Category: The Cask of Amontillado

It was Edgar Allan Poes belief that short stories should be told with only one aim in mind, that of achieving a single effect upon the viewer by the time the story ends.

Joy, despair, horror, tragedy, whatever the emotion, it must be established early on in the story, as early as the first few lines if possible, in order to achieve its fullest impact with the readers. As such, he insured that all his short stories had incidents and events that helped moved the story along from the get-go.

The very first words uttered by the author at the start of the story carried the hook necessary to reel the reader into the story with the desired effect. This is all done so that by the end of the story, the reader will have a sense of satisfaction and the writer will have achieved his pre-established story design.

For me, the best Edgar Allan Poe story that truly embodies the definition of a single effect would have to be The Cask of Amontillado. It is my opinion that this story effectively fulfills the requirements for the single effect story telling policy of Poe. I will explain how that is done in the succeeding paragraphs below.

Horror. That is the central theme that The Cask of Amotillado revolved upon amidst the backdrop of revenge among friends masked by drunkenness and gay festivities that blur the line between friend and foe. Set at night during the carnival season, the quick transition from the gay festivities of the European night streets to the somber, dark, damp, and terrifying catacombs clearly aids in establishing the upcoming horrors that shall unfold for the unsuspecting Fortunato.

There could have been many ways in which Poe could have presented the point of view of the characters in The Cask Of Amontillado, but he chose to present it from the point of view of Montresor. The reason behind this is that by presenting the sometimes clouded memories of the antagonist in the story, he is able to present us with a memorable and effective lead character.

By making him an unreliable narrator, he keeps with his single effect principle, deciding to use a character that would immediately grip our imagination and offer a study into the twisted mind of an alcoholic criminal.

The same could not have been said if he opted to use the viewpoint of Fortunato because there would be a lack of gripping clarity in storytelling since Fortunato is the victim in the tale and was knocked out while most of the events were unfolding. The story would in effect have lost its sense of suspense since, as a reader, there would be no way that we would ever know what was passing through Montresors mind as he implemented his evil deed.

As Montresor continues to reveal the weaknesses of his friend for the readers, Poe continues to build up the suspense as he involves the readers by making one wonder as to how Monteresor will exact his vengeance upon his drunken friend. Therefore, the single effect of this short story is made quite clear by its main character, that of the horrific death of his close friend as told by its the perpetrator.

Having said that, we can see that Poe has chosen the best way by which to set the scenes for the story that is about to unfold. Each and every sentence that he wrote was meant to, and successfully advances the story to the next, heightened level of horror as only he could write using his single effect theory.

There is no mistaking the fact that the horror unfolding before the readers eyes, calling into question whether Montresor even thought about the moral, never-mind the psychological, implications of his actions.

I still remember the chill that I felt upon reading the lines  The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge. I knew that it was a foreshadowing of what was to come for the unfortunate friend, yet, I still could not understand why he had to do it.

In The Cask of Amontillado, these lessons and themes are taught through the vivid use of irony, foreshadowing, and metaphor. The irony of these two friends sitting together and sharing a drink, discussing wine vintages, while Montresor bides his time before snuffing out the life of the man he once considered his friend.

The foreshadowing of the walk within the concrete catacombs where his friend would soon be imprisoned to die, and finally, the metaphor represented by the family motto of Montresor, Nemo me impune lacessit, are all crucial elements of the single effect principle that Poe worked hard to present within this short story masterpiece.

The Cask of Amontillado is one of the best examples of effective and impressive single effect short stories. From the very first line of the story, to the very last word uttered, the reader will find himself on a dark roller-coaster ride of human emotions, feeling the horror that the poorly named Fortunato experienced as the final brick was laid by Montresor at his final resting place.

Edgar Allan Poe lived a life full of trauma, loss, and substance abuse. In his 40 years, Poe endured an unimaginable stream of deaths of loved ones, professional disruption, and alcoholism, which contributed to his untimely death. Ultimately, his experiences produced one of the most recognized, albeit posthumously, American authors of the 19th century. In the Sanglap: Journal of Literacy and Cultural Inquiry, Maria A. Lima calls Poe “one of the first writers to explore the mysteries hidden in the psychotic mind, a mind always troubled by the guilt of certain past actions.” (Lima 63) In stories and poems like “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, and “The Raven”, Poe set a dark, ominous tone and incorporated “the human psychology of dying and mourning” (Rizzo 149) as a theme.

Poe was born in 1809 in Boston. Before he was three, he was placed in a foster home due to the death of his parents. As an adolescent, a close acquaintance suddenly passed away, leaving Poe extremely depressed. After his foster parents were unwilling to financially support his education, Poe joined the Army. He purposefully sabotaged a West Point education by drinking excessively and refusing to participate in the required activities. Poe moved in with a relative, living in poverty, and eventually married the family’s young daughter, Virginia. Poe and his wife struggled financially until “The Raven” was published in 1845; however, their fortune was short-lived, as Virginia succumbed to tuberculosis in 1847. Poe died in 1949 after “a three day drinking binge.” (Litfinder)

While Poe’s life was tragic, the characters in his poems and stories often morphed into mentally deranged individuals, whose stories were wound together with one common factor, death. One persona was driven mad by loss. His depression lent to his own suffering. With the others however, madness was already present. The readers witnessed their journey and delved into the severity of their mental incapacity. These characters inflicted a sadistic and gruesome demise to other characters, and their depravity peaked.

