Theme Of Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado

The Irony in The Cask of Amontillado

“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is a story full of irony. Irony is defined as a literary technique in which what appears differs radically from what is actually the case. In addition, irony can be divided into three groups: dramatic, verbal, and situational. Dramatic irony is when the readers notice something before the characters do. Verbal irony is when the characters say something that differs significantly from what they really mean. Situational irony is when the actual result is different from what was initially expected of it. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe combines all of these ironies in a truly singular way to tell the story and to construct the personalities of the characters

The first words that Montresor says to Fortunato when they meet in the carnival are,” My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met.” He is trying to make Fortunate feel that he is happy to see him, but in reality he is excited about what a good opportunity the carnival provides for taking him down. Additionally, Montresor tells Fortunato several times to return because supposedly he was worried that the cough would do some harm to Fortunato. Fortunato replies that a simple cough will not kill him. However, this represents an instance of verbal irony because it is clear that Monsieur is not worried about Fortunato’s health at all, since his plan was to kill him. Similarly, the title of the story “A Cask of Amontillado” represents an instance of verbal irony. Ironically, the title is making the reader believe that the story will about a barrel of wine; however, in the story was not any barrel of wine, it was just the way to Montresor to call the attention of Fortunato. Lastly, at the end of the tale, after Monsieur kills Fortunato, he tells him “In pace requiescat,” which means “rest in peace.” Ironically, Montresor has never meant that since he ends up burying Fortunate chained and

A good instance is when Fortunato tells Montresor that he is not a freemason, and even though Montresor appears to be a wise man, he acts like if he would not know what a freemason is when he shows his trowel. This causes confusion to Fortunate who is indeed a freemason. Another example is at the beginning of the story when Montresor says, “I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.” This implies that people who are punished should know the reasons why are they being punished; however, Montresor never mentions in the story why he is taking such revenge against Fortunato. Situational irony is also present when Montresor says, “My heart grew sick -- on account of the dampness of the catacombs.” He has just killed a man; however, he is feeling sick from the moisture of the catacombs.

In conclusion, irony is a complex literary technique, which is used to entertain readers, and it is clearly identifiable in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. The author applies the three categories of irony in the story on several occasions to create an image of the characters that is both readable and