The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

Is killing someone justifiable? In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Cask of Amontillado that question is one that could be asked. The short story is about a man named Montresor and his quest to get revenge on his foe Fourtando who has apparently insulted Montresor. Around the time of the carnival season Montresor leaves his house to go find Fourtando and get his revenge he tells none of his servants to leave his house, but Montresor knows once that he has left the servants will leave and go to the carnival. Montresor who is dressed in all black finds a intoxicated Fourtando who is a professional wine taster, and then Montresor claims to have some Amontillado wine but he is not sure whether is genuine or if it s a fraud. In order to intimidate Fortunato and to lure him in, Montresor tells him he is going to get Luchresi another wine taster in the area, but Fortunato tells him no thus Montresor plan comes together and then he leads hims to the catacombs and chains Fortunato up where he leaves him to die. In my opinion the first question should be what did Fortunato do that was so bad for Montresor to want to and eventually kill him? Then the next question would be was the killing justifiable? In my opinion the killing was not justifiable. The reason the killing was not justifiable is because of the fact that nobody deserves to die such a brutal death. Another reason why the killing

Edgar Allen Poe 's, "The Cask Of Amontillado," is a between two enemies. It humorously portrays the foil of Fortunato, as he is led through the catacombs. Poe 's humor is dark, sarcastic and very ironic, which quickly becomes a signpost of the tale. Poe sets himself apart from other authors in his works, based on how he depicts and encounters death. It accentuates the notion that at times, your worst enemy will appear as your best friend. Pride is the downfall of every man and the same can be said for Fortunato.

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.

What can a character that lived in 1700s Italy have in common with a teenager in the 1960s? Though it may seem impossible Edgar Allan Poe’s character Montresor in The Cask of Amontillado shares similar characteristics to John Updike’s A&P teenage Sammy. Both of these characters share sarcastic tendencies and a need to make a name of himself. Though, each man differs in the way he goes about making that name. While Montresor decides murder is the way, Sammy quits his job to be noticed.

“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe is a story of crime. It is not a “Who done it?” requiring a detective to solve (Baraban). The reader’s mind is compelled to use intelligence to determine the reason for the crime. The murderer treats his prey with high respect to hide his real deviant intentions. The villain uses flattery and the victims declared pride in wine to lure him as a participant in his revenge plan. The murderer makes certain that his concerns towards the victim’s health are heard and decides to strike during carnival season.

Feuds and arguments between individuals who may disagree with or dislike one another are a common occurrence in everyday life, often varying in degrees of intensity, but rarely reaching a point of extremity. However, in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado”, This threshold of extremity is reached by the narrator of the story, Montresor, who explains that his acquaintance, Fortunato, has repeatedly and irreparably insulted him over the course of years, and uses it as justification to take justice into his own hands and seek retribution through murder, despite there being no proof of Fortunato's guilt other than Montresor’s claims. His motive for murdering Fortunato can be attributed to his state of mind, as Montresor’s lack of guilt, empathy, or remorse highlights him as a character with psychopathic tendencies. As the story progresses, Montresor’s cold and calculating nature leaves the audience full of dread and suspense while he lures the oblivious Fortunato towards his inevitable demise. The employment of rhetorical devices such as irony, theme, and structure builds the suspense for the ultimate climax of Poe’s gothic masterpiece.

Amontillado is a classically known amber-colored, medium-dry sherry wine, and in the case of Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado, it is the taste for Amontillado that results in the unfortunate and rather untimely death of Fortunato at the hands of the maniacal Montresor. Revenge is something that no one should have to experience; however, sadly sometimes, it is an inevitability that cannot be avoided. The Cask of Amontillado exposes Poe’s dark side and cruelty towards society and the world. In this short story, Poe tells about a rich drunk man, Fortunato, picking on a not-so rich friend, Montresor, but things quickly take a turn when Montresor decides to take out his revenge against his “pal.” Poe uses ethos, logos, and pathos deeply throughout his storyline to enhance the story and better the imagination of the characters, the deep meaning behind the setting, and the Amontillado’s secret.

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.

Do hate someone, but act like they are your best friend to get something that you want from them? Edgar Allen Poe does in his story “The Cask of Amontillado” as he uses Montresor to tell Fortunato’s journey to catacombs and how he “conceives and executes an ingenious plan... for revenging” Fortunato (Gruesser 129). In “The cask of Amontillado” Poe uses tone, plot devices, and the setting to present the theme of appearances masking reality.

In The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allen Poe, Montressor is able to successfully manipulate Fortunato 's arrogance and pride and use it against him as revenge. Montressor knows that Fortunato has a love for wine. Montressor tells Fortunato that he may have acquired Amontillado, a very nice wine. Montressor is not quite sure if the wine is Amontillado, but since Fotunato appears to be occupied Montressor says he will ask Luchesi instead. Fortunato believes his taste for wine is far superior than Luchesi 's, thus does not pass up the opportunity. Another way Montressor successfully manipulates Fortunato 's arrogance and pride against him is when Montressor brings up Fortunato 's health. Fortunato has a bad cough and Montressor believes the catacombs are making it worse. Montressor says they can leave the catacombs and he will have Luchesi taste the wine instead. Again, since Fotunato believes his taste for wine is superior to Luchesi 's, he does not pass up the opportunity. This arrogance and pride later results in Fortunato 's death.

Edgar Allen Poe and Charlotte Perkins Gilman depict a digression of humanity and sanity. Poe presents the downfall of Fortunato in “A Cask of Amontillado, and Gilman presents the same of John in “A yellow Wallpaper”, yet it is out of out of their own undoing. Each of their downfall is at the expense of themselves, yet it is at the hands of another. Neither character realizes the everlasting consequences of their own actions. Fortunato is arrogant and belittles those around him while John fails to understand or even listen to his own wife. They each regard their positions in the highest esteem, and neither John nor Fortunato ever give heeding to anyone they consider below them. This is their gravest mistake and the cause of their destruction. Both stories create a sense of duality, for within their actions, those around them are shaped in similar fashion. Jane and Montresor become mirror images of them. Poe and Gilman illustrate the grave consequences of one’s own action and its effect upon others which is exhibited through Fortunato’s and John’s position and interactions with others, Jane and Montresor’s reactions, and the consequences upon both pairs of characters.

In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “A Cask of Amontillado” it is filled with symbolism, irony and suggestion of some sorts. The narrator of the story, Montresor, hides behind a mask, he is part of a different world than others, and is out for revenge. Some might say that he is slick, diabolical, calculative man who is out for revenge with impunity. As his family motto states, “Nemo me impune lacessit,” which means, no one attacks me with impunity. He never states what Fortunato did to deserve the ultimate punishment. He only states that Fortunato has caused him “a thousand injuries.” Montresor’s plan for revenge is very devious, crafty, and manipulative. He plans on encasing Fortunato into the walls of the catacombs for his wrong doings against Montresor. The perfect time for the crime to take place is the carnival season, a time of indulgences. In this case, Fortunato’s indulgence is wine; therefore, Montresor knows that he will be inebriated enough to control him with ease.

To begin, Poe imbeds ominous imagery into his stories to showcase a suspenseful mood. In Poe’s story The Cask of Amontillado, the narrator tricks his friend, Fortunato, by searching for the Amontillado. In reality, Fortunato is being drawn to his death. As they were

Most people don’t realize how much authors describe themselves in their own writing works. Edgar Allan Poe has turned out to be one of my favorite writers and one of the greatest writers in his time. In the story of “The Cask of Amontillado” the suspense, the irony and the symbolic words are a reflection of Poe himself which captives any reader to the tale of revenge.