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Dramatic Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

Decent Essays

Dramatic irony is generally defined as irony in which a character kens less about his or her situation than the reader kens, engendering situations that have a different outcome from the character’s prospects. It is as if we are visually examining a train moving relentlessly toward a brick wall, which one or more characters perceive as an open tunnel. A wreck is the only outcome. Poe establishes the framework of dramatic irony as early as the story’s second paragraph, engendering a web of erroneous prospects for his victim. For example: “It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given [Fortunato] cause to doubt my good-will. I perpetuated, as was my won’t, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the noetic conception of his immolation.” (Poe). In my opinion Montresor has engendered two elements of dramatic irony here. On one hand I understand that Fortunato, because of the unidentified insult has been illuded into …show more content…

Through these ironies, Poe makes the story more fascinating, comprehensive. This has a certain effect on the reader’s feelings toward Montresor and Fortunato. I can feel sympathy for naïve of Fortunato because of his desire of Amontillado and his trust on Montresor. Or they feel horror how evil Montresor is when he leads and buries alive his friend and gets revenge. The utilization of this figure of verbalization, which is a contradiction of prospect between what is verbalized and what is designated or an incongruity between what might be expected by Fortunato. “The Cask of Amontillado", which leads the audience to believe that this barrel of wine probably subsists are examples of circumstantial irony; as well as the fact that the murder takes place during carnival season and the costumes the two men are wearing suits very well to their rolls in the

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