Everybody has friends; companions that have similar interests as them, thus letting them enjoy each other’s company. Friends tend to mess with each other, they can get irritated sometimes; though it’s not usually to the extent that they want to kill each other. In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” a man called Montresor tells the story about when he gets infuriated enough that he kills his “friend.” Montresor had a friend named Fortunato who had wronged Montresor many times. Montresor seeks revenge, tricking Fortunato to look for a cask of Amontillado, and burying him alive. Montresor accomplishes secretly killing Fortunato because Montresor is quick on his feet, he very sly with how he “prepares” his victim, and he has a motive which makes him determined to get revenge. Based on his actions, it is clear the Montresor was quick on his feet whenever an obstacle appeared, making it easier for him to kill Fortunato. When Montresor and Fortunato are in Montresor’s vault, Fortunato coughs like a cat with a hairball. Montresor uses this to his advantage, saying, “We will go …show more content…
At the beginning of the story, Montresor states his motive to kill Fortunato, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.” Montresor doesn’t specify what Fortunato did to him, but you have to infer that he’s done some pretty serious things to deserve to die. This quote alone doesn’t give enough to create the personality of Montresor; throughout the story, Montresor gives several hints that he will not let anything stop his plan, one of which being his motto. Montresor telling the story for the first time in 50 years shows that he sticks to his word no matter what, which can be good, but then again, he did kill a man in cold blood half a century before he
Between the “Most Dangerous Game” and the “Cask of Amontillado” Montresor is more evil. Something must have happened to Montresor in his childhood life to make him the man he is. If you ever heard that quote “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”, that is exactly what Montresor is doing. He will manipulate Fortunato by using all his weaknesses to bring him down. With this in mind Montresor will do anything to get revenge, even if that means someone will have to die.
He gives very little information about Fortunato, past that he is a wine connoisseur. There is no mention of what Fortunato does for leisure, his family, or even his job. In fact, the only details the reader receives on Fortunato paint him as a fool, with his costume, his drunken attitude, and obliviousness Montresor is focuses on the facts that make Fortunato look bad; he not only wants Fortunato dead but he also wants Fortunato’s name discredited. Montresor tells the reader even less about himself because there is no background to who Montresor is, what he does, or even what kind of contact he has with Fortunato. The only true details of Montresor that are given must be implied and give a sense of intelligence. In addition, he gives little to no details about the carnival, such as where it was, why the carnival was happening, or even why he chose this particular day to enact his plan. From these details, or lack of details, it seems Montresor doesn’t want his audience to know this information. The audience is supposed to simply look at Fortunato a fool and Montresor a genius, the harbinger of death. The facts such as who these people were, the time, or the setting are not important to Montresor’s focus in the
Montresor is a man who feels pride in himself and in his family, so when Fortunato—an acquaintance of Montresor— “venture[s] upon insult,” Montresor “vow[s] revenge” against him (1). Montresor hastily decides that he must kill Fortunato, even though his use of the word “venture” implies that Fortunato had not yet insulted him, but nearly did. Montresor’s impulsive need for revenge causes him to formulate a plan to murder his acquaintance. He keeps Fortunato intoxicated by “presenting him…[with] wine,” he “fetter[s] him to the granite,” and he “plaster[s] up… [a wall of] new masonry” to trap Fortunato in the catacombs (39, 71, 89). All of these acts are signs that the need for revenge has made Fortunato insane. A person who has any sense of morals would not commit crimes such as Montresor’s. His impetuous decision to exact revenge caused him to lose his
Montresor proves not to mess with someone's feeling. He explains, “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity” (Poe 372). Fortunato does not know that he is going to die, yet Montresor and the reader do know, making the situation dramatic irony. By punishing him with impunity he is going to get revenge that he has wanted now for years ever since he did wrong to Montresor and now that he finally gets the chance of course he will seek revenge on Fortunato. And it is dramatic irony because Fortunato is oblivious to the situation. Montresor proves that one should be careful on what they say. He speaks, “I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation” (Poe 372). Montresor is saying
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
Hoping to obtain revenge, Montresor, the narrator, lures Fortunato, one of his friends, into the depths of his catacombs to be murdered. Montresor says, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge"(149). This is the first line in the story, and this is why Montresor seeks revenge. There is no explanation of the insults that Montresor received, so the reader may infer that Montresor is just lying. The insults that were received could possibly be just outdoing in the business arena. Montresor might be using that excuse for his desire to kill Fortunato, because he may be killing Fortunato out of jealousy. Montresor is likely telling this story to a family member, friend, or his doctor while lying on his deathbed. Montresor says, "…your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter."(150). Montresor just admitted that he knows Fortunato is better than he. Montresor may have been under the influence of jealousy. Redd 4 There are different theories to ...