In “The Raven” the only human character was morning the loss of his love. The poem began with a man displaying “sorrow for the lost Lenore!” (Poe, “The Raven” Line 10) He foreshadowed an unknown terror as taps increased on his bedroom door. The tempo of the poem increased as his paranoia escalated. His grief sparked a hallucination of a raven who spoke one word to him, “Nevermore.” (Poe, “The Raven” Line 48) The raven’s appearance and refrain agitated the man and escalated his mood into a frenzy until he begged for “respite – respite and nepenthe for thy memories of Lenore!” (Poe, “The Raven” Line 82) The man complained of the continued presence of the raven, “never flitting, still is sitting” (Poe, “The Raven” Line 103) and bemoaned his continuous and permanent depression by stating, “And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor/ Shall be lifted – nevermore!” (Poe, “The Raven” Lines 107-108) In this example, death caused internal pain and depression; however, in several of Poe’s other works, death is the consequence of insanity, not the cause.

The narrator in “The Fall of the House of Usher” was an individual who possessed his mental faculties. The person experiencing madness in this story was Roderick Usher, the narrator’s friend. Poe creates an ominous tone using creative imagery as the narrator approaches the house. “Its principal feature seemed to be that of an excessive antiquity.” (Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher” 237) The narrator’s description of Roderick Usher indicated obvious mental instability, presently consistent with bipolar disorder. Usher had glassy eyes and disheveled hair. “His action was alternately vivacious and sullen”, and he cycled from rapid speech to speech resembling someone drunk or stoned. (Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher” 239-240) The narrator also encountered Lady Madeline, Usher’s sickly sister and commented on the lack of branches in the family tree. This indicated that both of their illnesses, both mental and physical, might be caused by traits inherited through an incestual ancestry.

Usher abruptly informed the narrator of his sister’s passing and recruited the narrator to assist him in placing her coffin in a vault in the house. (Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher” 246) The true revelation into the depravity of Usher’s psyche came when readers discover that he had buried his sister alive, and she escaped her tomb. The sounds of her exiting the tomb, whipped Usher into a frenzy of terror. He shrieked, “Madman, I tell you she now stands without the door!” (Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher” 252) A bloodied Lady Madeline stood in the doorway and collapsed on her brother, both dead. (Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher” 253) The reader was not able to determine why Usher buried Madeline, which lent to the mystery behind his psychiatric illness. Timothy Jones offered a limited glimpse in “Affairs of the Tell-Tale Heart.” He stated, “Poe is often read as offering psychological insight, just as often his fiction seems to suggest that the psyche is close to unreadable, offering perverse blanks that readers must struggle to interpret.” (Jones 19)

In “The Cask of Amontillado”, the narrator, Montresor, initially vowed revenge against his enemy, Fortunato. Poe includes the reader on the plot from the first paragraph. He led Fortunato into the catacombs on a sadistic folly to seek his opinion on a cask of rare wine. During the walk, Montresor acts concerned for his health by saying, “we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired and beloved; you are happy, as once I was.” (Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado” 84) After chaining Fortunato to the wall, Montresor plastered him into the catacombs, ignoring his cries, “For the love of God, Montresor!” (Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado” 86) knowing that he was luring him to his death. Montresor’s parting words were “In pace reuiescat!” which translates to “May he rest in peace.” (Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado” 87)

A text steeped in irony helped the reader appreciate the swing from a cheery, concerned Montresor to a brutal, callous murderer. “Fortunato’s body is laid to rest in a cold, dark, and dank spot where no one can find him or memorialize his existence” (Rizzo 145) and is Montresor’s final returned insult. The joy Montresor exhibited in the slow, miserable torture and death of Fortunato is nothing short of psychopathic.

The narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” denied serious psychosis even though his condition was evident. He tried to convince the reader by saying, “observe how healthily – how calmly I can tell you the whole story.” The narrator claimed the old man he lived with had “the eye of a vulture” and decided to kill the man because of his eye. (Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” 461) The description of the eye would currently lend itself to cataracts, glaucoma, or possible blindness. The narrator takes great pride that he had been nice to the old man while plotting his murder and laughed about his own cunning. After he has killed the man, the narrator also patted himself on the back for his deception to the police. (Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” 462-465) Ultimately, his psychosis prevailed, the narrator was driven to murder, and then confession, by “the beating of his hideous heart!” (Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” 466)

“The Tell-Tale Heart” was also rich with irony. Irony helped Poe create a sharp contrast between sanity and insanity. A noise made by the narrator, who was so impressed by his own stealth, leads to the old man’s murder, even though a plot was afoot. The narrator was driven to madness by the eye looking at him, but the old man’s vision was probably significantly impaired. It was also very ironic that in spite of his efforts to conceal his crime, his own hallucinations pushed the narrator to confess to the police and tell them were the man’s body was interred.

Edgar Allan Poe has been “the master of the macabre” (Lima 63) and the father of American Gothic literature. “Obsessions, paranoia, wilful acts of self-destruction surround us constantly. Though we age we still hear the cries of those for whom the attraction to mournful chaos is monumental.” (Lima 62) Poe relied heavily on irony and symbolism to create a theme of death and psychosis in many of his works, and his madness, whether fictional or based in experience, has engrossed generations of readers and critics.

The characterization of Montresor in Edgar Allan Poe’s the Cask of Montillado was not done in a conventional manner. This is because there is no other source of information other than the narration of Montressor. This means that Montressor was both the main character and narrator rolled into one.

This means that he can twist the facts and he can project himself as the hero of the story when in fact he could be the villain. This means that Montressor cannot be a reliable narrator and this assertion can be supported by looking at the way Montressor was characterized in this story.

