It is a tale of betrayal by both protagonist and antagonist. One of the best parts of this story is the long, long build-up to the final part, the tension and anticipation just get almost unbearable. In a way, this story is similar to the works of O. Henry, who really perfected the idea of the surprise ending. And Poe leaves us wondering whether the protagonist ultimately feels so happy after all with his revenge. In the story Edgar Allan Poe writes in first person point of view, from the perspective of Montresor, the diabolical narrator of this tale, who vows revenge against Fortunato.
An Analysis of “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story about a man who was wronged and decides to get revenge on the offending individual. Monstesor’s narration inadvertently shows the audience what he went through as he let anger and bitterness rage within him because of his wounded pride. There is also a dramatic irony in that Montresor shows concern for Fortunato at the same time he intends to kill him as they descend to the depths of the catacombs. A popular phrase says; “pride comes before the fall”. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, we see that both in Montresor as well as Fortunato.
Antoinette Crew Mr. Joe Guy English 1312 04 February 2014 Literary Analysis In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado”, the main character and narrator Montresor is introduced and displays all the characteristics of a cold-blooded killer. Montresor presents a vague understanding of the grave insult described as a thousand injuries from his victim Fortunato. Montresor displays a dark sense of humor throughout the story as he lures Fortunato into his death trap. Poe uses dramatic and verbal irony to express the dark nature of the story. Montresor’s dialogue makes specific use of verbal irony, because he knows Fortunato is clueless to the untimely death that awaits him.
In the short story by Edgar Allen Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado”, and Such revenge is plotted in ways only imagined by someone like Poe. “At length, I would be avenged” (Paragraph 1). Revenge, deceit, betrayal, and devotion: these are the tones you can expect from this cryptic tale. You will be left with the question of justice (as Montresor did): is “eye for an eye” truly justice? Or is it an excuse to further commit crimes in the name of justice?
Poe’s Use of First Person in “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allen Poe’s tale of murder and revenge, “The Cask of Amontillado”, offers a unique perspective into the mind of a deranged murderer. The effectiveness of the story is largely due to its first person point of view, which allows the reader a deeper involvement into the thoughts and motivations of the protagonist, Montresor. The first person narration results in an unbalanced viewpoint on the central conflict of the story, man versus man, because the reader knows very little about the thoughts of the antagonist, Fortunato. The setting of “The Cask of Amontillado”, in the dark catacombs of Montresor’s wine cellar, contributes to the story’s theme that some people will go to great lengths to fanatically defend their honor. Because Montresor narrates the story in the first person, the reader is able to perceive his thoughts and understand his motivations and justifications for his ruthless murder in a manner which a third person point of view would not allow.
As the narrator, Montresor has the ability to mislead the reader, so they could see things the way he sees it. Montresor only gave the readers his side of the story, forgetting that if he wants the readers to believe what he is saying the readers would also need to hear Fortunato’s side of the story. In the beginning paragraph of the story, Montresor mentioned why he was seeking revenge upon Fortunato. Montresor mentioned "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” ( Poe, 107 ). What “thousand injuries”?
Poe presents a narrator who is vile and brutal. He is a murderer who is open to admitting this and he believes that he is right in performing this task. Poe is trying to show that when in first person perspective, there may not always be trust or preference of the narrator. Poe has written this story in a form so that the audience feels more sympathy for Fortunato rather than the narrator. He does not give the reason why Montresor wants revenge on this poor man, leaving the option open that the narrator may be simply mad.
“A Cask of Amontillado” Villainy Essay Edgar Allen Poe acknowledges, “Men have called me mad, but the question is not yet settled whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence—whether much that is glorious—whether all that is profound—does not spring from disease of thought, from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect.” In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “A Cask of Amontillado,” craziness possesses a man to plot the killing of a man that has insulted him in a way the reader is unaware of. Montresor, the antagonist, loses his mind while luring Fortunado, the other main character, to his unknown death. Montresor, throughout the story, get crazier and crazier. At first, Montrosor smiles at Fortunado thinking about the way he is going to kill him. Fortunado takes the smile as Montresor being happy to see him.
Tiffany Etheridge Mr. Vogt. 4/26/13 English1 Edgar Allan Poe is one of greatest American authors and poets. He is well-known as a master of using irony in his story. “The Cask of Amontillado” is a horror story about revenge of Montresor upon Fortunato. Fortunato believes Montresor is his good friend, but he ends up with being chained and walled in to the catacombs.
