The story “The Cask of Amontillado’ has all three types of irony throughout it, which brings more depth to character and better develops a plot. Dramatic irony, the first type of irony used in the story, is when readers know something that the character does not. In the beginning, the protagonist tells the audience that he is plotting revenge for Fortunato. Fortunato does except betrayal from his friend, yet the reader does, therefore this is an example of dramatic irony. Along with dramatic irony, verbal irony, when a character says one thing but means the opposite, is another type of irony used. When Fortunato repeatedly coughs, Montresor pretends to care about him and offers to take him back, but Fortunato just wants to continue further,
The first example of situational irony would be Fortunato’s name, which means fortunate in Italian, an ironic name for someone who is about to be left in the catacombs to die. Another example of irony is when Montresor says, “It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. 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, 3). Obviously this is dramatic irony as Fortunato has no idea that Montresor is smiling because he will kill him rather than actually being happy to meet him. Also verbal irony is present when Montresor says,
This is dramatic irony because the reader knows something that a character, in this case, Fortunato, doesn’t know. Young Goodman Brown and A Cask of Amontillado both use dramatic irony but in very different ways. Young Goodman Brown uses dramatic irony to add some comedic relief to the otherwise serious story, while A Cask of Amontillado uses this type of irony to add to the tension in the text. Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne and A Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe, although they use it for different purposes.
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.
In “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, Fortunato is secretly planning revenge on a apparent friend. In the beginning Montresor seems friendly with Fortunato, but deep down he feels nothing but hatred for him. Could Montresor have a feeling of repulsion that only Montresor understands? Both of these men are wealthy, yet both have downfalls that will lead to a hopeless ending. Although the two men have differences, they both want the same thing. Edgar Allen Poe has a strong way of reproducing great elements in the story, the theme of deception and revenge is justified.
Though Fortunato is an intelligent wine expert, his expertise leads him to his death. In Italian the word Fortunato means fortunate, something that he is not by the end of the story. In “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allan Poe uses foreshadowing and dramatic irony and verbal irony to show Fortunato’s misfortunes which eventually lead to his death.
An example of dramatic irony is when Fortunato tells Montresor not to worry about his health and that “the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I will not die of a cough” (POE 238) Montresor then replies, “True–true.” When the reader reads this, they see that Fortunato is clueless of Montresor’s true plan is and while he tells Fortunato he will be all right. That he will not die, he is planning to kill him. This is dramatic because we as the reader feel a sense of sorrow because we know the truth about what will
In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe uses several examples of verbal irony. Verbal irony is when one character says something but actually means something different. One example is on page 288 when Montresor says “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day.” This is verbal irony because he does not really mean that he is looking well, and this sentence starts the ensuing parts of Montresor luring the intoxicated Fortunato into the catacombs, which begins the start of the suspenseful reader waiting to see if Montresor will fulfill his mission.. Another example in the story of verbal irony is on page 289 when Fortunato has the cough, and Montresor insists on going back, saying that his health is precious, when he really means that he wants his health to decline and for him to die. “We will go back; your health is
In the Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allen Poe uses verbal irony to emphasize the evil intentions of Montresor. Poe does this all throughout the story like when Montroso and Fortunato first meet. Montroso says, “‘My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met’” even though it is not lucky they met at the carnival because Montroso plans to kill Fortunato. Another way Poe uses verbal irony is, ‘"And the motto?" "Nemo me impune lacessit." "Good!" he said.”’ The motto Montroso uses means no one attacks me with impunity and in the beginning Montroso says that Fortunato insulted him so Fortunato just clapped to the saying that will be implemented on him by
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
To develop the analytical paper about the text “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, some sources will be used to support the thesis statement, which is “The author uses irony in the text to illustrate the murder of Fortunado by Montresor, who seeks salvation through death”. Also, there is going to be an analysis on the irony found in the text in relation with the story. To support this thesis, I am going to use some examples from some sources such as “Literary analysis: Irony in The Cask of Amontillado" by Amelia Tibbett, “Irony in "The Cask of Amontillado” by Kerry Michael Wood, and “Poe 's Short Stories Summary and Analysis” by Bella Wang , and the text will be written in the third person.
Edgar Allan Poe, an American born writer and poet during the early 19th century, is known for his dark and twisted diction that continues to captivate readers to this day. Nearly all of Poe’s stories contain hidden symbolism and themes that entice readers to discover the secrets in his writings over a hundred years later and the “Cask of Amontillado” is no different. Written in November of 1846, nearly three years before Poe’s death, “The Cask of Amontillado” is often regarded as one of Poe’s master pieces, full of symbolism and dramatic irony. Edgar Allan Poe’s dramatic ironies and symbolisms in his short story “The Cask of Amontillado” convey a dark theme of pain, manipulation, and the impact of revenge.
Most who have read Edgar Allen Poe’s poems, short stories, and other writings, would come to the general consensus that he has a very dark, cynical, mind. Not only is Poe known for his twisted texts, but for using many literary elements within his writing. One main element that he uses is irony. Irony is “a figure of speech which is a contradiction or incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs” (The 3 Types of Irony 1). There are also three types of irony, which includes verbal, dramatic, and situational. Poe offers multiple examples of irony in the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado”.
Irony has a very strong role in “The Cask of Amontillado” especially when the two men interact with each other, the sly jokes of Montresor such as when he tells his companion “, you are luckily met,” when in actuality he was not lucky to have met Montresor at all as he plans to kill him in cold blood. The story also explores dramatic irony in the way Fortunato is dressed at the festival he went essentially as a clown or jester, but the entire time it was Montresor who was being pointed laughed at essentially even though at the final half of the story he begins mocking Fortunato’s pleas to be released from the cuffs. The irony placed in this story is very vital it allows for it to be both humorous while keeping the suspense up because the reader knows something is going to happen before the person being told the story knows but only slowly realizes.
“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.
The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe is a very dark and dramatic short story. It is written from Montresor’s view point, but the setting changes. The story begins at Carnival and switches to dark catacombs. The story uses many examples of irony to foreshadow the upcoming events. Poe uniquely uses irony and foreshadowing to arouse the reader and build suspense.