A wary reader can immediately sense that something is amiss when it comes to the characterization of Montressor. Through the words of the narrator Montressor was characterized as a man who was a victim of a foul crime. However, Montressor did not went to the authorities. If he was a man who was at the receiving end of iniquity then he should have felt violated and demand that the lawbreaker pay for his sins. He could have sought justice through the legal process but instead he opted to become a murderer.

Another thing that Montressor did that could easily arouse the suspicion of the reader is his being secretive. No reason was given as to why Montressor wanted his friend dead. Furthermore, Montressor was not only interested in murder, one of his primary goals was to kill and to hide the evidence of the crime, to hide the body so that no one would know that Fortunato died from the hands of an assassin. For that reason Montressor employed a ghoulish strategy that necessitates the slow and painful death by burying Fortunato alive in the wine cellar under his house.

In addition, Montressor said that he was a friend of Fortunato but he seemed to have acted out of character when he assumed the habits and characteristics of a cold blooded killer. If one will take a closer look at what he said and the action and reaction of Fortunato, it can be said that Montressor could not justify the need for murder.

For example, Fortunato had no idea that he had offended Montresor. There was not even a slight hesitation on the part of Fortunato when he saw Montressor. He did not panic or did not become tense. He had no idea that he had besmirched Montressor’s reputation or if he had cheated him in any manner or even if he had said something that has caused him shame.

The final evidence that Montressor was not a reliable narrator and that he twisted the facts in relaying his side of the story can be seen in the final act when he retstrained Fortunato with a chain and padlock and began building the enclosure that will bury his friend alive.

In this moment of triumph when Fortunato had no chance of freedom and retaliation, when he was cornered in the catacombs, Montressor could have expressed his anger and his desire for revenge.

It would be the appropriate behavior of a man wronged to solicit a confession from the person who had commited a sin against him. But Montressor offered no explanation and thefore one can argue that there was no justification for his actions and he simply wanted his friend dead because of a minor offense.

Conclusion

Montressor was not a reliable narrator for he projected himself as the victim when in fact he was nothing but a cold-blooded killer. He offered no explanation and presented no evidence why he believed that Fortunato was guilty of death. Fortunato could be guilty of something but he did not deserve to die. Most importantly he did not deserve to suffer a terrible death, alone in the damp darkness in the catacombs.

Axelrod-Sokolov, M. (2018). Madness in fiction: Literary essays from Poe to Fowles. Palgrave Macmillan.

In this monograph, the author explores the depiction of madness in literary works and specifically Poe’s “The cask of amontillado.” He makes several observations that are particularly important for analyzing the context of the carnival season with the short story. On the one hand, the author discusses Fortunato’s motley costume in detail and points to the symbolism of the jester image in Tarot cards. On the other hand, it demonstrates that Fortunato’s proclaimed connoisseurship of wine is nothing but a façade, proving him to be a fool in substance as well as image. As such, this source may be used to demonstrate how the carnival season, with its obligation to dress up, brings out the fool aspect of Fortunato’s persona.

Büyükkarcı, O. (2021). Is it the door through death what scares us? An analysis of The cask of amontillado between semiotics and narratology interface. Journal of Narrative and Language, 9(16), 34-56.

This article in a scholarly journal offers a semantic analysis of ‘The cask of amontillado.’ Among other things, it pays particular attention to the use of binary oppositions in structuring physical space throughout the narrative. In particular, the author focuses on the juxtaposition of the carnival above ground, which is characterized by open spaces, life, and joy, and the damp catacombs below, which are a claustrophobic domain of death. Considering this, one may use this source to discuss how choosing the carnival season for the story’s setting and context enables Poe to craft a particularly impactful contrast between different stages of the narrative.

Elhefnawy, N. (2018). Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The cask of amontillado.’ The Explicator, 76(2), 103-105.

This article in a scholarly journal discusses ‘The cask of amontillado’ as a tale of a perfect murder. The author focuses explicitly on the pains that the narrator goes through to ensure that his gruesome revenge against Fortunato remains an unsolvable case. The article provides a particularly important observation when noting that, although the reader knows of Montresor’s motive since the story’s first sentence, Fortunato is completely oblivious of the former’s hatred and even friendly toward Montresor. As such, this source may also be used to demonstrate how the fool aspect of Fortunato’s personality manifests clearly within the appropriate setting of the carnival season.

Person, L. S. (2019). Outing the perverse: Poe’s false confessionals. In J. G. Kennedy & S. Peeples (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of Edgar Allan Poe (pp. 252-268). Oxford UP.

This chapter in the scholarly monograph explores the motivation behind the narrator’s confession in some of Poe’s stories and, in particular, the element of manipulation – both within the narrative and one the meta-level. The author spends much time demonstrating how Montresor’s approach to exacting his revenge against Fortunato becomes a masterpiece of manipulation. These observations acquire a special significance in the light of the titular cask of amontillado, which impresses Fortunato specifically because it would be so hard to acquire one of these during the carnival season. Thus, one may use this source to demonstrate how the context of the carnival season enables Montresor to manipulate hapless Fortunato more efficiently and lure the latter into the trap.

Saxton, A. (2017). The devil’s in the details: A characterization of Montresor in Poe’s ‘The cask of amontillado.’ Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism, 10(1), 137-145.

This article in a scholarly journal analyzes the protagonist of Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ through the lens of Christian mythology. The author focuses specific attention on Montresor’s family crest, which depicts a serpent biting back the golden foot that attempts to crush it. According to the article, the serpent, especially considering its connotations in Christian culture, is most likely an allegorical representation of the devil with all associated traits from manipulation to unrelenting hatred toward one’s betters. With this in mind, one may use this source to discuss how the carnival season brings out the devil aspect of Montresor, just as it does with the fool aspect of Fortunato.

