Revenge: A Bittersweet Victory

Thus, revenge will, and can, only end in despair and agony of the mind. Therefore, provided that all that has been said is true, revenge would appear quite unseemly to the observant onlooker. However, taking an in-depth insight into revenge you can uncover quite a compelling feature, which is best summed up into one word. Pride. Pride is the one clear motivational proprietor needed to push a protagonist into the downward spiral of personal vendetta.

Montresor assumes the reader will understand his injury, and becomes not only the judge but the jury and executioner of Fortunato as well. The wounded pride of a man driving him to assault even a friend is not a new device developed by Edgar Allen Poe, but the little to no explanation given the reader by his central narrator is a little different. In the famous Burr and ... ... middle of paper ... ...on to follow Montresor’s thinking we are as betrayed in our understanding as Fortunato seems to be. Even at the end he wonders if it is all some cruel joke. We see it as cruel, but we know it is not a joke.

His sly and cunning actions are described in detail throughout the story, but the reasoning for these events is not given. It is unclear as to exactly what Fortunato did to Montressor to make him seek such brutal revenge. The unreliable narrator gives vague justification for his actions, making the reader interpret and question the events altogether. Montressor’s unstable mental state adds to the unreliability of his narration. This affects the reader 's’ understanding of the story because they end up wondering if the events, according to Montressor, even happened

Poe repeatedly stresses the need for revenge due to bitterness and resentment in Montresor's character towards Fortunato, but more importantly, stress is placed on revenge by which the victim realizes their injustice towards the redresser. Unfortunately, it seems that Montresor is denied this pure and encompassing revenge when his victim, Fortunato, during his last few minutes with Montresor, believes that his actions are a huge charade, and not the actions of a man scorned and seeking revenge. Although in burying Fortunato alive, Montresor is able to physically accomplish what he ultimately desired, he is left with an air of insatisfaction judging by his own definition of true and justified revenge. Poe shows the resentment Montresor feels towards Fortunato from the very first sentence of the story with, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge." It is never specified what this injury was to Montresor, but it was so obviously so heinous that Fortunato was not to be spared.

Justice and Revenge in The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd Throughout 'The Spanish Tragedy', by Thomas Kyd, there is a constant theme of justice and revenge. Justice is the supreme law of the land; without justice, a country would fall into disrepute and those who are readily concerned with the status of society would have no grounds to stand upon. Therefore, those in power venerate justice. Revenge, however, upsets the delicate balance that holds Spanish society together. Hieronimo does his best to maintain a civil attitude towards incrimination and justice, but his plans for revenge lay waste to the very law he professes to adore.

Poe was never in the best of mindsets, most likely the reason behind why his story was so hateful. Therefore, I would like to believe I’m more intrigued by how he specifically writes versus typical dark stories.In response to “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, revenge can get the best of everyone. Like most individuals, I too have found myself once glaring from the sidelines annoyed. It takes a lot to make a calm person like myself resentful, but similar to Montresor, it is possible to become so aggravated that a revengeful plot begins to

In this world, revenge, among all other things, depicts the human wanting revenge as mad, insane, unreliable, but also indirectly showing them as mysterious , sly human beings. The concept behind revenge is very simple, and the intent of all with vengeance is harm. Montressor, the protagonist, in Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, The Cask of Amontillado, is full of hate for Fortunato, although the reason is unknown. Marcus Aurelius once said, “To refrain from imitation is the best revenge.” Revenge is not for the decent, and Montressor is clearly blinded by his hate, to the point where Montressor is deemed unreliable, and his sly and mysterious ways are concealed by the festive mood of the story. The mysterious actions along with Montressor’s mad ways lead the reader to deem the narrator unreliable.

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... ... middle of paper ... ...cky Mountain Modern Language Association. n.p.

The plot revolves around Brutus and thus his actions are often scrutinized and are important to understand. Brutus is a state of honour and should be recognized as such. We are meant to see that killing his friend he is denying himself the privilege of that friendship, but for the good of Rome he will sacrifice it.

Works Cited Gruesser, John. "Poe's The Cask of Amontillado." The Explicator 56.3, 1998: 129-130. Platizky, Roger. "Poe's The Cask of Amontillado."