Examples Of Situational Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado

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Edgar Allen Poe is one of the greatest fiction writers of all time. Known for his ironic and dark stories, The Cask of Amontillado is his most famous of all of his short stories. This story uses irony and sarcasm all throughout the piece of work. This story shows when your not paying attention how quick things can go wrong. Fortunato was too caught in the moment to realize that things may not be what they seem. Danger can creep up on you without notice if your not paying attention. Poe's use of characters in this story makes the story flow so much better. These characters would not have fitted in any other story except this one. Montressor, the killer, is very evil and sneaky, yet clever and arrogant, all while being patient. He already had the murder planned out before Fortunato ever came around. Fortunato met Montressor in the street at a carnival. Knowing that Fortunato was a prideful …show more content…

Fortunato's name is an example of situational irony. It's ironic that his name was Fortunato when he was not very fortunate in the end. His clothes are also an example of situational irony. He was dressed as a jester or clownlike, yet the joke was on him. In the catacombs Fortunato toasts "To the buried that repose around us" , unknowing that he himself would soon be of the deceased of the tomb. Just after that toast Montressor replies "And I to your long life". This foreshadows again that Fortunato is in danger again. These examples illustrate verbal irony in the story. When Montressor is about to put the last brick in place, we hear Fortunato's "bell's jingling" and him laughing. This allows readers to make their own assumption as to what Fortunato's reaction was. My personal opinion is that Fortunato thought it was a joke because he was still intoxicated from the carnival and Montressor giving him alcohol in the tomb. This can be seen as dramatic

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