The Cask Of Amontillado Conflict Essay

Conflict and Setting in The Cask of Amontillado

The Cask of Amontillado, a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe, is dark, twisted story that was revolutionary in its day. The conflict in the story is a theoretically simple one, but the way the conflict is unraveled synthesizes the plot. The setting in the tale was full of irony, but helped the conflict to be resolved. In the Cask of Amontillado, the conflict and the setting work simultaneously to develop the plot while creating a vivid mood and setting.

In the Cask of Amontillado, the conflict is Montresor was insulted by Fortunato, causing Montresor’s yearning for Fortunato’s demise. “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best as I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Poe 1). Although the insult is never explained in depth it can be inferred by the reader that the insult was a great one, but not great enough for Fortunato to suspect Montresor’s wish for his death. “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 1). The conflict is not described well but as Montresor’s plan unfolds, the plot of

The setting is carnival season, in the underground catacombs of an Italian city just around midnight. As the plot unfolds below the city, there are festivities and celebrations that go on above the street. The setting is vital to the plot of the story, as the conflict drives the plot and the conflict is dependent on the setting. If not for the madness of carnival and the drunkenness that goes with it, people would have noticed Montresor with Fortunato. Underneath the city with Montresor and Fortunato, though, it is dark and drippy. “We passed through a range of low arches, descended, passed on, and descending again, arrived at a deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame”(Poe