In "The Cask of Amontillado" Edgar Allan Poe takes us on a journey into the mind of what many would perceive as a mad man. The story tells of what seems to be a horrible revenge made even more horrible by the fact that the vengeance is being taken when no real offense had been known. This notion sets the mood for true evil. The plot of the story is simple. Montresor takes revenge on his friend Fortunato by luring him into the wine cellar under the family estate. There he leads Fortunato into the depths of the catacombs where he buries him alive by walling him into a tomb in the wall. Was Montresor mad or was it premeditated murder?
"Nemo me impune lacessit" (No one attacks me with impunity). This seems to be the theme running through the
…show more content…
Montresor gave him a bottle of De Grave, which Fortunato emptied and then tossed the bottle into the air with a definite symbolic gesture. At this point, Fortunato was sure that Montresor didn't understand the gesture because it belonged to the secret order of the Masons, an order that Fortunato was certain that Montresor couldn't belong to, thus hitting Montresor another insult and, unsuspectingly, bringing Fortunato closer to his death. Fortunato then showed him another sign of the masons; a trowel, which he brought with him. This is, of course, a double irony since the trowel is not only an instrument used by real masons, but it is one of the emblems of the Masonic Order, and in this case it will become a tool used in the demise of Fortunato. Fortunato implies that Montresor is not worthy enough to be a member of the Masonic Order. Little does Fortunato knows, in a few moments, Montresor will become a Master Mason.
The men proceed down the hall of the catacombs were numerous relatives of the man that hates him are buried. Montresor tells Fortunato the Amontillado is but a little farther in a crypt at the end of the hall. Is it a fate or a calculated acted the crypt was the exact size needed for Montresor to entomb Fortunato? Fortunato is so inebriated he doesn't realize Montresor has chained him the crypt wall and begins to layer the bricks that will become his permanent home. All of a sudden Fortunato screams and Montresor is frighten, but
In addition, the place that Montresor chose to kill Fortanato is also sarcastic. It seems abnormal that the “vaults” were situated inside the “catacombs”. When they were looking for the wine, Fortanato did not suspect anything even when he saw the “bones” and “catacombs”. He still kept on asking where the “Amontillado” was. Ridiculously, while they were drinking the wine in order to keep themselves warm, Fortanato said that he drank to “the buried that repose around them”. Whereas, Montresor said that he drank “to your long life”. Surely, what Montresor said is ironic; He certainly knew that Fortanato would not have a “long life” since he would kill him soon. Perhaps, what Montresor means here is that Fortanato may
Fortunato,” ‘I should like your opinion. But if you are too busy, I will get Luchesi’s advice. If anyone is a good judge, he is’”(Poe 68). The citation shows Montresor's deceitfulness since he is trying to guilt Fortunato to come with him. By saying he would like Fortunato's advice, it’s guilting Fortunato to come into the catacombs; only a brilliant and deceitful man could come up with this proposal. I can deduce that without Montresor's deviance, he would’ve never been able to trick Fortunato into the catacombs and to his death. Montresor's deceitfulness also fooled Fortunato to help him in carrying out his own death. Montresor tricks Fortunato into drinking for his cough, intoxicating him more and more with each sip. “I do not wish to alarm you-but you should take care of yourself. A drink of this Medoc will defend you from the damp”( Poe 69). This cite reveals how Montresor is tricking Fortunato into killing himself practically, and helping Montresor succeed. I can summarize that Montresor planned from the beginning to fool Fortunato into helping him by
To begin with, “The Cask of Amontillado” is a story of revenge in which Montresor, the protagonist, retaliates to the “1000 injuries of Fortunato” (Poe 1) that he had bore; by meticulously planning the murder of his foe. Montresor seeks to avenge the insults made to his ancestral family name by Fortunato.
Montresor teases Fortunato quite a few times while leading him deep into the catacombs. In the beginning of the story, Montresor tells Fortunato that he has purchased a wine called Amontillado but cannot be sure that it
In “Cask Of Amontillado” Montresor seems to have Fortunato's best interests in mind until his true intentions are revealed through his thoughts, not his actions. This is showing how Montresor is careful in his revenge; Fortunato disrespected Montresor, being the wicked and revengeful person he is must make him pay for his mistake. Therefore, Montresor carefully planned out his attack, he had every detail carefully outlined in his head. He made no mistakes; while Fortunato unknowingly made the biggest mistake of his life. Montresor felt satisfied and happy with the horrible crime he committed. While he was burying Fortunato alive, he enjoyed the screams of his foe, relishing in the fact that he won. “...felt
<br>The way the narrator treats his enemy is one of the clearest examples for ironic elements. When the characters meet, Montresor realises that Fortunato is afflicted with a severe cold, nevertheless he makes a point of him looking "remarkably well". Montresor acts in the most natural and friendly way towards the man object of his revenge, and even praises his "friend's" knowledge in the subject of wines. Also upon their meeting, Montresor begins a psychological manipulation of Fortunato. He claims that he needs his knowledge to ascertain that the wine he has purchased is indeed Amontillado. Furthermore, he acknowledges that Fortunato is engaged in another business (i.e.: the celebration of carnival), so he would go to Luchresi, who, one is made to believe, is a competitor of Fortunato's. To these words, Fortunato is forced by his pride to accompany Montresor to the vaults (where the Amontillado is kept), dissipate his doubts and also to prove his higher status than Luchresi as a connoisseur of wine. In fact, during their way down under in the catacombs, the twisted mind of Montresor, dares to give Fortunato the chance to go back, due to the almost unbearable dampness and foulness rampant in the vaults and Fortunato's state of health. The narrator clearly knows about the stubborn nature of Fortunato, and is
In “The Cask of Amontillado” Montresor hides the fact that Fortunato has caused him a thousand injuries.. Furthermore, Montresor said, “I vowed revenge.” That is exactly what he did. It's certain that Fortunato has no idea of Montresor's anger, because he is believing him more and more. With this in mind, he sets the trap for Fortunato’s death.
