Montresor Manipulation

1. When Fortunato has too much to drink and starts coughing from the Nitre, Montresor acts compassionate using reverse psychology, still leading him to his death. “Come, we will go back; your health is precious” (Poe 293).

Thirdly, there are several examples of verbal irony within Montresor's words. He says one thing and means something else. Montresor at the start, for example, gives explicit orders to his attendants, not to leave the house, knowing that this will ensure that they would. Very frequently in the text we can see Montresor calling Fortunato his friend, while taking him to death. We can also see it when he says "Once more let me implore you to return", when he expresses concern about Fortunato's health - your health is precious - and several times he suggests that they should turn back for fear that Fortunato's cough would worsen as a result of the cold and dampness of the catacombs.

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

<br>The Cask of Amontillado is a horror short story, which revolves around the themes of revenge and pride. The plot involves two men: Montresor, the narrator, who is an Italian aristocrat seeking revenge against the second main character: Fortunato, a proud man that boasts about his conoisseurship of wines and who finally walks to his own death.

"The Cask of Amontillado" is one of Edgar Allan Poe's greatest stories. In this story Poe introduces two central characters and unfolds a tale of horror and perversion. Montresor, the narrator, and Fortunato, one of Montresor's friends, are doomed to the fate of their actions and will pay the price for their pride and jealousy. One pays the price with his life and the other pays the price with living with regret for the rest of his life. Poe uses mystery, irony, and imagery to create a horrifying, deceptive, and perverse story.

We soon see foreshadowing of Fortunato's impending doom when the issue of Montresor's shield of arms is brought into the conversation as &quot;A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel.&quot;. Even more appropriate is Montresor's family motto, translated as, &quot;No one wounds me with impunity&quot;. Such a visual depiction and mental conviction due to family honor and history creates all the more impetus in Montresor to carry out the punishment that Fortunato deserves for wronging him, and more likely the family honor. When Montresor finally captures Fortunato in the catacombs, the climax of his precisely calculated deed, he revels in the sound of Fortunato's chains rattling, and &quot;that I might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labors and sat down upon the bones&quot;. However, his satisfaction soon turns to apprehension when suddenly &quot;a succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting from the throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back&quot;. He hesitates at this moment, when his revenge is sweetest, when he should bask in the suffering of his &quot;enemy&quot;, and finds himself contemplating the shrill screams of his captive! He does eventually compose

    In the short story the characters do not have a massive change during the story and the plan of revenge was not that confident. Montresor wanted Fortunato to think he cared about his health

This misunderstanding may fuel Montresor’s guilt in the future, because while he is in denial it would be hard for him to block the idea that Fortunato did not deserve his cruel end after all. He would have murdered an innocent man, and that idea might have driven Montresor even further into his denial. Furthermore, when Fortunato starts coughing, Montresor states, “My poor friend found it impossible to reply for many minutes” (p. 987) Even though he’s plotting to kill Fortunato, Montresor still calls him a friend. This may indicate that he still feels a bond with Fortunato, and that would make it impossible for him not to feel guilty for his actions. It’s one thing to murder a rival, but murdering a friend would leave an even deeper scar.

Montresor is trying to lure Fortunato to his vaults by telling him that Luchresi can just come and taste the Amontillado because he knows best. He knows Fortunato will freak out by this statement, and then show Montresor that he is wrong in saying that. Indeed, this leads Fortunato down into the catacombs, just so he can prove Montresor wrong. That 's when Montresor will take his final step in his plan to end Fortunato. This event leads to the most suspenseful part in the short story. The reader doesn’t know what Montresor’s next step is going to be in his plan, along with what stupid move is Fortunato going to take to leading himself closer to his death.

The intoxication of Fortunato did no longer exist as he screams for Montresor. This is when we begin to show sympathy for Fortunato. Poe total changes his direction here and puts our focus on Fortunato. We begin to realize Montresor never told Fortunato why he left him in the catacombs, although in the beginning of the story he said, “A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (1).

In the act of chaining Fortunato and bricking up the room he was in Montresor had no second thoughts. Not once did he think, "Maybe I shouldn't being doing this," or "This isn't the right thing to do to this man." He just carried on without one feeling of empathy. He needed this man to die knowing he should not have done what he had. When Montresor had finished Fortunato screamed and screamed and Montresor was not phased or affected at all by the horrid screams.

In “Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allen Poe several illustrates a story about two men, and the revenge found by one. While this story reveals very little about the past of the two men, symbolism allows the reader to find deeper knowledge about them, especially the main character Montresor. While Montresor is seeking his revenge, parts of his family heritage is revealed that symbolizes revenge and passion. This short story reveals a gruesome plot of death and revenge that’s based in the mid 1800’s during a carnival.

It is indicated that in the past that Fortunato has hurt Montresor many times, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.” However, there were never any insults or unkind acts actually mentioned in the story. It is exactly the opposite. Fortunato was friendly and helpful towards Montresor. From the very beginning of the story, one can obviously see that Montresor thinks that Fortunato has wronged him. “He had a weak point-this Fortunato-although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared.” This line shows that Montresor’s plan was well thought out. There is not any indication of what Fortunato thinks about Montresor. It can only be assumed that he trusts him do to the fact that he follows Montresor into the catacombs. It is up until the last moment, before the last brick is laid, that Fortunato believes this is all a joke. “Ha! Ha! Ha! – He! He! He! – a very good joke, indeed-an excellent jest.” Montresor is successful in his plan for vengeance. He succeeds in having Fortunato follow him into the catacombs and with great ease, had him up against the wall and shackled. Then tier-by-tier, Montresor constructed Fortunato’s tomb of bricks around him. When Montresor called out to him, he heard nothing and thus his plan was a success. “In pace requiescat!”

In the text montresor says”my heart grew sick on account of the dampness of the catacombs”(poe 67). Montresor is saying he feels bad for what he is doing and he feels sick in his heart To where he doesn't want to go through with it. But he thinks to the fact that he has made fun of him. In that case he continued down the catacombs and on with the murder. He thinks he is going to bring justice to himself but he loves the fact that he is taking Fortunato to his death. James F. Cooney says “ He seems to be unaware but the reader is not ,of the gleeful tone of his confession”(Cooney 15 ). At first Montresor acts as though he does not know what he is doing wrong. Suddenly he feels sick and knows he is wrong but thinks to when fortunato mad fun of him and feels no longer

It is easy to question the Montresor’s sanity early in the story as the character smiles at the thought of the Fortunato’s immolation. He has joyful bliss with ideas and thoughts of Fortunato’s demise. In his mind, he is truly mistreated by the Fortunato and the act of slow execution offers a satisfaction too fulfil his desire of vengeance. The character has no moral conflict, he feels he was correcting a wrongful event that occurred in his life. Though a wine cellar would be cool and dark catacomb like, I don’t think there is any appropriate time that is normal to be that comfortable surrounded in human remains. The Fortunato had no reason to suspect the ill will of things to come, in actuality he did nothing wrong. The eeriness of the catacomb setting in hindsight should have alarmed the Fortunato.