From start to finish Edgar Allen Poe’s Cask of Amontillado had the reader navigating the confession of a murderer that often left a bitter taste in one’s mouth. The biased perspective of a nostalgic and even, to an extent, remorseful killer gives plight to the true contradiction of a perfect crime and sweet tale of revenge. Thanks to the first person narrative the story is quite literally shown through the eyes of Montresor, the advantage being that we are able to see the character fully descend into madness and bloodlust as tensions lead to a meticulously plotted deed, treachery and deceit all sealed neatly in a basement wall. Even without a clear introduction, the audience being included in the story as a close friend of Montresor’s, this point of view vividly constructs both motive and the night of the crime alongside …show more content…
There is no grand search to discern the point of view in this story, very plainly is the audience addressed within the second sentence by “You”, followed by our apparent knowledge of the personality and mindset of Montresor. His true feelings, colors laid bare without obscurity or tricks. It is due to this intimacy, our knowledge of the true Montresor, that we can only be left to assume that we mean enough to this narrator to then have them confess to us about a crime that has been left undisturbed for 50 years. After so long Montresor comes to a close friend to disclose the details of a killing he had committed, one thoroughly soaked with passion and yet not a drop of remorse. We are led through a biased, yet thorough recount of why Fortunato was the victim of Montresor’s careful planning and eventual killing blow. Being that this
The cask of amontillado is a short story that Edgar Allen Poe wrote in 1846. Poe has written this particular story to be told in a first person point of view. Since Montresor is the narrator this concludes the fact that he is telling the story from his point of view. From the beginning it is clear that Montresor is an unreliable narrator. Throughout the story it is quite noticeable that Montresor is not trustworthy as a narrator, and that he has a mental instability.
The intricately placed details and glimpses of death in “The Cask of Amontillado” can establish a dark and thought-provokingly immersive environment for the reader to explore. Being able to make a connection with a story and digging in is a wonderful experience and is something every reader should be able to do. That is why “The Cask of Amontillado” is such an important story. Poe left out any extra details that were not needed and boiled the story down to the core essentials. This allows the reader to look straight into the heart of the story and immerse themselves in it
In the short story “The Cask of Amontillado”, the author Edgar Allan Poe allow the reader to be a participant in the story. The story is told by Montresor who shows a rancor against Fortunato for a displeasure that is never textualized defined. Montresor leads an intoxicated Fortunato into a series of halls under his palazzo with the promise of a taste of Amontillado. Throughout the story the, the author uses the first-person point of view to describe Montresor surroundings and show us his thinking, and his feelings.
Feuds and arguments between individuals who may disagree with or dislike one another are a common occurrence in everyday life, often varying in degrees of intensity, but rarely reaching a point of extremity. However, in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado”, This threshold of extremity is reached by the narrator of the story, Montresor, who explains that his acquaintance, Fortunato, has repeatedly and irreparably insulted him over the course of years, and uses it as justification to take justice into his own hands and seek retribution through murder, despite there being no proof of Fortunato's guilt other than Montresor’s claims. His motive for murdering Fortunato can be attributed to his state of mind, as Montresor’s lack of guilt, empathy, or remorse highlights him as a character with psychopathic tendencies. As the story progresses, Montresor’s cold and calculating nature leaves the audience full of dread and suspense while he lures the oblivious Fortunato towards his inevitable demise. The employment of rhetorical devices such as irony, theme, and structure builds the suspense for the ultimate climax of Poe’s gothic masterpiece.
"The Cask of Amontillado" is one of Edgar Allan Poe's greatest stories. In this story Poe introduces two central characters and unfolds a tale of horror and perversion. Montresor, the narrator, and Fortunato, one of Montresor's friends, are doomed to the fate of their actions and will pay the price for their pride and jealousy. One pays the price with his life and the other pays the price with living with regret for the rest of his life. Poe uses mystery, irony, and imagery to create a horrifying, deceptive, and perverse story.
While the previous passage from “The Cask of Amontillado” shows the narrator’s malice and hatred while planning the murder, this passage demonstrates the true genius of Poe’s writing by examining the actual act of murder and viciousness through the eyes of the narrator:
In paragraphs 1 through 23 of “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allan Poe takes the reader on a riveting mind game. As the reader reads the reader slowly realizes that the narrator is both an astute observer of his fellow humans and a frightening psychopath and he does this through steps and slowly letting the reader into the narrator’s mind.
