The Cask Of Amontillado, By Allan Poe

In his writing, Edgar Allan Poe has multiple uses of direct and indirect characterization. In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor had rules such as “I must not only punish but punish with impunity. 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” (Poe, 2). Poe used indirect characterization to show the reader that Montresor is an unreliable narrator because he justified his actions or in this case, murder, to the reader using rules that he created for himself. Poe revealed to us that Fortunato looked at Montresor “…with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication” and “the wine sparkled in his eyes…” (“The Cask of Amontillado “6, 8). It is revealed to the reader that Fortunato was drunk. Fortunato and Montresor are both full of pride. Fortunato “prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine” and Montresor considered himself as “skillful in the Italian vintages” (Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado” 3). When Fortunato “ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado” 2). Montresor is vengeful and creates rules for killing with impunity. Poe also showed indirect characterization in Hopfrog. The king had known that “Hop-Frog was not fond of wine; for it excited the poor cripple almost to madness, and madness is no comfortable feeling. But the king loved his practical jokes, and took pleasure in forcing Hop-Frog to drink, in

The story initially starts off telling us the situation where Fortunato had wounded Montresor a “thousand” times. One day, Fortunato goes too far and insults Montresor ultimately resulting in Montresor vowing revenge. Montresor has to craft a perfect plan, for if Fortunato is able to revenge him in return then Montresor’s efforts will have been in vain.

Connoisseurs often adhere to the changing of wine based on its age. Although the process of aging may alter the flavor compounds, texture, or color of the beverage, one cannot predict improvement nor deterioration. Centuries have passed since Edgar Allan Poe described the death of a gullible fool, yet the taste of a murderer’s Amontillado wine remains bittersweet. Although the work is fictional, “The Cask of Amontillado” provides a nefarious and dismal libretto, depicted as a tale of pride, revenge, and a murder in cold blood. Through the use of symbolism, theological allusion, and foreshadowing, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” suggests taking pride in seeking revenge on enemies is addictive and intoxicating.

A common characteristic of people that tends to show up in many literary works is the overwhelming sense of pride in oneself. Having pride can either lead to positive or negative effects depending on how careful it is used. For example, pride can be a benefit for someone when it involves what they do for a living because it can lead to success and happiness for that person in their particular field; however, pride can also lead to arrogance, stubbornness and, worst of all, the lust for revenge. If pride is not controlled correctly, it can potentially lead to erratic behavior. This is best exemplified in Edgar Allan Poe’s work, “The Cask of Amontillado,” which focuses on the main character, Montresor, who feels as though he should be avenged for Fortunado’s hurtful words towards Montresor. Montresor’s intense pride in himself causes him to plot the destruction of his acquaintance, while Fortunado tries his best to deny Montresor the satisfaction of his attempt at revenge. Not only does Montresor’s pride drive him to do something that he will live with for the rest of his life, but Fortunado’s own pride results in his own demise. Poe seems to be illustrating the point that pride of one’s name can lead to deceptiveness in order to get vengeance; however, the outcome can potentially lead to self-destruction.

The purpose of the short stories “The Cask of Amontillado”, “El Tonto del Barrio”, and “Cathedral” is to explore the concepts of prominence in religion driven by symbolism, characterization, and theme used to manipulated the reader’s analytical views. Christianity plays an imperative role on all three short stories by the author’s through their descriptive scenarios symbolizing a religious ideology. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of religion as a hidden message in “The Cask of Amontillado” is portrayed through the ambiance developed in and the characters symbolism compared to Christianity and Freemasonry. In comparison, “Cathedral” exposes Christian principles shown in the beginning through the title and the symbolism behind the characters description. On the other hand, “El Tonto del Barrio” unveils the principles of Christianity via the theme of greed. Thus, all of the three short stories have a deeper meaning directed towards a religious audience that can capture the symbolism behind the story.

Perhaps the most blatant instance of irony in this story lies within the name of Montresor’s enemy. Fortunato, a name that elicits wealth, happiness, and goodwill, is the epitome of misfortune. When Montresor meets Fortunato, he describes his attire: “a tight-fitting parti-striped dress…surmounted by the conical cap and bells” (Poe). His costume of choice, a jester, provides a visual representation of a fool, someone not to be taken seriously. This clothing speaks to the author’s intention to ridicule Fortunato from the very beginning. In fact, Poe cleverly employs Fortunato’s cap bells to create an unraveling progression of the story. Each time the narrator mentions the jingling of his bells, Fortunato has reached a new stage of danger; by the fifth and final

Try to imagine how you would feel if every family member you truly loved died. Edgar Allen Poe didn’t need to imagine this situation; he lived it. Poe had a miserable childhood. He lost many of his closest loved ones to death, which affected his mind. He became focused on death and its effects on those left behind. His obsession with death and loss can be seen in most of his writings. If one looks carefully at five of Poe’s writings, “The Raven,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” one can see that there are patterns and similarities in his many diverse stories. However, despite some similarities, Poe’s main characters are generally different.