References

Axelrod-Sokolov, M. (2018). Madness in fiction: Literary essays from Poe to Fowles. Palgrave Macmillan.

Büyükkarcı, O. (2021). Is it the door through death what scares us? An analysis of The cask of amontillado between semiotics and narratology interface. Journal of Narrative and Language, 9(16), 34-56.

Elhefnawy, N. (2018). Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The cask of amontillado.’ The Explicator, 76(2), 103-105.

Person, L. S. (2019). Outing the perverse: Poe’s false confessionals. In J. G. Kennedy & S. Peeples (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of Edgar Allan Poe (pp. 252-268). Oxford UP.

Saxton, A. (2017). The devil’s in the details: A characterization of Montresor in Poe’s ‘The cask of amontillado.’ Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism, 10(1), 137-145.

Edgar Allan Poe is the dark genius of mid-nineteenth-century American literature, who chose death as the central theme of his stories. He is the progenitor of the detective, the psychological thriller, horror, and the literary macabre. Poe has been interested in many pieces, but loneliness, agony, crime, and other horrifying motifs of split consciousness found the most significant resonance in his work. The primary specialty for the author is to capture the horror of the soul in its most vivid manifestations, and this task became the basis for one of his stories. The Cask of Amontillado is a mixture of numerous literary techniques and elements that translate into a genuinely horrifying novel.

The central place in Poe’s short stories is taken by psychological motives, which are often described as dreadful or horrifying. Their primary theme – the tragic consequences of the clash of human consciousness, is brought up in the spirit of humanistic ideals, with unique inhumane tendencies that arise in the progress of American bourgeois civilization. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe is a novel inspired by factual events on Castle Island, a former military fort near Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. When Poe served there as a young cadet in the army, he found a tombstone and investigated the story of a man who had been walled up alive (Büyükkarci 37). Forbidden by his commanding officer to repeat the details, Poe took the storyline, changed the setting and characters, and wrote the novel.

One of the leading elements that make The Cask of Amontillado a horror is a plot. The author depicts a hero obsessed with the desire to avenge an insult that the reader will never comprehend. His hatred becomes even more terrifying as it is disguised as love and concern for his offender (Büyükkarci 39). The writer sees a definite correlation between the states of love and hate, which can quickly escalate from one to the other. Thus, in Edgar Allan Poe’s story, the action follows a dark and twisted line of revenge for the narrator, Montresor. The novel is thoroughly organized, and each detail contributes to a specific, unique effect. Moreover, readers are forced to view the narrative only from Montresor’s vengeful point of view, thereby increasing the moral shock and horrific impact.

Furthermore, Poe forces the reader to examine the inner motives and killer’s movements. Montresor seeks only one thing from the entire storyline, and that is revenge which drives his actions (Francisco 134). He is beyond reason, but no one can help find an alternate ending merely because Montresor does not let anyone, except the reader, comprehend his thoughts. The refrain saltpeter acts as a danger signal while amontillado serves as a promise of pleasure (Francisco 138). However, the victim prefers to hear only the delight signal and inevitably goes deeper into the trap. The final entrapment alive takes on some tinge of justice triumphant in this novel, though it is still horrible.

It is significant to state that there is an excellent note of suspense and anticipation of the outcome in the novel, which characterizes every horror story. Furthermore, the narrative is told in the first person in the form of a confession, emphasizing the story’s grimness. The murderer boasts of the sophistication and elaborateness of the crime, which permitted him to deceive everyone (Francisco 140). Only the torment of conscience, the inner awareness of the violation, gives away the perfectly planned murder.

The single plot model of the novella-self-denunciation is reduced to the portrayal of the criminal. It is centered around the fixation of the reasons for the act that pushed him to commit the murder, a detailed description of the process of the atrocity, and the self-denunciation. The primary techniques that enhance the abnormal mental impulses are dramatic monologues of the protagonist endowed with a sick psyche, nervous intonation, and an abundance of exclamations. These horror traits construct an atmosphere of gloom and fear and make the story a genuine horror.

It is essential to note that there is no epigraph in the novella, such a characteristic device in Poe’s work. This can be explained by the fact that there is no other creative attitude than to describe the process of moral degradation under the influence of irrational passion. In The Cask of Amontillado, the only self-indictment novel where murder is motivated and an act of revenge for an insult, the weapon of retribution is the sudden silence of the hero (Poe 5). Further aspect of horror is the predominance of action over dialogue. The silence strikes Montresor’s murderer harder than the wild laughter of Fortunato’s abuser. Vengeance lies in realizing the emptiness of another life devoid of revenge. The etymology of the name Fortunato is related to fate, fortune, and luck, and Montresor mounds his future, thus betraying his essence.

Thus, it can be concluded that Poe’s work is whole of a profound atrocity of the future. In his novel, madness, horror, and fear destroy the human psyche and thus eliminate the world around. Each of Poe’s protagonists is a victim of some obsession, and Fortunato is no exception. The Cask of Amontillado is a shady story founded on actual events in which fear and death are closely intertwined. The author uses first-person narration and constructs the plot in a way that every reader delves into the atmosphere of darkness. The novel can undoubtedly be considered a quality example of horror, as its tone and prominent motifs are perfect samples of this literary genre.

Works Cited

Büyükkarci, Orhun. “Is it the Door through Death What Scares Us? An Analysis of the Cask of Amontillado between Semiotics and Narratology Interface.” Journal of Narrative and Language Studies vol. 9, no. 16, 2021, pp. 34-56.

Francisco, Jesusa C. “To Live but Die Inside: A Lamentable State of Montressor in “The Cask of Amontillado”.” Okara: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra, vol. 15, no. 2, 2021, pp. 126-140.