Revenge is Served Cold & Ironic “Revenge is a dish best served cold” This is a quote I am sure many have thought about after reading “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe. This short story is about a man Montressor and his brutal revenge against his former egotistic friend Fortunato. In Poe’s story, he uses verbal, dramatic and situational irony to emphasize the intentions of Montressor. Irony in which a person says one thing and means another is verbal irony. In “The Cask of Amontillado” verbal irony is exemplified when the Montressor shows concern about Fortunato’s health.
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 the two men are 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 with the use of Irony and symbolism. “THE Thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe 1).
Ironic Poe “The Cask of Amontillado” is a horrific short story, which revolves around the themes of revenge and pride. The use of irony conveys a reality different from appearance and gives the story a touch of comedy and originality. We find irony in the names of the characters, the scenery, the attire, and the dialogue Montresor has with Fortunato throughout the story. From the beginning, we can see the irony that Edgar A. Poe puts in his story. The name Fortunato would clearly imply that this is a man of good fortune, when actually he was about to face the end of his life.
A Cask of Amontillado When you think of a revenge story, the first thing that comes to mind is either a depressed serial killer or a knight fighting to kill when a sorcerer steals his beloved princess. “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is a stereotypical revenge story. As Poe is writing this story you can tell that he is a true mad genius. The narrator of the story, Montresor, seems to be a perfectly normal man, with a wish of revenge upon the unsuspecting Fortunato. Throughout the story, you delve into the mind of Montresor.
The Drama of Irony The Cask of Amontillado is a short story by Edgar Allen Poe. It is a somewhat eerie story about a man who commits a premeditated murder for the sake of revenge. The theme of murdering someone over an exaggerated grudge is what makes this story so compelling. In addition to the strong theme, Poe uses metaphors and irony to make a story that is profound and makes an impact on the reader. Poe creates a character that is not only insane enough to commit murder over an “insult” but he does so with a very warped state of mind.
Coincidentally this theme is similar to the one of “The Cask of Amontillado.” In this story the theme is similar because it is also about one’s evil thoughts and impulses. The book is about how the character Montresor acts on his evil thoughts of revenge by killing Fortunato for insulting him in the past. Another example that shows the severity of Montresors evil ways is that instead of just acting on evil impulses, he actually plans out the murder step by step carefully and thoughtfully. Therefore, it is shown that the two stories used similar themes involving evil temptations, and they were essential to making a great mysterious short story. Secondly, the two authors use the same kind of literary terms to
“The Cask of Amontillado” “The Cask of Amontillado” a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe, writes from Montresor’s point of view. In the story Montresor’s trys to kill Frotunato because Frotunato teases Montresor and Montresor wants to kill him to get revenge. Montresor wants to punish him with impunity and he wants to see his immolation. Throughout the story Montresor acts ironic to try to hook Frotunato to kill him. This makes Montresor an unreliable narrator.
"The Cask of Amontillado" written by Edgar allen Poe, leaves questions like these in the minds of most of it's readers. The story follows Montresor, a narrator hell bent on getting revenge on the man that has wronged him, Fortunato. At the brink of revenge, a small hesitation in Montressor strikes up and underlying sense of guilt, eventhough he believes he is doing the right thing. A similar moral connundrum can be seen in "The Tell-Tale Heart" also written by Edgar Allen Poe. The unnamed narrator has the burning urge to kill a man for no other reason than the fact that the man's eye is glossed over.
“The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is the perfect story of revenge. Frotunato insulted the Montressser therefore Montresser plans out his revenge. The suggest that when someone seeks revenge the will go to extreme lengths to achieve it. Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” lets us inside the mind of a mad man seeking revenge on his friend Fortunato. Poe uses all the elements of fiction to support the theme.
Characterization is the describing/ depictions of characters to advance a theme. Overall, humans are inherently evil is the main them. “The Cask of Amontillado” is a masterfully written short story by the horror lord Edgar Allen Poe himself. The story concerns a man named Montresor trying to get revenge on a man named Fortunato (‘The Fortunate One” in Italian”). However, he has some terms on this revenge, he does not want to get caught and he wants Fortunato to know it was him, and also when says revenge, he means killing him.
However, within these stories, Poe unleashes many differences that make these stories great and vastly different from one another. The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado are both vigorous tales written by Poe. In each story Poe plays the main character, essentially a villain, and it is written from his point of view. These stories are alike because the character that Poe is playing in each story is planning revenge on someone in the form of death. “He did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.”(The Cask) These are the words that Poe chose to describe how he was scheming to get his revenge on Fortunado in The Cask of Amontillado.