If anybody close to Fortunato grew suspicious due to his missing it could be tied to excessive drinking during the festive season. Both Fortunato and Montresor dressed up during the festival as it seems fit. The jester taunting the executioner until taunting has begun to create an ego undaunted by Fortunato insults. Montresor and Fortunato head to a crypt full of the dead wandering the halls drinking of liquor recalling Montresor’s family. Conversations are thrown up into the air about Montresor’s family about what fame and size that it use to be. Again and again Montresor has offered an escape from the undead crypt due to his deteriorating health. Finally Montresor has captured Fortunato and bound him to die. At the beginning Montresor seems like he is telling someone of his
Montresor is the kind of person that you don’t want get on their bad side, He's the kind of person that enjoys long walks on the beach and the occasional MURDER. In the story "Cask of Amontillado" written by Edgar Allen Poe, Montresor is main Character/Narrator, and his main goal in the story is to seek revenge on his once good friend Fortunato who has embarrassed Montresor one to many times. So Montresor's plan is to trick Fortunato down into his family's catacomb by telling Fortunato that there is a cask of amontillado in the catacombs. So Fortunato follows Montresor down into the catacombs where he chains Fortunato in a niche in the wall and seals him in with brick and mortar. As you can see Montresor successfully kills Fortunato because he's an unsympathetic character with a dark demeanor and an unhealthy mental state.
The mood that, the author, Edgar Allen Poe sets in “The Cask of Amontillado” is considered ominous, sinister, and even gruesome. The story starts off the reader with the main character, Montresor, explaining that he will get revenge on his enemy with the words "At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled --but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity". This sentence explains that Montresor is certain that he will get revenge on Fortunato by making him suffer in a very painful way. The factor of creepiness increases when Montresor gets Fortunato to follow him into a catacomb described by Poe with "We had passed through long
Fortunato drinks to the dead while Montresor drinks to Fortunato’s long life. As they processed to the Amontillado vault, Montresor chained him to the granite and started to release a pile of building stone and mortar that has been hidden by stones. Fortunato laugh and weakly asked Montresor to end the jokes and free him, shouting, “For the love of God, Montresor!” but latter mocks him and Fortunato ceases to speak, despite Montresor’s calls. The only thing Montresor heard as he lays the last brick is the jingling of Fortunato’s costume and then wishing Fortunato a peaceful rest as he was buried alive under a wall of bricks.
“Here I knocked off the neck of the bottle which I drew from a long row of its fellows that lay upon the mold,” was said in the story. Since Fortunato drank so much before he went into the catacombs and when he was in them, he was blinded by the effects of the alcohol he drank. The alcohol made his judgments poor. He did not notice how far he went and how the conditions of the catacombs were changing. He was also tricked by Montresor and he might have realized what he was doing if he did not drink as much as he did. For example, Montresor acted like he cared for Fortunato by helping him up when he stumbled. Before Montresor and Fortunato arrived to the destination Montresor planned to kill Fortunato the story mentioned, “The cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.” Montresor manipulated Fortunato after Fortunato drank so much before and after entering the catacombs. Montresor took advantage of this by asking if Fortunato wanted to leave the catacombs because he was starting to feel ill. When Montresor tried taking the Amontillado away from Fortunato by asking if Fortunato wanted to leave, it just made Fortunato want it more. Since Fortunato wanted to try the Amontillado before anyone else, Montresor acted like he cared about his conditions. Montresor tried to make Fortunato feel cared about before Montresor carried out his plans on
You’re on a beach with the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, and the sand in between your toes. Then suddenly, you wake up to the sound of your mom telling you to do your chores. Something that is happening in your mind but not actually happening in real life is your imagination. It is your visualization of a place, object, or person that seems very real or that you think actually happened but didn’t. Therefore, in the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is not real and the narrator’s imagination. This is about a man named Montresor, that is so angry with Fortunato a friend of his that he is willing to kill him. Montresor’s mind though is telling him that he is mad and it is his mind actually taking the actions
A friend is someone that should be trusted, but what happens when that trust no longer exists? In “The Cask of Amontillado” written by Edgar Allan Poe, Fortunato is about to find the answer to this question. At first glance Montresor appears to be cordial with Fortunato, but deep down he feels nothing but hate for him. Could this hatred have a mindlessness that exclusive Montresor gets it? In various routes, both of these men are proud and affluent, yet both have dereliction that will prompt to a deplorable end. Edgar Allan Poe's utilization of dialect adds to the comprehension of the dynamic between the two men. Despite the fact that the two men are seen in an unexpected way, they both need a similar thing; to fulfill the desire for something that has been long overdue. Poe has an expressive method for repeating incredible abstract components in the story, the theme of duplicity and requital, are supported with the utilization of Irony and imagery.
In the short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator, Montresor, plans to get revenge on Fortunato for some unfair treatment towards him (Montresor). Montresor tricked Fortunato into the catacombs to taste a cask of amontillado and then locks him away to die. This setting helps create more of a horrifying atmosphere.