Poe, Edgar Allan. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe. Beyond Books Hub, 2021.

Introduction

As a member of the jury sitting in on the trial of Montressor, I feel it is necessary for me to explain the reasons why the jury came to the conclusion it did. While the entire city has felt that Montressor was undeniably guilty of a horrendous crime, there were several elements of the case that made such a quick conclusion difficult. After hearing all of the facts and evidence with which we were presented by the estimable Edgar Allen Poe in his story of “The Cask of Amontillado”, it is hoped that the reader will gain a better understanding of just how we reached our verdict of guilty by reason of insanity.

Main text

According to the evidence, the murder of Fortunato was premeditated.

The perpetrator, Montressor, confessed to having thought everything out beforehand, even down to ensuring no one in the streets might recognize who he was as he lured Fortunato back to his home as he covered his face with a carnival mask and wore a cloak to disguise his general shape. In addition, he had made clever arrangements to ensure all of his household servants would be away by the time he arrived with his ‘guest.’ “I had told them [the servants] that I should not return until the morning and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house.

These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned” (Poe). Having reached the house, Montressor knew just where to take Fortunato so that any noise made wouldn’t be heard even should a servant have remained in the house and he had the niche prepared with bricks and mortar mixed up nearby while he carried the trowel with him.

This was, again, a part of the man’s confession. After shackling Fortunato into the niche in the wall, Montressor said that he “soon uncovered a quantity of building stone and mortar. With these materials and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche” (Poe). These careful preparations on the part of the perpetrator clearly point to a guilty conscience.

However, there are other disturbing elements of his confession that caused us, as the jury, to wonder at the man’s sanity. He seemed to be fully aware of his circumstances and his position, yet as he made his statements, Montressor seemed to have a manic light in his eyes that were echoed in the forms of his story. He mentions the possibility of a motive as being some sort of insult to Montressor, but never specifically names what form that insult might have taken.

That it seems to have been something relatively slight is suggested in the fact that Fortunato did not seem aware that he had insulted his friend. Montressor also seems to take a maniacal pleasure in the suffering of his victim as he struggled to get free of the chains then binding him. “The noise lasted for several minutes, during which, that I might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labors and sat down upon the bones.

When at last the clanking subsided, I resumed the trowel, and finished without interruption the fifth, the sixth and the seventh tier” (Poe). The only indication he gives that he might have felt a moment’s regret for his actions is contained in the statement, “My heart grew sick” as he placed the final stone, yet Montressor doesn’t attribute this to his deplorable and murderous behavior, but rather to the dampness of the catacombs in which he had been working for half the night. His delight in knowing that the bones had lain hidden for the past 50 years is nearly palpable, and it was perhaps out of a need to have someone recognize his cleverness in carrying out this crime that Montressor finally came forward to confess, another piece of evidence indicating his mind is not quite sane.

Conclusion

As we heard about the case and learned about the history of the Montressor family, it became clear to us that there has been a long history of barely stable individuals within its ranks. The family crest, that of a foot stepping upon a snake who is in turn biting the heel of the foot, is itself an indication of the instability of the family in that it demonstrates how revenge is more important than life itself.

This was evidently an idea that Montressor bought into completely while having no reasonable gauge of allowing the punishment to fit the crime. Rational consideration of the events would indicate that a mere insult, regardless of the nature of this insult, would not warrant the sort of death Montressor provided for Fortunato. Undoubtedly a clever man, Montressor’s pleasure in having accomplished this murder undetected until he came forward himself is compounded by his pleasure in receiving recognition for his forethought in carrying the crime forward.

He continues to remain unrepentant regarding the death of his friend and insists the other man quite deserved it.

The jury has determined that Montressor is undoubtedly guilty in the extreme, but would be more appropriately secured within a mental institution where perhaps one day he will be cured enough to see the error of his ways.

Works Cited

Poe, Edgar Allen. “The Cask of Amontillado.” Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Aerie Books, (2003).

Introduction

The ‘Cask of Amontillado’ is a literary classic story, which can pass as an ordinary narrative piece of literature to the average ordinary reader. To readers with a critical eye however, the figurative speech, and the hyperbole contained in the story cannot go unnoticed.

Figurative/symbolic expressions

Irony – Montresor, who is committed to punishing a perceived wrong, is also committed to carrying out a wrong without being punished for it. By his own admission, Montressor states that “a wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser” (Poe 3).

As such, Montressor states that he would punish the person who inflicted him with injuries, because to him, the wrongs committed against him were worthy of punishment. Ironically, though, Montresor states that he would be avenging insults with death, since he perceived that as the ultimate revenge. Unfortunately, Fortunato seems not to have suffered the pain of dying, as Montresor would have liked.

Paradox – Montresor triggers a paradox by juxtaposing in the same sentence the phrase “punish with impunity,” two words that are ordinarily antithetical. As human nature would have it, people are often quicker to see weaknesses in other while ignoring their more apparent flaws. As such, Montresor finds his companion’s “transgression” worthy of the cruelest death, and believes that his cause is so right that he deserves to get away with it.

Sarcasm – In human speech, very few styles of expression are as cruel as sarcasm. Although in this case Fortunato is ignorant of the sarcasm, Montresor is nevertheless invoking it when he says, “my dear Fortunato, you are luckily met”’ (Poe 3). It is as if Montresor, if he were understood for his true intentions, were saying, ‘It is your ill-luck that you have met me today’.

