Dramatic Irony In Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

There are many uses of irony throughout “The Cask of Amontillado.” One example that Poe includes states, “I drink,” he said, “to the buried that repose around us. “And I to your long life.” (passage 3) This statement shows a use of dramatic irony because the reader knows that the narrator, Montresor, has no intention of cheering the life of Fortunato and has a careful plan to murder him. This quote also demonstrates dramatic irony because it shows how Fortunato genuinely believed in the good intentions of Montresor, which would eventually result in his demise. This use of irony helps build up the rising action and suspense of the story leaving the reader wondering when the narrator is going to strike and kill Fortunato. Overall this use of

Edgar Allan Poe uses irony to create suspense in "The Cask of Amontillado," to create a dark, dangerous short story. The protagonist, Montresor, plans to seek revenge on Fortunato, who insulted him, by killing him. Poe uses dramatic irony in the first paragraph by writing that Montresor is planning to kill Fortunato and get away with murdering him. The example of dramatic irony creates suspense, due to only the reader and Montresor knowing that Montresor is premeditating Fortunado's murder. Verbal irony is utilized to create suspense when Poe writes of Montresor and Fortunado making toasts, and Montresor saying, "And I to your long life" to Fortunado (Poe 347). Completely aware that he is going to murder Fortunado, yet Montresor toasts to Fortunado's

In the short stories “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, irony is the main element used. Like many authors, these authors both use irony to their advantage. One story is about a hunter being hunted, an ironic twist, for a reason yet not stated. And the other is about a murder being committed using reverse psychology which takes place in a family catacomb with a fondness for wine ironically enabling the crime.

Edgar Allan Poe is an American author whose writing style, full of mysteries and macabre, has fascinated generations. However, his works are more than just thrillers and morbidities. The writings of this author often contain other themes such as companionship, family bonds, longing passion, and perhaps the strongest of these is revenge. “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Hop-Frog; or, The Eight Chained Ourang-Outangs” are two short stories that certainly demonstrate a recurring theme of revenge. Poe not only presents his signature pattern of cold fate in both works but also displays the struggle of a lower social class against the higher social class to the extent that it almost hints at a call for revolution.

The story “ The Cask of Amontillado” provides various amounts of moods as they walk through the catacomb. In Edgar Allan Poe’s story, the main character known as Montresor, goes through creepy situations and events with the intoxicated, Fortunato. As this story goes on talking about them walking through the catacomb, there’s at most four moods created throughout the story. Those consists of eerie, suspenseful, scary, and dramatic. These moods are to be spoken about when Montresor does something awful to his acquaintant, Fortunato.

time to think about why he is chained and closed into a wall to die.

Irony has been used in many forms to add humor and suspense in literature. Edger Allen Poe used verbal irony in the “The Cask of Amontillado” to show Montresor’s true intentions throughout the story. Montresor is the mastermind behind the plan to kill Fontunato, a prideful, wealthy man who adores wine, which in the end makes him the perfect target. We know Montresor’s intentions are to eliminate his “friend” because he says, “I must not only punish, but punish the impunity.”(pg. 233)

Throughout analysis of Edger Alan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” the readers are able to infer the intentions of the characters through Poe's use of irony. The character Montresor has been insulted by another character, Fortunato. As a result of Fortunato’s insult, Montresor vows to seek revenge on Fortunato by punishing him with impunity during the carnival season. To carry out his plot of revenge, Montresor creates a plan to sneakily rope Fortunato into examining a pipe of Amontillado because Montresor knows Fortunato prides himself on being a wine connoisseur. The Amontillado is supposedly located deep in Montresor's family vault which is where Montresor plans to bury Fortunato alive. Poe implements various examples of verbal irony throughout his story in order for the readers to see Montresor’s devious plan be carried out in a unique way.

     Revenge can be sweet, but in this case it is just down right grotesque! In Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” it talks about a gentlemen named Montressor and how he is angry at Fortunato for insulting him in the past. Montressor will not let this go unpunished, so he thinks up a clever scheme to get back at him. This plan is in a way, ingenious but most definitely insane and crazy.

“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. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe combines all of these ironies to tell the story and to construct the personalities of the characters in an entertaining way.

Many would not look to a title of a piece of literature for symbolism. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe uses the key word cask as a huge symbol. The word cask refers to, “a sturdy cylindrical container for storing liquids,” such as Amontillado, a fine wine, in this case (Lorcher). Montresor introduces the topic of the wine to his former friend Fortunato by saying, “‘My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day. But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts’” (Poe). Fortunato is extremely intoxicated from carnival festivities prior to his conversation with Montresor, so it is probable that his decision to go into the catacombs with Montresor is not for the benefit of anyone but himself. He sees this journey with Montresor as a way to acquire one of two possible outcomes—free wine or a chance to further humiliate Montresor, especially after Montresor suggests that Fortunato is not capable of distinguishing the Amontillado and mentions the name of a rival, Luchresi (Lorcher). The symbolism in the key word of cask is that it has the same root as the word casket. Poe’s use of symbolism in this regard is often overlooked and written off as mere coincidence, yet that is far from the truth. Fortunato’s love of wine, and the ignorant and easily influenced state the wine puts him in, leads him to make some of his most destructive decisions to not only others, but also to himself. The Amontillado is a symbol of Fortunato’s downfall, or in other words, the love he has for the cask

“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, is a story driven by revenge as Montresor carries out his plan to avenge his families “Motto”. Not to mention the families honor would be repaired, by the death of Fortunato. What a “Perfect Season” to put forth his morbid plan; “The Carnival Season, The Season of Madness”. Therefore, there are many symbols hidden within The Cask of Amontillado to explain the emotions of the story, such as, “the period”, “character Names”, and “Fortunato’s Costume”.

The Cask of Amontillado is about a man named Montresor who believes this other man named Fortunato insulted him. Montresor’s family motto is “no one insults me with impunity”, he feels justified in taking revenge on Fortunato. In the short story by Edgar Allen Poe, there are many examples of irony to convey Montresor’s crime, while using another layer of irony to undermine his revenge.

Edgar Allan Poe is often regarded as one of the most influential writers in history, but not

Early in the story, for example, Montresor reveals Fortunato's ignorance by stating, "he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation" (Poe 1). From the moment Montresor and Fortunato cross paths that night, Montresor enjoys Fortunato's inability to realize the gravity of his situation. He proceeds to perform a "spectacle of execution" in which he gives Fortunato multiple clues that may allow him to discern his fate, yet the intoxicated Fortunato shows repeatedly an inability to perceive the truth and severity of his situation (Baraban 175; Stepp 447). Because Montresor's signs were so direct, Fortunato's ineptitude prevents him directly from saving himself. The result is an ironic effect that shadows him throughout the story. Irony even surrounds the object which Fortunato is pursuing. The double meaning of "cask" sums up the impetus of the irony surrounding Fortunato because he is not descending through the catacombs in pursuit of a barrel of wine but rather his casket (Ketterer 111). Fortunato's ironic state shatters upon the realization that Montresor is not only lying about possessing Amontillado wine but also plans to entomb him in the false wine