Edgar Allen Poe’s tale of murder and revenge, “The Cask of Amontillado”, offers a unique perspective into the mind of a deranged murderer. The effectiveness of the story is largely due to its first person point of view, which allows the reader a deeper involvement into the thoughts and motivations of the protagonist, Montresor. The first person narration results in an unbalanced viewpoint on the central conflict of the story, man versus man, because the reader knows very little about the thoughts of the antagonist, Fortunato. The setting of “The Cask of Amontillado”, in the dark catacombs of Montresor’s wine cellar, contributes to the story’s theme that some people will go
By: Harshul Jain The Cask of Amontillado is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe is known for using Gothic conventions in his stories which mostly includes the atmosphere of mystery, oppressiveness to create terror but interestingly he subverts the Gothic conventions by having having human beings, instead of a supernatural element, create most horrible deeds. Poe tries to achieve that horror via the capabilities of the humans. Poe uses unreliable narrator and psyches to propel the story. The Cask of Amontillado is a classic example of such a story. The Cask of Amontillado is a story of 2 friends, Fortunato and Montresor. Montresor in this story is the narrator. Montresor has been
Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado” (1846) is narrated by Montressor. He is a gothic narrator, as his motives are associated with revenge and mental instability. In fact, the story opens with Montressor’s description of revenge of his friend Fortunato, who supposedly “insulted” him, and he lures Fortunato to his family’s catacombs for his death. However, Montressor is unwilling to reveal Fortunato’s insult and he is uncertain of why he wants to commit the horrendous act. Montressor’s narration is unreliable, and as the story unfolds we deduce his mental state. By carefully analyzing the tale, Montressor’s psychological dilemma encourages us to find the missing pieces of the puzzle and interpret the events in a metaphorical sense suggesting that the events are far less associated with revenge but more with Montressor’s guilt.
In “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allan Poe takes us on a journey into the mind of a mad man. The story relates a horrible revenge made even more horrible by the fact that the vengeance is being taken when no real offense had been given. In a short space and with ultimate technical skill, Poe creates a nightmare, guaranteed to give the reader a sleepless night.
The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe is a terrific story full of suspense, revenge, and heart wrenching events. Poe`s use of dark humor and dramatic irony leads us all into the depths of despair behind the characters. Poe`s character and narrator Montressor is a different type of villain that seems as if he has descended into the deepest depths of darkness. The narrator in this story assumes his actions to be justified but he is certainly thought to be a villain. First and foremost, there are many characteristics of the narrator that makes him an effective villain.
A narrator of a literary work is the only window an audience has to peer into a story and in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe reveals Montresor’s untrustworthy narration due to Montresor’s previous internal conflicts, inhumane behavior and moral decisions that Montresor chooses to ignore by continuing to immolate a close friend. Poe realizes the deceitfulness he creates within the main character; this makes Montresor complex despite the fact that Montresor chooses to remain a static character throughout the course of the shot story. Montresor betrays his loyal friend of many years, just so he can achieve a sense of satisfaction closure when he attains his revenge, the crime that Montresor committed half a century ago.
The short story “The Cask of Amontillado” is a brilliant tale of revenge written by the famous poet and author Edgar Allen Poe. This short story follows the protagonist Montresor down the Italian catacombs from the first person point of view, allowing the reader to understand what his goals are. Montresor's plan is to get revenge on the antagonist Fortunato by trapping him inside the catacombs because of the injuries Fortunato caused Montresor. Edgar Allen Poe shows his incredible writing abilities by expressing an eminently great style in a vast number of literary devices throughout this tale. As well as his diction and ways of conveying the story's theme.
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado is thought to be one of his most popular vengeful short novels. The two main characters, Montresor and Fortunato are re-acquainted friends who meet each other at The Carnival. Montresor has intentionally planned to lure Fortunato to his own death by deceiving him to believe that Fortunato is coming to Montresor's family catacombs to taste a fine wine “Amontillado”. After Montresor leads Fortunato into the crypts, Montresor eventually chains Fortunato up in a secluded section and mortars him behind a brick wall while he is still alive. The story ends with Montresor throwing a flaming torch into the small opening while he continues to put the last brick in place, essentially burning Fortunato alive. Edgar Allan Poe creates conflict between characters Montresor and Fortunato which primarily creates the major theme of revenge in this story. Edgar Allan Poe depicts setting in this novel by portraying death by illustrating human bones, within a cold and damp crypt to contribute to the eerie theme of revenge. Montresor's characterization is expressed through the betrayal of his friend, which adds another element to the theme of revenge in this story. In Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe utilizes conflict, setting, and characterization to create a theme of revenge.