It is often the cruelest hearts that fashion the most effective sarcasms: sarcasms so sharp-edged that they slice through their target audience’s ears without their ever getting to understand their full true meaning. The cruelty resident in Montresor’s dark mind is exhibited in his solitary musing: “I was so pleased to see him that I thought I never should have done wringing his hands” (Poe 3).

Oxymoron – Montresor engages in oxymoronic speech by describing the attendant’s abandonment of their duties at his palazzo as “making merry in honor of the time” (Poe 4). This was in direct disregard for his instructions to them not to leave the house at all while he is away.

Of course, there is the implication that he knew beforehand what they would do. By the attendants behaving just as he had anticipated, Montresor gets his perfect alibi. To protect themselves from the charge of absconding duty, they would swear that he had been on a journey and had not at all returned that whole day.

Hyperbole – There is a sense of this in Fortunato’s statement that he drinks to “the buried that repose around us” (Poe 5). Dead bodies may be immobile but as to whether they are at rest, is a matter of conjecture.

Allegory

Poe’s tale can be interpreted as an allegory of the pain, death, and the senselessness of vengeance. To reflect all the three identified themes, Poe (knowingly or unknowingly) divided his story into three parts. In the first part, Monstresor is infuriated by what he perceives as an insult from Fortunato.

As a result, he vows to inflict vengeance on Fortunato. This part of the story symbolizes people’s desire to avenge for the wrongs committed against them, and to inflict pain on the people who wrong them. As reflected in the conclusion of Poe’s tale, while inflicting pain on a person may seem like the perfect vengeance, it does not fetch as much pleasure as the avenger would like to.

The tale also makes an attempt to convince readers that death, is not necessarily a painful or even bitter experience to those who are dead or dying. This is symbolized by what sounds like Fortunato’s laughter when he finally realizes his fate. Poe also hints at the emptiness of revenge through Montresor’s description of his feeling as “sick” soon as he realized he had just killed Fortunato.

The second part of Poe’s take is apparent when Montresor lures Fortunato underground, and gets him drunk. The third part of the tale on the other hand is reflected in the long journey that two take, only for Montresor to encourage Fortunato into reaching “the extremity of the niche” (Poe 7), where he found iron staples hindering his progress further into the crypt.

Here, Montresor chained Fortunato up, ready to avenge the perceived wrongs committed against him. His vengeance was only pleasurable for a short period, because Fortunato’s cry only lasted several minutes. At the end, Fortunato made fun of his tormentor, and upon his death Montresor admits that his “heart grew sick” (Poe 8).

Works Cited

Poe, Edgar Allan. The Cask of Amontillado. Feedbooks, n.d. Web.

The character of Montresor, at first glance, is highly ambiguous, but in reality, he is entirely different. Montresor has no reason to deny his guilt; he confesses to his murder. In this revenge upstart, he sees who took the place of a worthy killer. Montresor sees in Fortunato a man who is not worthy of his home in society. Unlike Fortunato, Montresor knows his history and values ​​his family and heritage. At the time of the trial, Montresor is proud of what he did because it was fair in his eyes. After all, the arrogant, rootless upstart got what he deserved. However, as the novel shows, this will alter in the future.

It is unavoidable that Montresor feels compelled to act against Fortunato in order to preserve his family’s honor. Poe devoted a significant portion of the narrative to describe the Montresors. Their notoriety made Montresor “wealthy, respected, revered, [and] beloved,” and they “were a big and numerous family” (Poe, 2022). All of them, however, are historical accounts. Because of the passage of time, Montresor indicates that things have changed. His family has sunk from glory, and he appears to be the one to blame. It is now his responsibility to safeguard his dignity and that of his family by assassinating the guy who has taken his place in society. It is not as simple as Montresor would have his reader believe when he addresses the anonymous “you” at the novel’s start.

Poe has Montresor employ intriguing words to describe Fortunato and himself throughout the novel. He refers to Fortunato as his “buddy” all the time. In most cases, a murderer murders someone they dislike (Poe, 2022). Therefore, this is an unusual choice of diction. Poe demonstrates that Montresor has some unresolved and strange sentiments about his murderous conduct deep within himself by his choice of language. This argument is reinforced in the story’s closing paragraph, where Montresor admits that his “heart grew ill” right before he left the catacombs (Poe, 2022). This is “due to the moisture of the catacombs,” he explains, although there is a delay between “ill” and “on” (Poe, 2022). This pause might be understood as a moment of reflection for Montresor, in which he must remember to keep his genuine sentiments hidden from his reader. The heart is not sickened by damp tombs. This form of disease only arises from one’s conscience when they understand that they have just done something heinous. Montresor’s heart was sick to his stomach because he felt terrible for his unwittingly committed crime.

Revenge’s interpretation is based on the discourse between the two main characters, Montresor and Fortunato, in which Fortunato is uninformed of the power and distinction of Montresor’s predecessors (Poe, 2022). This argument claims that Montresor and his family fear being displaced as nobility by a man who is uninformed of and disdainful to his forefathers. Because he is stopping Montresor from obtaining honor, the reader is made to assume that Fortunato is the enemy. If the audience only read this section of the story, they will come to these conclusions; yet, if readers look at Poe’s work, they notice Montresor’s underlying features.

The Cask of Amontillado is not about a killer seeking vengeance. It is the story of a murderer’s sorrow after more than fifty years of guilt for a heinous crime he was compelled to perform. According to this alternative reading of the event, Montresor sees family honor as his adversary, not Fortunato. This was the motivating factor for his murders. Montresor is a nice guy at heart, but the strain of following in his family’s footsteps of success has corrupted him.

Reference

Poe, E. A. (2022). The cask of Amontillado – original edition(annotated) (Kindle Edition). Amazon.

