Theme Of Revenge In The Cask Of Amontillado

In Poe’s story, The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor is plotting to get his revenge on Fortunato. There is no exact reason why he wants his revenge, other than he states he has been insulted and he would not let this get away without Fortunato being punished for his wrongdoing (par. 1). He thoroughly thought his scheme well through because a good plan takes time to sketch out, and it also has goals that need to be achieved by the end of it. He decided that in order to have a successful revenge he would have to punish Fortunato and get away with it, he would have to make sure he would not turn back from his revenge, and Fortunato has to know who is doing the punishing. Therefore, Montresor seeks to find Fortunato’s weakness, which is wine, and confront him about a type of wine that he

Many people want to get revenge in on someone who wronged them, but most don't go to the level that Montresor went to. If a person calls someone else stupid, the person called stupid might get revenge by scoring higher on a test then the bully to show them that they are not stupid. Most people don't put their revenge into action because they believe that the person will get what deserve. Montresor got an entirely different type of revenge by ending Fortunato's life because he did something in the past.

To begin with, Montresor taking revenge on Fortunato is quite evil. When Montresor trick Fortunato down to the cellar by using Fortunato’s ego and taste in wine it is very cool and calculating. In the text Montresor says, “ As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchesi. If anyone has a critical turn, it is he. He will tell me--.” (Montresor 58) This plays off of Fortunato ego saying somebody else had a better taste in wine then he did. In like manner, Montresor was very happy and excited to see Fortunato during carnival. Which is just an act to lure Fortunato to the catacombs. Montresor says in his head, “ I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.” (Montresor57) Furthermore, Montresor offers many times for Fortunato to turn back because of the cold or of his health. The short story states, “ Come sais Montresor, we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was.” This is cruel because once Fortunato gets to the bottom of the catacombs he will never get to turn back.

“Revenge is often like biting a dog because the dog bit you.” This quote means that people act in such a devious way as the person who hurt them which does not make them any better. In the short story, The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor wants to seek revenge from Fortunato’s iniquity. Montresor feels that he has been insulted by his acquaintance. In Montresor’s mind, retaliating the same way Fortunato did toward him is the right thing to do. He decided to get Fortunato boozed up on wine since he knew that was his fondness. By this time Fortunato is very gullible and will do anything Montresor insist on him doing. Montresor planned out everything in detail what he cinched to do to Fortunato whether it was right or wrong. He just wanted to seek revenge, but conceal every detail so that it is not obvious. Montresor is a sociopathic character who did everything in his mite and power to show that revenge is a successful ending.

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

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

First, the theme of revenge is shown exceptionally clear by the very first line of the story, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato, I had borne the best I could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” (Poe 236). This line clearly shows that Montresor takes significant pride in not only himself but his family as well. Due to this great pride, he refuses for his family name to be belittled in any way, shape, or form. As mentioned by Elena Baraban, “Montresor elaborates a sophisticated philosophy of revenge.” (Baraban 164). This

Montresor’s obsession was rooted in wrath and vengeance against a man who supposedly had done him wrong. In fact, the very first line of the story discusses his plan for revenge, which implies just how severe his obsession was. Poe writes, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (116). This insinuates that Montresor has been dealing with this repetitive thoughts and obsessive behaviors for an extended period of time and that at this point, they are interfering with his ability to live normally. Poe continues with Montresor saying, “It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (116). This haunting line also implies that Montresor is completely consumed with this idea of revenge that he feels as though he has no other choice but to seek retaliation. This plays into the larger idea of the relationship between evil and abnormal psychology in a variety of ways. This indicates that Montresor was motivated by “haunting, anxiety-fueled obsessive thoughts” to commit the murder of Fortunato because of his distorted perception of reality. Another example of this obsession can be seen when Montresor is discussing his intricate, pre-mediated plan for his murder. He had thought about every possible detail of his master plan, from

Throughout the short story, Montresor appears to be murderous and mentally insane. As Montresor continues to tell his story, the reader learns that Montresor is not only a murder and insane, but he is a narcissist as well. Montresor displays the characteristics for this to be true. When Montresor decided to take revenge on Fortunato, he was persistent in doing it himself for his own satisfaction. As his plan began to go along perfectly, he was very pleased with himself. In addition, the cause for Montresor’s revenge plan was because of an insult. The death of Fortunato was not justifiable by his actions. It was merely a prize for Montresor

"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." With these ferverous words from the introductory paragraph of Edgar Allan Poe's Cask of Amontillado, the story of Montresor's revenge begins. Poe repeatedly stresses the need for revenge due to bitterness and resentment in Montresor's character towards Fortunato, but more importantly, stress is placed on revenge by which the victim realizes their injustice towards the redresser. Unfortunately, it seems that Montresor is denied this pure and encompassing revenge when his victim,

Sometimes friends can get into an argument and some things can hurt them, but not to a point where they want to hurt each other physically. Vengeance can bring justice to someone, but as well bring pain to the other. Revenge is a horrible emotion which can lead someone to do horrible things. Two companions, Montresor and Fortunato, destinies are controlled by one thing only, vengeance and murder. In the story, the narrator seeks revenge on Fortunato because he mortally insulted him. Montresor succeeds in luring Fortunato to his death without raising any suspicion. A horrible revenge made significantly more awful by the way that the retribution is being taken when no genuine offense had been given. In the short tale, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar A. Poe, the major conflict of revenge is between Montresor and Fortunato, but it is interesting because Montresor is the only one who is aware of the conflict. The author uses the conflict to build suspense and to change the mood of the reader.

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.

Revenge as a theme is cleverly built upon throughout Hamlet; with it being the driving force behind three of the key characters in the play. Revenge is a frighteningly vicious emotion, which causes people to act blindly and without reason. In Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor enacts revenge for reasons unknown. Hamlet in contrast, has all the motive in the world to complete his task; yet he constantly hesitates. The text reveals that the need for revenge creates a stranglehold on the genuine emotions, thoughts, and actions of three characters: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Laertes; son of Polonius, and Fortinbras; Prince of Norway. This hold makes the characters act beyond their standard ethical positions and makes them helpless to

He is surprised to find the real Amontillado, but his astonishment does not last long. He is really frightened by Montresor’s behavior. First, he regains his consciousness completely and gives “a low moaning cry”. When he finds out that Montresor intends to kill me, he is terrified and bursts out “a succession of loud and shrill screams”. Fortunato is so terrified, helpless and desperate that he has a mental breakdown and becomes insane.

In the beginning of the story, the narrator, Montresor, states the rules for revenge. First, don’t get caught, second, don’t be obsessed, and finally third, that the other must not only feel equal pain, but they must know why they are being punished. As later discovered in the story, the leading character Montresor did not follow through with any of the rules and therefore