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Literary devices in cask of amontillado
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Fortunato was not Fortunate
Would you go to a catacomb to find a fine wine? in Edgar Allen Poe's short story “Cask of the Amontillado” Fortunato is tricked by Montresor to follow him into his family's catacomb to find the “Cask of the Amontillado” but in reality he is going to his death bed. Montresor is tired of being insulted by Fortunato; so he plots his revenge. As readers we witness Fortunato as he is lured into the catacombs and buried alive. Fortunato makes himself an easy target for Montresor because he is drunk, too prideful, and insensitive.
In the story “Cask of the Amontillado” Fortunato becomes drunk because Montresor gives him an unlimited supply of alcohol to make him unaware of Montresor's devious plan. The reader knows Fortunato
Summary: The story begins with Montresor, the narrator, saying how he had been injured by Fortunato “thousands” of times, but when he was insulted by him, he wanted revenge. He decided to use Fortunato’s weak point, fine wines, against him, since Fortunato prided himself on his connoisseurship of wine. So, one day during the carnival season, Montresor sees Fortunato and tells him that he has a pipe of what he believes is Amontillado and would like him to come try it to see if it is. Montresor tells him that if he is busy or his cough is too bad, he can ask Luchresi, but Fortunato says that “Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry,” and he will be able to go. They start out for Montresor’s house since the wine is in the vaults of his house. None of the servants are home since it is the carnival season and Montresor gave them off and told them not to come back until the morning; so he could get his revenge without them knowing. As they walk through the catacombs, Fortunato’s cough gets worse and worse and Montresor repeatedly asks him if he wants to go back, but Fortunato refuses. Montresor also keeps giving Fortunato more alcohol as they continue to walk through the labrynthic catacombs to get him drunk. When they finally got to the wine, Fortunato began to drink it and as he did, Montresor began to build a brick wall at the entrance to the niche. After he finished the first tier though, he noticed that Fortunato wasn’t as drunk as he though he would be. He began to speed up and built up the wall more and more until he was almost done and Fortunato got to the wall. Fortunato took it as a joke and told him to take it down, but he didn’t and kept going until he had only one more brick to put in. At this point, Montresor tossed the torch in and put the last brick in.
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.
In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor made up in his mind that he would carry out his act of revenge on Fortunato. Whatever offense Fortunato committed against Montresor drove him to the brink. The hatred inside was somewhat poetic. Montresor schemed to every detail how to carry out his revenge. The setting of the story is a dark, gloomy night at a celebration during carnival season. Montresor would be detailed in describing the monetary status of his enemy, his wardrobe or costume he wore to the celebration. He would set the mood as cheerful. Despite the ill feelings he has towards the now drunken Fortunato, Montresor pretends to care for his company to lure him towards his cunning plan. He strokes Fortunato’s ego and his love for wine to draw him towards the cellar. The dark, damp halls, the claustrophobia, and the human skeletons lying about the earth were all a foreshadowing of Motresor’s plan for the drunken Fortunato. It enhanced suspense to the story, building up to the climax which would be Fortunato entering into his grave. As they further enter the hal...
The Cask of Amontillado is an eloquent story narrated from the murderer’s point of view. Montressor seeks revenge against Fortunato for numerous insults the reader can only imagine. In order to determine the severity of the apparent injustices, Fortunato himself must be understood. Montressor describes him as being “rich, respected, admired, [and] beloved,” as well as “a man to be … feared” (Poe 274-276). Fortunato was a flawed individual, however. His greatest imperfection was his love for wine. Fortunato’s “connoisseurship” (274) of wine resulted in his intoxicated state throughout the short story. His physical and mental capacities were impaired by his drunkenness, and as a result, he was unable to resist Montressor’s lure into the catacombs.
Montresor takes full advantage of the fact that Fortunato has a soft spot for fine wines. Montresor seeing that the only opportunity that he would have to exert revenge would be when wine is to be drunk in surplus decides to wait until the Carnival Season. We are told of one evening during the season when Montresor invites Fortunato over to his place. The major reason for the invite is to have Fortunato taste a sample of sherry that he had acquired to ascertain if the s...
He uses the precise and cunning tactics to seek revenge against his acquaintance, Fortunato, but wishes to do so in a clever way that he will not get caught. He tells Fortunato that he has obtained a wine that could be Amontillado, but he does not invite Fortunato into his home. He knows Fortunato would never pass up an opportunity to test his intelligence knowledge of wine. By that way, Montresor can complete his plan without putting himself responsible.
