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Symbolism and Allusion in Poetry
Symbolism and Allusion in Poetry
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The Cask of Amontillado "The Cask of Amontillado" is a macabre short story set during carnival, a time of supposed merriment, but takes a dark twist when the narrator decides to use it as a guise to exact revenge on an acquaintance. The narrator’s perspective on the story remains entirely subjective, giving no motive for deciding to murder his friend, only a vague allusion to "thousands of injuries" and insults (Poe 115). Edgar Allen Poe’s peculiar narrative choices of limited perspective and heavy imagery and foreshadowing give the short story his classic sensations of dread and mystery. Readers are given a very limited perspective in “The Cask of Amontillado,” as the story is told from the perspective of first-person narrator named Montresor. …show more content…
The most damning imagery in Poe’s short story is Fortunato’s costume, he is dressed in the colorful ensemble of a jester. This is indicative of his later role in the story, when he plays the fool and unwittingly falls directly into Montresor’s trap. Poe also makes use of imagery in the description of the Montresor family crest, a foot crushing a snake. Fortunato plays the role of the snake, always making small jabs at Montresor, but ultimately getting crushed in the end. Poe also gives many clues foreshadowing the ominous events to come in the story. As the pair descends into the crypt to taste the amontillado, Fortunato is thrown into an intense coughing fit. Montresor asks if he is okay, and he replies, “…it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough,” to which Montresor simply replies, “True,” (Poe 118). Montresor knows for a fact this is true because he intends to be the thing that kills him. The crypt itself also pulls the story deeper into darkness, the plethora of bones and remains introducing the theme of death very early on. Foreshadowing and imagery in “The Cask of Amontillado” attribute the story with its typical themes of fear and obscurity through images and later allusions to
Though Fortunato is an intelligent wine expert, his expertise leads him to his death. In Italian the word Fortunato means fortunate, something that he is not by the end of the story. In “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allan Poe uses foreshadowing and dramatic irony and verbal irony to show Fortunato’s misfortunes which eventually lead to his death.
“The Cask of Amontillado” is a dark piece, much like other works of Edgar Allan Poe, and features the classic unreliable narrator, identified by himself only as Montresor. This sinister central character is a cold ruthless killer that is particularly fearsome because he views murder as a necessity and kills without remorse. Montresor is a character who personifies wickedness. Poe uses this character and his morally wrong thoughts and actions to help the reader identify with aspects of the extreme personage, allowing them to examine the less savory aspects of their own. The character of Montresor detailing the glorious murder he committed is a means of communicating to the reader that vengeance and pride are moral motivators that lead to treacherous deeds and dark thoughts.
Montresor does not want Fortunato to die from anything other than his own plan of slow death by asphyxiation. Symbolism in "The Cask of Amontillado" This story by Poe has numerous examples of symbolism. For example, the manner in which Fortunato is dressed is ironic for a man with his societal prominence.
A main theme presented in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is that Montresor shows obsession with the murder of fortunato. This is exemplified by Montresor’s precise planning, carefulness and slowness of speed in the process.
The story “The Cask of Amontillado” is written in first person point of view and this story is fairly simple to understand. This story is affected by the narration when looking at what the narrator's focus is, the narrator’s thoughts or opinions, and how the reader interprets the story.
“The Cask of Amontillado” written by Edgar Allen Poe is nothing short of a brilliantly scary masterpiece. We are to believe that Montresor, who is a man of stature and significance, holds a deep dark secret. During a monologue in the story, Montresor tells the reader about his secret. Montresor, a flamboyant man befuddled by the sins of his past, uses cunning and disguise to convince Fortunato to finally ask to be entombed in the family vault. Montresor was insulted by Fortunato and takes his revenge. The author Edgar Allen Poe uses his main character Montresor to twist the fortune for Fortunato to ask to be buried alive by entangling him in a web of theme, allegory and allusion.
In ‘The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe uses different methods on Fortunato to lure him into going to the catacombs where he would leave him for death. The Carnival was where Montresor started his evil plan by using alcohol, reverse psychology and the testing of Fortunato’s ego by comparing Luchresi connoisseurship to his. Montresor’s plan was to manipulate and play with Fortunato to let him gain his trust as a friend and then murder him.
The Cask of Amontillado, one of Edgar Allen Poe’s most celebrated works, paints a very sinister and dark tale of revenge. It is riddled with symbolism of what is in store for Fortunato who has betrayed Montresor in what Montresor perceives to warrant a grievous end. Throughout their the interaction, there are subtleties in which one might think there is a way out, but ultimately greed takes over which leads to Fortunato 's undoing.
The perils of vengeance and manipulation were evidently prominent in Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, The Cask of Amontillado. Through a unique application of first person narration, Poe captured the essence of suspense in a figure’s untrustworthy nature. Additionally, he used a strong foundation of character to introduce two critical members of the story who share an interesting relationship. For this particular story, the first person perspective was utilized quite effectively to develop the character Montresor. Depicting him was crucial to introducing Fortunato, the story’s second focus. A certain dramatic irony is noticeable throughout the sequence of events that eventually guides the reader to the story’s significant conclusion.
Edgar Allan Poe's strong use of symbols throughout "The Cask of Amontillado" is what makes this story worthy of examination. The clever use of these devices by the author to shape this horrifying and gripping short story has made this piece be regarded as a classic American horror story, which revolves around the theme of vengeance and pride.
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.
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor sets out on a vengeful mission that will end Fortunato’s life in an untimely fate. Montresor appeals to Fortunato’s love for wine to tempt the unsuspecting fellow to his impending doom. While Montresor tricks the foolish Fortunato frightfully, it is ultimately Fortunato’s pride that leads to his demise in the crypt. Poe uses several literary devices to foreshadow this murderous exploit of Montresor. Through the use of irony, symbolism, and imagery, the story entices readers to delve into the relationships and differences between Montresor and Fortunato.
Bloom, Harold. “Plot Summary of ‘The Cask of Amontillado.’” Bloom’s Major Short Story Writers: Edgar Allan Poe. Ed. Harold Bloom, Gwendolyn Bellerman. Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. 55. Print.
Edgar Allan Poe is a famous writer in writing detective stories and horror stories. One of his horror stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” was talking about how a man took his revenge to his friend. However, to look deeply in this story, I found that this story was not just simply a horror tale about how a man gets his revenge in the safest way. Instead, it also demonstrates much irony in several areas: the title, the event, the season, the costume, the environment, the characters’ personalities, a man’s dignity and cockiness and at the end, the public order. he are
Poe starts out with a man, by the name of Montresor, wanting revenge on another man, named Fortunato. Most of the story takes place deep in the Montresor family catacombs. As Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs, he chains Fortunato up to a small hole in a wall, bricks it over, and leaves Fortunato to die. Even through the traits of anger, hatred, and revenge, as the story progresses on, Montresor, the main character in “The Cask of Amontillado”, starts to show signs of feeling guilty for wanting to murder Fortunato.