Essay about Foreshadowing Fate in Cask Of Amontillado

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.

However, in Montresor’s eyes, this “carnival” is a crazy event, since he was going to kill someone in this “carnival”. Therefore, during the event, Montresor wore a “black silk mask” and a “roquelaure”. Here, “black” can symbolize as a dead, evil and unlucky thing. It is just like the conspiracy that he set for Fortanato, without any hope and future. On the other hand, Fortanato wore a “tight-fitting parti-striped dress”, which is full of joy and happiness in the event. At this point, besides the season, the author also shows irony in Fortanato’s costume. It is because nobody would dress in colorful attire in his own funeral. It seems stupid for Fortanato dressed in this way.

It is Edgar Allan Poe's intense use of symbolism and irony throughout the Cask of Amontillado that establishes the short story as an indeed interesting candidate worthy of thorough analysis. The skillful use of these devices are utilized by the author to create this horrific and suspenseful masterpiece.

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.

The themes of abandonment and vivisepulture repeat throughout Poe’s writing. Poe’s 1846 work, “The Cask of Amontillado,” details a murder. It takes place in Montresor’s catacombs, among the bones of his ancestors. In an act of revenge, Montresor leads Fortunato to his death by tempting him with wine, chaining and trapping him in “a deep crypt, in

One of the main rhetorical devices evident within the short story is the use of dramatic irony, which Poe uses to foreshadow the climax of the story, which is Fortunato's death. For example, one of the most obvious uses of irony in the story is the name of Fortunato himself, which translates to “the fortunate one”. However,

Amontillado is a classically known amber-colored, medium-dry sherry wine, and in the case of Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado, it is the taste for Amontillado that results in the unfortunate and rather untimely death of Fortunato at the hands of the maniacal Montresor. Revenge is something that no one should have to experience; however, sadly sometimes, it is an inevitability that cannot be avoided. The Cask of Amontillado exposes Poe’s dark side and cruelty towards society and the world. In this short story, Poe tells about a rich drunk man, Fortunato, picking on a not-so rich friend, Montresor, but things quickly take a turn when Montresor decides to take out his revenge against his “pal.” Poe uses ethos, logos, and pathos deeply throughout his storyline to enhance the story and better the imagination of the characters, the deep meaning behind the setting, and the Amontillado’s secret.

9. The title “The Cask of Amontillado” is an ironical reference to Fortunato's imminent death. Indeed, if a cask is a barrel of wine, it is also the root of the word “casket”. So as Fortunato is searching for this cask of wonderful wine, he is in fact walking toward the place of his final rest.

The first thing that I found ironic in Poe’s story is its title, “The Cask of Amontillado”. Without reading this story, it was difficult for me to understand why Poe used

Poe uses simple but effective color imagery to help express the theme of revenge, horror, and uncertainty of what is to come. When Montresor puts on his black, silk mask, it is as if he has become a different person. The color represents death and the darkness that has overcome Montresor and him trying to play God. The mask itself is how he separates himself from his once best friend. He views himself as the judge and jury in the situation. It represents him cutting himself off from the rest of the world and cutting off all his emotional ties to Fortunado. Montresor sees himself as the one to give Fortunado his death sentence, so “he is costumed as an executioner” (Platizky 207). Another example of important color images is the change of setting from a cheerful, colorful festival to descending into the dark and mysterious catacombs. When the story starts, Fortunado is wearing bright party clothes to enjoy the carnival; his “carnival identity is a motely clown” (Whatley 56) with bells for the occasion. He is dressed as a fool because that is what Montresor plans to make out of him by the end of the night. Montresor is very manipulative and uses a merry carnival setting to throw off his friend and makes Fortunado realizes that even supposedly cheery settings can have unsettling secrets but catches on to this a little too late. Montresor sends off the servants and uses the carnival to make sure no one will ever notice the horrendous crime he will commit later in the night. As they both go deeper into the catacombs, the quicker the setting changes into an uneasy environment with a “long and winding staircase”

“The Cask of Amontillado,” written by Edgar Allan Poe, is a short story detailing the murder of a drunken man named Fortunato by someone he considers to be a dear friend, Montresor. The text as written by Poe leaves little room for speculation regarding the actual events that take place, but the cause and meaning of the events are left up to interpretation. In the first sentence of the story, Montresor makes his intentions clear, stating that it was when Fortunato “... ventured upon insult [he] vowed revenge(Norton 174).” The specifics of this insult are never revealed, which leads the reader to ponder what Fortunato could have said or done that would prompt Montresor to kill him. The reader knows nothing about the relationship between these two men except that they have known each other for a period of time long enough for Montresor to have borne “the thousand injuries of Fortunato…(Norton 174).”

The setting of a story is used by the author to portray the place and time where the story takes place. “The Cask of Amontillado” to Poe, was known as one of his finest works. The story ultimately ends as Fortunato is being chained by Montresor to a brick wall. He then encases Fortunato into the brick wall in the catacombs where he is left to continue his cry for help. Montresor expresses that he got away with the perfect murder being that after 50 years he has not been caught.

The setting of “The Cask of Amontillado” takes place in the sixteenth century Renaissance, during Carnival . Poe lets the reader visualize the joy and excitement of the festival. On the other hand, below the joyful festival a setting of darkness and death lurks. It’s known as the catacombs. Montresor lures Fortunato down to the catacombs 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 1188). As they make their way down to the catacombs, the setting changes. At the beginning, the setting is full of life and exciting because of Carnival and everyone having a good time. As Montresor and Fortunato make their way down to the catacombs, it seems dark and full of death. Poe makes the feeling of death is prominent because the catacombs are a dark, eerie space, the perfect place for Montresor’s revenge on Fortunato.

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is considered one of his most iconic and well known works, a short story that brought the author fame for his nihilistic outlook on life and his fascination with creating characters with a complex sense of morality. Although just a few pages in length, it tells the story of a man named Montresor who carries out revenge against his wine-loving friend Fortunato. In it, Poe explores the themes of the plot using an expert combination of deep characterization, intricate imagery, and skillful irony. The first literary device Poe uses to craft his story is strong characterization.

In Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor, the narrator, describes how he is upset with Fortunato and vows revenge against him for some unknown injustices. Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs to taste his Amontillado and chains him to the wall of the catacombs and seals him up with bricks. The settings contribute to this increasing feeling of horror, as the author’s treatments of time and place cause the reader to anticipate, fear and be absorbed in the unfolding