The Cask of Amontillado

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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. He tells his victim, “My dear Fortuanto you are luckily met.” Fortunato interprets that he is glad to run into him when in fact Montresor is only happy to be able to carry out his plan of vengeance. Montresor used careful manipulation in the entire situation by telling his servants he would not return until the morning, and telling Fortuanto when they ran into each other at the carnival that he was on his way to see a wine connoisseur named Luchresi; Fortunato’s response was, “Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry,” words that pushed him into the beginning of Montresor’s plan. The dramatic irony allows Montresor to kill Fortunato, because he is fully aware that he is taking advantage of Fortunato and expresses it when he says, “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 immolation.” Also while in the catacombs Montresor insists they turn around, because of Fortunato’s bad cough and he responds by telling him, “the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough,” and Fortunato’s reply was “True-true,” a definite indication of his intent. A dark sense of humor was portrayed thorough
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