask of Amontillado." This short story is about a man named Montresor and his desire to seek revenge on Fortunato for an unspecified insult. Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs by inebriation and convincing him to try a cask of amontillado. In short, the plot dealt with the premeditated murder of Fortunato. What makes this story so interesting is the distinctive and unique writing style throughout the story. In "The Cask of Amontillado,"
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.
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
The perils of vengeance and manipulation were evidently prominent in Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, The Cask of Amontillado. Through a unique application of first person narration, Poe captured the essence of suspense in a figure’s untrustworthy nature. Additionally, he used a strong foundation of character to introduce two critical members of the story who share an interesting relationship. For this particular story, the first person perspective was utilized quite effectively to develop the character Montresor. Depicting him was crucial to introducing Fortunato, the story’s second focus. A certain dramatic irony is noticeable throughout the sequence of events that eventually guides the reader to the story’s significant conclusion.
Because Montresor narrates the story in the first person, the reader is able to perceive his thoughts and understand his motivations and justifications for his ruthless murder in a manner which a third person point of view would not allow. Montresor’s personal narration of the events of the story does not justify his crime in the audience’s eyes, but it does offer a unique opportunity for the audience to view a murder from the perspective of a madman killer. It is Poe’s usage of this unique angle that causes the story to be so captivating and gruesomely fascinating. As the story opens, Montresor explains why it is necessary that he “not only punish but punish with impunity” to avenge for Fortunado’s insult to him. This justification for his crime is a piece of information that the audience is able to learn only because they are permitted inside the mind of the protagonist. In the final scene, when Montresor is carrying out his murder pl...
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor sets out on a vengeful mission that will end Fortunato’s life in an untimely fate. Montresor appeals to Fortunato’s love for wine to tempt the unsuspecting fellow to his impending doom. While Montresor tricks the foolish Fortunato frightfully, it is ultimately Fortunato’s pride that leads to his demise in the crypt. Poe uses several literary devices to foreshadow this murderous exploit of Montresor. Through the use of irony, symbolism, and imagery, the story entices readers to delve into the relationships and differences between Montresor and Fortunato.
Edgar Allan Poe is a famous writer in writing detective stories and horror stories. One of his horror stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” was talking about how a man took his revenge to his friend. However, to look deeply in this story, I found that this story was not just simply a horror tale about how a man gets his revenge in the safest way. Instead, it also demonstrates much irony in several areas: the title, the event, the season, the costume, the environment, the characters’ personalities, a man’s dignity and cockiness and at the end, the public order. he are
The major characteristics of the narrator and main character, Montresor, are anger, hatred, and revenge. In the story, he is angry with Fortunato because he believes that Fortunato has wronged and insulted him many times by saying, “thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could…he ventured upon insult…” (Poe). In addition, Montresor’s hatred for Fortunato goes so far that he believes he must kill Fortunato. He mentions this in the story as, “[y]ou, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat” (Poe). He seems to say that his soul is made of hatred and goes on to say he must give Fortunato the utmost punishment: death. Montresor even shows traits of revenge when he says, “…but when [Fortunato] ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” and “...I would be avenged…” (Poe). He is saying that he will get revenge on Fortunato, whom he is angry with and hates for being insulted by.