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado tells a tale of revenge, maliciousness and horror. We are informed early on that Montresor, whom we can consider the “unreliable narrator,” feels he has been profoundly insulted by a character named Fortunato and conspires to seek revenge, by whatever means necessary. Montresor makes us aware that he has suffered injuries by way of Fortunato many times, however; it is when he feels insulted by him, that he vows to seek revenge. Through Montresor 's own words, “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity,” (pg166) we can see that not only does he feel his actions are warranted, but that he should be except from punishment for them. Although, we are never made aware of what Fortunato supposedly has done to Montresor, it is clear that Montresor feels his actions to seek revenge are justified and we can see in this that revenge is a powerful motivation.

Revenge drives the action in “The Cask of Amontillado.” In Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Cask of Amontillado”, one character’s betrayal sets forth vengeful events, which occurs below ground in a catacomb. The narrator Montresor leads Fortunato, his “friend”, to his doom. Behind all this revenge and death, trust is a big theme of it. Without trust, there is no feeling of betrayal. This particular story has much to do with the lengths a human will go to achieve what they desire when they seek mortal revenge. In the following, I will examine the different aspects of what the purpose of revenge is in Poe’s tale.

In “The Cask of Amontillado,” by Edgar Allen Poe, one finds the horror throughout its pages. The ideas of unexplained revenge and images of scenes only getting darker and colder cause one to have feelings of dread and disbelief. The protagonist, Montresor, has waited fifty years to tell his story, and one has to question the reliability of what he is saying. Questions of true justice and the power of an insult arise, only magnifying those ideas of horror. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” one sees a man trying to justify unjust revenge, with irony and visual imagery used to emphasize the horror of a murder.

Scholars and critics have taken different positions on the motives and sanity for the narratives in Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado” (1846) and “Tell-Tale Heart” (1843). Some view the stories as having a motive and the characters as being completely sane. While others say that there were no reasons for the murders in both of these stories, but came to the conclusion that the characters were psychotic and just ill- natured people. Also, they believe that a simple insult should not cause a person to kill. Those who believe the characters Montresor and the anonymous narrator are mentally ill pose a stronger argument, in that there is no reason good enough for a person to execute another and that it breaks the holy rule of thou shall not kill. Therefore, Montresor and the anonymous narrator had no reason for killing their victims which make a good reason to say that they were insane and acted with malice.

The short story, The Cask of Amontillado, written by Edgar Allan Poe is a story of terror and betrayal. Like many of Poe’s literary works, the story has a dark undertone with a theme of terror and depression. More than half a century ago, Marshall McLuhan argued that though Poe was fascinated by evil, the evil that he had in mind was not that of Calvinism, but that of the split man and the split civilization. In general, McLuhan was right, but in this instance Calvinism, and its God, provided a dark level of meaning to the tale. (Graham, 88) The threat of being buried alive is both a psychological fear and a historical reality that Edgar Allan Poe capitalizes on, ambiguously.

A friend is someone that is trustworthy, 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. On the surface, Montresor seems friendly with Fortunato, but deep down he feels nothing but hate for him. Could this hatred have an irrationality that only Montresor understands? In different ways, both of these men are proud and affluent, yet both have downfalls that will lead to a tragic ending. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of language contributes to the understanding of the dynamic between the two men. Although perceived differently, they both want the same thing; to satisfy the taste for something that has been long overdue. Poe has an eloquent way of reproducing great literary elements in the story, the theme of deception and revenge, is justified by the use of Irony and symbolism.

In the story “The Cask of Amontillado” written in 1846, by Edgar Allen Poe he speaks about the plot to kill the main character by the name of Fortunato. The murder of Fortunato is committed by a friend named Montresor. Poe never truly reveals how Fortunato 's death will occur but he uses, suspense, and Irony to keep the reader entertained.

“THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe 1). This line draws the reader into the story by bringing up questions like, what insults could have been done to deserve such revenge? The uniqueness in the question itself is that it turns the table of a classic mystery or gothic story (Mcgarth). Instead of asking “who did it,” the question is, “why did he do it” (Baraban "Motive for Murder in 'Cask of Amontillado '"). Montresor uses Fortunato’s strengthens and turns them into his weaknesses. He designs a whole plan around these “weaknesses” and keeps persuading Fortunato to keep playing his game. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe displays Montresor’s