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Fortunato Irony

Decent Essays

1. The main character of the story is Montresor. He is the sinister narrator of the tale, and he wants to punish Fortunato for insulting him. Fortunato is the foil of Montresor. He is portrayed in the scene as innocent, completely unaware of his friend's feeling or intentions, which emphasizes the maliciousness of Montresor. 2. The beginning of the story is set in the future, where Montresor explains why he killed Fortunato. He insulted him, this is the conflict. The story then follows a chronological order with a rising action (the walk through the catacombs) and a climax (Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall). The ending part of the story consist of the falling action ( Fortunato screams, but Montresor keeps laying the bricks) and a resolution …show more content…

Fortunato facilitates his own assassination, he goes in search of the cask of an amazing wine and instead founds his casket. The author, through his writing style, also emphasize the irony of the tale: its title itself, the narrator repeatedly hinting to Fortunato that he is going to kill him, the name of both characters, the symbolism of the family coat of arms are just some examples of it. 5. Many symbolisms are present in this story such as the coat of arms of the Montresor which is a human foot ( Montresor) crushing a serpent (Fortunato) who was biting it (insults). The motto of the family is also a clear indicator Fortunato's fate. The customs the characters also reflect how the narrator percieves them. Fortunato is dress as a fool with a “conical cap and bells” and Montresor is dress as Death with “ a mask of black silk and drawing a roquelaire” (Poe 227). 6. The action takes part at night, in a dark and confined environment (catacomb) which adds to the feeling that Fortunato is stuck. It helps set up the atmosphere of the story (darkness, suspense). The fact that the events take place during a carnival, which is supposed to be a festive celebration, adds to the irony of the situation. It gives us a good indication of the tone of the tale: dark and …show more content…

The settings of the story contribute to creating a scary and dark atmosphere as Fortunato is trapped in a catacomb with his murderer. There is also a lot of suspense and apprehension. The reader knows Montresor's plan, but does not know exactly how he will kill Fortunato. The fact Montresor apparently provide his victim with the opportunity to leave, insisting he should go back to the surface because of his cough, emphasis the darkness and irony of the tale. 8. The narrator of the story, Montresor, is a good example of an unreliable point of view. His character is mischievous and irrational (killing someone for an insult is very much unjustified), which makes his description of the events unreliable. The use of a crooked murderer as narrator gives the reader a better look at his sick mind, and therefore makes the story scarier and darker. 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. 10. The theme of this story is revenge, and the madness, and irrationality of the people seeking

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