Montresor's Revenge In The Death Of Amontillado

Thus, being the descendent of a noble faimily, Montresor cannot let Fortunato insult him, as the motto of his family says: “Nemo me impune lacessit” (No one attacks me with impunity). Therefore, Montresorʼs reason to kill Fortunado is a matter of honor. However, I also believes that, apart from the honor issue, Montresor envies Fortunato because he is more powerful and rich than him.

Since we do not have suffice information on how Fortunato insulted him, Montresor may be exaggerating on a few parts and wants to be the hero of his own story. This may have led to the reason why Montresor tells his story years later; Guilt built up because the way he was supposed to kill Fortunato did not end up the way he wanted. He is not satisfied because Fortunato did not suffer when he was supposed to be plastered up without food or water in the catacombs for days before his death, yet he died quicker than Montresor expected (par. 89). When a person seeks revenge, they want to savor every part of it and see the person suffer, but not die…quick. Apart from Fortunato not suffering, Montresor was backing up from his own plan to get his revenge. Montresor was slowed down every time he would ask Fortunato if he wanted to go back. Occasionally, Montresor would command Fortunato, “Come, we will go back; your health is precious (par. 35).” According to his own words, Montresor hesitated whether he wanted to go through with his revenge, and that was against one of the three features that he considered essential for it to be a

In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor is guilty of the cold-blooded murder of Fortunato and should go to jail for his crime. Montresor speaks of the “thousand injuries” Fortunato caused him and, more recently, the “insult” that Montresor cannot forgive. Vowing to seek retribution, Montresor comments on the importance of ensuring his own innocence throughout the process of revenge. He goes out of his way to be friendly to Fortunato. Other evidence that supports the crime as being preconceived includes Montresor preying on Fortunato’s weakness, his love of wine and his conceited nature. He praises Fortunato on his knowledge of wine and taunts him with the full barrel that he just purchased asking him for his expert opinion. In preparation

From the very beginning of the story, one can obviously see that Montresor thinks that he has been wronged by Fortunato. His plan for vengeance is easily seen through his actions and his thoughts. "He had a weak

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

<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

Montresor does this by flattering and acting concerned about the health of Fortunato when really his only concern is killing Fortunato. While in the wine cellar, Montresor says to Fortunato, “Come, we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchesi-.” Montresor does an excellent job of being Fortunatos’ friend and at the same time convinces him to continue drinking and telling him, “A draught of this Medoc will defend us from the damps.” Montresor was not trying to defend either one of them, his only purpose was to place Fortunato into a higher state of drunkenness. Montresor causes Fortunato to become so drunk that while he was being chained to the wall by Montresor, “He was too much astounded to resist.” “The Cask of Amontillado” is filled with many ironies and also life lessons; such as know who your real friends are. Fortunato thought his real friend was Montresor when, in reality, Montresor was anything but his friend. Not only did Montresor fake his sincerity towards Fortunato, he was also vengeful and very intelligent in his actions to kill Fortunato.

In the Cask of Amontillado, Montresor, the protagonist of this story, has been wronged by Fortunato. Montresor feels very strongly about this transgression that Fortunato doesn’t recall. His revenged involved using one of Fortunato’s weaknesses against him. Fortunato boasted that he was a connoisseur of fine wines. One night, Montresor told him about a cask of Amontillado he had recently purchased that he wasn’t sure was genuine. Montresor then says that he was going to meet another friend named Luchesi, who could authenticate the wine. Fortunato in a drunken state, proclaims that they would go to Montresor’s vault which contained the Amontillado. Montresor attempts to convince him that his cough and cold might become worse being down in the cold, damp vaults with the niter. After insisting that he was fine, both men venture into the depths of Montresor’s family catacombs. After being in the catacombs for a short bit, Fortunato begins to cough and Montresor gives him a type of red wine to cover the cough and to continue to intoxicate him. Montresor’s family had a great deal of members and created a long walk. Fortunato asks what his coat of arms is and Montresor replies with their motto that is “No one assails me with impunity”. Fortunato begins to cough against and Montresor opens another bottle of wine, to which he empties it almost immediately. Fortunato then does a hand gesture that Montresor doesn’t understand. Fortunato says that you must not be of the brotherhood of

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

When Montresor is first introduced, the reader can easily identify Montresor as an unreliable narrator based on his unreasonable need to get back at Fortunato. He begins his recollection with words of exaggeration, recalling the “thousand injuries” (Poe 179) he endured, and the insult Fortunato had “ventured upon” (Poe 179). There is no further explanation on what would warrant such resentment before he quickly transitions to his definition of revenge:

After a couple of drinks Montresor warns Fortunato about the danger of consuming this wine because of the high levels of nitre that it has, foreshadowing for the audience, telling us the venom Fortunato is consuming. When Fortunato starts to feel bad Montresor offers him a drink to make him feel better, this is not an act of sympathy, it's just to keep Fortunato alive until his burial ground; and also to keep the audience waiting for the action to come.

Fortunato went through several realizations throughout “The Cask of Amontillado” therefore, making him a dynamic character. Fortunato starts off drunk in the beginning of the story and agrees to look at the Amontillado with Montresor. Throughout his journey with Montresor, he ends up getting more intoxicated. Montresor explains, “I broke and reached him a flagon of De Grave. He emptied it at a breath. His eyes flashed with fierce light. He laughed and threw the bottle upward with a gesticulation I did not understand” (Poe 7). Fortunato gradually gets more intoxicated throughout the story, although toward the end the intoxication starts to wear off. Montresor explains, “the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off. The earliest indication I had

Montresor has held this grudge against his friend who according to him had given him “thousands of injuries.” This grudge he has makes him vindictive as he seeks revenge against Fortunato for his insult against him. His family’s motto is “Nemo me impune lacessit" meaning “No one attacks me with impunity”. The motto implies that the entire Montresor family history is filled with acts of revenge. Montresor becomes obsessed with his vengeance and when he has Fortunato chained to the wall he mocks at his cries and moaning, “I replied to the yells of him who clamored. I re-echoed, I aided, I surpassed them in volume and in strength.” Montrosor never mentions what the insulting act was which can tell us that the actual act wasn’t as important as him just getting some sort of revenge.

When looked at for the first time, Montresor in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado may seem disturbing. Montresor has plans to murder a man, Fortunato, for insulting him and plans on doing so by walling him up in the catacombs under his home. Montresor devises a clever plan that will leave Fortunato clueless as to his intensions. Upon a closer look, this character is admirable. Montresor carries out his plan successfully without being caught. He does this by using traits that are commendable at the very least. Montresor is Poe’s most admirable character because he is patient, extremely confident, and very calculated.

As for Montresor, he acts calmly from beginning to end. First, he wants to take revenge on Fortunato and plots it carefully in order to avoid the punishment. He knows his “enemy” very well, from Fortunato’s interests to his weakness, so he can easily kill Fortunato. During the process of murder, he is really calm and controlled. Step by step, he lures Fortunato to his gloomy cellar and kills Fortunato. He works in a place filled with bones and feels no terror. He even stops his “labour” just to hear Fortunato’s cry with “more satisfaction”. Though “for a brief moment [he] hesitated, [he] trembled”, he does not tremble for guilt but for the worry that Fortunato may escape. After Montresor take the revenge successfully, he feels satisfied and pleasant. The differences on their psychological changes create a terrified atmosphere which makes readers suffocate.