Introduction

In the story of “the cask of amontillado” by Edgar Poe, we see the premeditated murder by the protagonist in this case Montresor (Richard, 20). Montresor wanted to take revenge on his friend Fortunato -an Italian name meaning the fortunate one- who he claimed had repeatedly insulted him. On the day of the carnival Montresor goes looking for Fortunato and finds him a bit tipsy and it is then that he tells him of how he had acquired a rare kind of amontillado –a French sherry- and he wanted his assistance because he, Fortunato was a connoisseur of fine wine. Fortunato immediately agreed to the offer dismissing the fact that he was busy and Montresor was not to go to Luchesi, his competitor for the task.

On reaching Montresor’s vault, all the workers dismissed for the day, is where Montresor leads Fortunato to his death without suspicion, on the way he offers him wine and appears concerned when he starts coughing. On reaching the place Montresor manages to tie Fortunato to a stone and burry’s him alive, Fortunato calls out to his murderer and when Montresor is through he calls out his friend’s name and when there is no reply. He lights a torch and suddenly feels sick in his heart. He recounts half a century now without being discovered.

Poe’s realistic convention

Poe can bring a realistic convention in his story by use of dialogue and how in the first part Montresor talks of vengeance and we see how he approaches Fortunato and convinces him. There is also the feeling of reality when he shows a feeling of concern toward Fortunato as they proceed to the vault when he starts coughing and he keeps telling Fortunato that maybe they should go back.

When Montresor burry’s Fortunato alive and he starts to call out to him to stop joking then calls out to him again, here the feeling of fear is well brought out towards demise and lastly is when Montresor is finished replacing the stone that he suddenly feels sick, that captures the guilt he feels for murdering Fortunato, even though he puts it on the dumbness of the catacombs, he knows exactly what is the reason for the sudden feeling.

Poe’s commentary on society

Writing the tale “cask of amontillado” is a way of Poe trying to comment about the society at large, without having to point at fingers. The actions and words used are a symbol of what characterizes society and what it is made of. In the first section where Montresor thinks of the “a thousand insults” he had taken from his Italian friend Fortunato, he can only think of nothing but revenge and starts premeditating on it. This shows how society today seeks revenge on wrong deeds upon them.

In the tale a lot of hypocrisy is also reflected upon where Montresor shakes Fortunato’s hand and says how lucky he has found him, et he was looking for him and when they are inside the volt when Fortunato starts coughing and comments that the cough cannot kill him, Montresor agrees to it because he knows that he is the one to kill him. His concern for his health was also very hypocritical since you cannot care for a man whom you are going to kill. Society is seen as opportunistic in the story because, Montresor takes advantage of the carnival season to accomplish his plan and the fact that he had dismissed his workers. Montresor also fully aware of Fortunato’s dunked status and the love of wine took the opportunity to lure him to go taste the supposed amontillado. This shows with every chance an opportunity presents itself people with a motive will jump and grab it.

There is a lot of deeming in society as brought out by Poe. We see Montresor when describing Fortunato as an Italian who when it came to painting and gemmary was a quack, and Fortunato is also caught undermining Luchesi , his competitor saying that he could not differentiate between sherry and amontillado yet amontillado was indeed a type of sherry. There is also the reflection of judgmental attitude with Montresor judging Fortunato for the countless insults he had inflicted on him, yet he was planning revenge by killing Fortunato and burying him alive in his own vault.

We can see a lot of injustice in society or rather prove of no justice system because the murder Montresor recount fifty years since the murder he committed yet no one had put up an investigation on the case; and yet on the other side of the justice system was there then maybe Montresor would not have had to apply the law of the hills and take it upon himself to revenge.

Betrayal exhibits itself a lot in this story where Montresor tricks his friend into believing that he indeed had acquired amontillado and on their way even offers him wine to take only later to kill Fortunato. It shows how easy it is to trust someone you know and they also know that leads you into a trap and hence they turn on you.

Poe is showing widely the irony in which people live in for example, Fortunato was a connoisseur of fine wine yet he commented dismissing Luchesi that he could not differentiate between amontillado and sherry yet amontillado is indeed a sherry. Later on when he was offered the French wine De Grave he took it in a gulp and without any regard for it and being a fine wine it ought to be taken slowly. All the above characters despite there being two main characters in the story that is Fortunato and Montresor they paint the picture and play as a mirror to place the society and how individuals view themselves and also others. (Philip, 106)

Individual place in society

This could be from either family background or the roots one was coming from or the profession one practices and passed on tradition. The cask of amontillado reflects how individuals know their place in society a first example is the way Montresor defines Fortunato as an Italian who does not practice what the Italians are identified for mostly- gemmary and painting but does quite well as a connoisseur of fine wine. This gives Fortunato his place in society as a fine wine taster, and that is why he even dismisses Luchesi to go and taste on Montresor amontillado, because he wants to keep his identity which he must by having as many people coming to him for the same service.

When they are in the vault Fortunato asks Montresor to remind him of their arm and Montresor doing so shows how he identifies with his family background to show his place in the society that he indeed comes from a particular family lineage and they are bound by that particular motto. A place in society formed trust among the group and that is why even though Montresor knew quite well that he was not a mason he pretended to be one so that Fortunato can trust him even more because it was to make him believe that Montresor was one with Fortunato. An individual has to have status and that is why in the first place, Montresor pre-determines Fortunato’s death for humiliating him in the society this is like an unforgivable act since his ego was crushed and his place stripped.

Psychology in society

Cask of amontillado, one of the grotesque murders, without any bloodshed brings out a psychopath in Montresor. A man who plays reverse psychology on his friend Fortunato in the following ways:

He would smile when talking to Fortunato, giving him an impression that they were friends, while all along he had in his mind an ulterior motive of murder.