and his family, Montresor retaliated by plotting to kill him. Montresor thought of Fortunato as a
The dialogue with the text shows that Montresor enjoys mocking Fortunato’s cries and pleas because it allows a sort of justification in his actions. This is shown when Fortunato no longer replies and Montresor, “hearkened in vain for a reply…[growing] impatient.” (Poe) Montresor proceeds to then shine a light through a small hole left in his mortar to see what had become of his victim showing a final shard of human compassion. Once he only heard the jingling of bells from Fortunato’s last death rattling cough his.” heart grew sick”, and tried to claim that it was the surrounding conditions of the catacombs (Poe). This could be construed to be a lie, yet another was Montresor tries to cover his regret that was nibbling at the edges of his conscious. He then does not indicate that he has spoken of this deed, keeping it a secret, until this very narration. Often this is known to be a form of guilt when a character withholds a deep, dark secret for many years without uttering any word of
In 1846, Edgar Allan Poe wrote the story The Cask of Amontillado, which is about the ultimately fatal dispute between Montresor and Fortunato. When Fortunato questioned Montresor’s honor, Montresor thought up an elaborate scheme to kill Fortunato in the catacomb where all his family is buried. In this short story, Poe uses irony to emphasize Montresor’s dislike for Fortunato, how their names are different from their personalities, and ultimately, Fortunato’s death.
”In the matter of old wines he was sincere,” Montresor proclaimed. A victim in Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado." He wronged Montresor, the narrator of "Cask,” who the reader is inadequate to trust because he is an unreliable narrator. Therefore, the reader is incapable of stating for a fact that Fortunato has wronged Montresor. he seeks vengeance against Fortunato and plains retribution during Carnivale. He used "Amontillado" to lure Fortunato into "the most remote end of the crypt" and walled him up alive, hence he could have his vengeance "at light." Edgar Allan Poe uses symbolism, imagery, and the atmosphere to helpfully explore for Fortunato's pridefulness, alcoholism, and foolishness/intelligent within the short
He shows absolutely no remorse or any true interest in the effect that his actions will have. Even to go as far to make jokes at the expense of the future murder of his so called “friend.” Like Dr. Stout said, sociopaths can lead people to their impaling doom with much ease. The sheer ease of his master plan of revenge unfolding. His use of reverse psychology on people to have them ultimately do his true bidding. Playing with Fortunado’s trust to his own satisfaction and gain. He exhibits many traits of a sociopath throughout the story. Edgar Allan Poe is well known for doing this in many of his works as seen in classic works like The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart. The protagonists of these stories are also sociopathic, insane, vengeful and blood thirsty people who in reality are in fact the true antagonists. In each of their minds they believe they’re rightfully exacting justice and don’t see any error in their actions or just simply don’t care. They’re also cold, unfeeling, persuasive, and sinister murders who escalate small issues out of proportion. A sinister character is a recurring theme in Poe’s work and Montresor is surely no exception to this
When they arrive at the Montresor estate, Montresor leads Fortunato down the stairs into the catacombs. Down here is where the Amontillado Fortunato is going to taste and where the revenge of Montresor is going to take place. As he get closer and closer, the narrator opens up more and more to how he is going to kill his "friend". It sound like it is a premeditated murder. Montresor seems so inconspicuous that he acts like he cares about Fortunato which is still a part of his plan.
Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado" is similar to the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" in that his obsession with consuming the soul of Fortunato influences his every action. However, it is with Fortunato himself that he is obsessed. He feeds off of Fortunato's pain, unlike the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" who's obsession is with destroying a menacing inanimate object. Montresor's entire conspiracy is focused around making Fortunato suffer, and for him to know just who is causing this suffering. This is why he goes to such lengths to put together this intricate strategy. It could have been so much easier to kill Fortunato in some easier, quicker way. Instead, he dedicates himself to torturing Fortunato. He creates a plan that leads Fortunato into the depths of the catacombs beneath his home, and kills him in an excruciating manner.
The major theme in the story is the deep hatred buried within the outwardly congenial Montresor. This makes it vital that the story be told with Montresor's thoughts known to the reader. The tale simply would not work if it were told from Fortunato's point of view, or from a dramatic/objective angle. An omniscient view would function, but by knowing only Montresor's thoughts the reader develops a trust in him, and this causes the story's theme to have a more personal effect on the reader.
The first indirect factor that could contribute to Montresor’s vengeful act, and thus the story’s theme of revenge, is the character of Montresor. Montresor tends to harbor feelings of resentment and has a hard time not taking things out of context (Womack). He also plans the murder of Fortunato in advance and devises it in such a way that he will not be caught. In killing Fortunato, Montreso...