He did not show even by words that he is going to kill. Also, he did not let Fortunato to know that he intended any grudge against him “..neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will... He did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation (8-10).” One night while Fortunato was drunk, Montresor told him that he bought a barrel of wine called Amontillado “But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts (25).” He understood that Fortunato “prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine (12).” He attracted him to going to his house to check the drink by saying that he might invite Luchresi to do it, a seeming rival of Fortunato 's, instead “As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If any one has a critical turn it is he. He will tell me (37-38).” When they left, Montresor put on a mask and quickly took the way to his property. He was sure nobody could see them together on Fortunato 's last night. Moreover, Montresor completely knew Fortunato and used the knowledge versus him. He planned his deed carefully and carried it out slowly. It seems that Montresor anticipated his revenge with joy. While they traveled down the cavern, Montresor gives Fortunato many opportunities to leave. Fortunato looks weak against the niter, which is growing on the walls, and repeatedly coughs. Montresor commented on Fortunato 's health and asked
Fortunato exhibits extreme narcissism upon himself and fails to see the bigger picture going on around him. Montresor expended a great amount of time in thinking of a way to defeat his prey in his own world. His target had a weakness of lust for wine, in fact he, prided himself in his connoisseurship. Consequently, too much pride can be harmful according to Jessica Tracy, “hubristic pride is related to narcissistic traits like entitlement, arrogance, and egotism” all which Fortunato exemplified (Oprah). Montresor baited Fortunato into his pleasure “As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchesi” though we never meet Luchesi his character is of lesser rank when it comes to wine connoisseurship (Poe). Montresor was very clever in this quiet deed; he even took the time to provide many outs for Fortunato whether it was concern for his prey’s health or warnings of harsh conditions ahead. Drunk and prideful he could care less about his health during the cold trot through the vaults “The cold is merely nothing… and as for Luchesi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado” thus his narcissistic ways are even selfish to his own temple (Poe). Fortunato ignores his plethora of coughs and implies to move forward while Montresor ensures him that his health is too precious but again triggers him saying Luchesi is in a
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.
Who was Fortune's Fool? The answer to that question would be Fortunato. Fortunato is a character in Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado." Fortunato has wronged Montresor, the narrator of "Cask." The reader can't trust Montresor because he is an unreliable narrator, so the reader can't say for a fact that Fortunato had wronged Montresor. Montresor then seeks revenge on Fortunato. During carnivale season, Fortunato is drinking all types of wine. Montresor knows Fortunato is drunk so he goes to Fortunato and tells him he has Amontillado. Fortunato wants the Amontillado so much, that he is willing to do anything for it, that leads him to his death. Montresor brought Fortunato into the catacombs, chained Fortunato to the wall, walled Fortunato up, and Fortunato was dead. Actually he wasn't dead right then and there. Montresor walled Fortunato up alive, so Fortunato can suffer much pain, then die, die a helpless man. Fortunato was a fun loving/outgoing, alcoholic, boastful/prideful man.
Among Poe's most intriguing tales is "The Cask of Amontillado," first published in Godey's Lady's Book in November of 1847. A surface reading of that story reveals only a simple description by Montresor (the narrator) of how he kills another man who was called, ironically, Fortunato. Montresor exploits Fortunato's vanity concerning the connoiseurship of wine; specifically, Montresor pretends to want a wine cask of Amontillado verified as genuine. Montresor chooses a time when Fortunato is drunk to dupe him into going down the spiral stairs into the catacombs, which serve as a sort of family burial grounds for the race of Montresors. But rather than a mere cask of wine, Fortunato finds his death; for Montresor bricks him into a niche of the catacombs which has remained undisturbed for the fifty years since the murder was performed. How simple!
Edgar Allan Poe is one of greatest American authors and poets. He is well-known as a master of using irony in his story. “The Cask of Amontillado” is a horror story about revenge of Montresor upon Fortunato. Fortunato believes Montresor is his good friend, but he ends up with being chained and walled in to the catacombs. There are three types of irony used in this short story: verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony. Using these ironies, Poe wants the readers to understand about Montresor’s “friendship” with Fortunato.
Fortunato prided himself in being a connoisseur of fine wines. They were at a carnival and Fortunato approached Montressor at dusk, the madness of the carnival season. Fortunato was very drunk. Fortunato was dressed motley like a jester.
While at the carnival, Montresor bought some of the finest Amontillado wine to use in his vengeful plan to murder Fortunato. He then meets his "friend," Fortunato. Fortunato is wearing "a tight fitting parti-striped dress and head is surmounted by the conical cap and bells" (Poe 528). By him wearing this outfit, makes it great for the narrator because he is going to make a fool out of Fortunato. Montresor is a manipulative person. He challenges Fortunato's connoisseurship on wine tasting and leads him to his family estate.
“Enough,” said Fortunato, “the coughs a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.” “True—true,” replied Montresor. If only Fortunato had known the irony behind this saying. Montresor, the revenge seeker in “Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, will be the main subject of this writing. Montresor has been bothered, in this story, by insults that drove him to wanting revenge. Revenge on a wine tasting friend of his named Fortunato. Montresor, having the family motto Nemo me impune lacessit meaning ‘no one attacks me with impunity,’ felt the need to get his revenge on Fortunato for insulting him. Knowing that Fortunato is dependent on alcohol, Montresor ruses Fortunato into believing he has Amontillado, a type of wine. For that reason, Fortunato follows Montresor into the vaults where Montresor quickly chains Fortunato in a crypt, builds up a stone wall to keep him in, and leaves him there to pass. Montresor accomplishes retribution because of intelligence, pride, and vindictiveness.