To plan his death he had to identify Fortunato’s caught and in this case he used his profession and the love of wine. Then he makes him believe that indeed they have just bumped into each other and he is looking for someone to taste his newly acquired amontillado. He goes on to pick a date when the carnival is in progress and finds reasons to dismiss his workers, knowing too well there will be no eye witness.

When they are inside the vault he fakes his concern for Fortunato’s health and even offers twice they return knowing well Fortunato’s love for wine, he declines and insists that they proceed. So in this case it was Fortunato who was leading himself to his death.

Conclusion

This story hence brings out the many people who have studied human behavior and are very good at manipulating their way using reverse psychology. A story well displayed by Poe leaving the reader to judge for themselves and leave room for questions.

Reference

Booth. Allan “Norton introduction to literature,” Cask of amontillado by Edgar Poe. (1990).

Philip Bergian.Old Boston in early photographs. Boston: Boston society (1990), pg. 106.

Richard, Benton. “Poe the cask of amontillado, its cultural and Historical background.” Poe studies (1999):pg. 19-27.

Introduction

Fortunato has insulted Montresor, the narrator of “the Cask of Amontillado”. He, therefore, decides to seek revenge, but he wants to be careful in order not to risk his life. Fortunato seems to be fond of wine against Montresor, and he decides to use this as his weapon. The offender eagerly waits to taste the wine, which his friend plans to use to kill him silently.

It seems clear that the law does not exist in this book. Instead, when a person offends the other, revenge seems to be the best remedy. Montresor revenges in a way Fortunato could not have suspected. He befriends him by inviting him for the wine and he keeps on calling referring to him as “my friend”. However, his intentions are to kill him through starvation and dehydration.

When Fortunato nears death, he tells Montresor, “for the love of God….” This implies that he was already desperate because, for a long time, he has not religious. Indeed, he has insulted and injured his friend several times. Montrestor starts by saying that he had borne several injuries, but he could not stand the insult. This makes him revenge against his friend by killing him.

Passion of revenge seems strong and can be overwhelming at times. Revenge can be dangerous, twisted, and conflicted. It can also be said to be destructive response towards anger, humiliation, or injury. Many people will avenge to show pride after a shameful experience.

Different religions, governments, cultures and traditions clarify the cases when the revenge is applicable. A person will revenge as a way of self-defense in response to humiliation or anger. Revenge should however, be the last alternative. Strategies of revenge aim at changing the past.

This explains why most of them end up failing since an insult or injury, humiliation and any other loss cannot be mended. The avenger tries to assert dominance yet dominance cannot increase stature. Instead, revenge increases violence. Instead of revenging, an individual should seek forgiveness (Poe & Kelley, 2008).

Revenge occurs when an individual feels that he has suffered a loss; hence the feelings of hate, anger, envy, jealousy, or shame. It can also occur when a person feels humiliated making them feel powerless, stupid, foolish, or ridiculous. Some other people will revenge to defend their honor, either that of themselves, their ancestors, family, or a group that gives them identity.

The main aim of revenge is restoration of pride after suffering humiliation, and through erasing shame. Revenge makes an individual feel that his dignity has been restored. Most people have been ignored, unlucky, overlooked and picked on, cheated, injured, and trespassed, among others.

Other people undergo serious experiences such as rape, abuse, assault, or violent crimes, most of which are often unfair. In most cases, victims believe that somebody should be blamed for being responsible of their sufferings. Such mentality make a person feel that things should be put back to track.

Justice appears to have been done when a victim is compensated for a loss, which he suffered. Legitimacy of grievances exists and victims need to be compensated. Accumulation of grievances makes people revenge against each other resulting in such emotions as rage, violence, irresponsibility, etc.

People very often do not feel their responsibility for some of their actions if there is someone who can be blamed for their offences. It is Important to note is that losses cannot be repaired since they are permanent. The best thing would be trying to absorb, overlook, and accept the losses without considering revenge.

Conclusion

This narration tries to show that people should avoid insulting others since they can decide to revenge, and defeat the offender. It can also be possible that after revenge an individual can experience guilt feelings, which can haunt him forever. At times, people go to extremes of killing a person simply because they wronged them.

Fortunato did not imagine that, at one time, he would be defeated by Montresor. We see that he injured him ten thousand times and Montresor did not respond even for a single day. However, the insulting hurt him and he could not take it anymore. This happened when Fortunato insulted him. In the discussion above, an insult can lead to revenge and indeed this was the case in this narration.

It should also be noted that Fortunato was killed with what he loved most. He loved wine very much and would openly express his pride. Montresor, therefore, could trap him easily using wine because he knew that his friend could not hesitate. After the revenge, we realize that Montresor needed his friend. This comes out clearly, when he desperately screams his friend’s name twice (Poe & Kelley, 2008).

Finally, people must avoid hurting others since this leads to revenge. Revenge can be of a higher magnitude than the injury or insult. For example, in this narration, we see that revenge came in the form of death, meaning total defeat. Once again, wronging a person’s friend can be fatal since these people understand our weak points and can easily revenge.

It was also wrong for Montresor to revenge since we see that he needed his friend, even though he did not want to admit. In the end, having killed Fortunato, he concludes by saying “rest in peace”. Instead of carrying out revenge, people should learn to forgive their offenders. Offenders should, as well, learn to apologize. This would ensure harmony in the society since there would be no revenge.

References

Poe, E. A., & Kelley, G. (2008). The cask of Amontillado. Mankato, Minn.: Creative Education.