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The theme of revenge in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe
Psychological issue in the cask of amontillado by edgar allan poe
Psychological issue in the cask of amontillado by edgar allan poe
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Edgar Allan Poe’s stories are credited for having horror-filled endings. Usually darkness is considered to be a good representative of evil, so the setting in “The Cask of Amontillado” is at night-time. This story deals with the jealousy, revenge and, more importantly, wounded family honor. A man named Montresor, whose name is not discovered till the end of story, is seeking vengeance on Fortunato, who has irreparably insulted him. The very first sentence: “THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge”, supports the theme of revenge (Poe 161). This theme also suggests that Fortunato had aggrieved Montresor thousands of times, but whenever he insults Montresor and his family, he decides that there needs to be avenge and, which is the murder of a Fortunato. Montresor believes “he is out to get justice by baiting Fortunato” (Whatley 56). Hence, Whatley states “there is no remorse in Montresor’s heart when he finally confesses after fifty years”. So, for the sake of his family honor and self-respect, he vowed to take revenge by killing Fortunato. Pride and jealousy are the motivational forces that drive revenge. These forces lead to self-destruction. Both the characters seem to be proud and prosperous. Montresor is jealous of Fortunato and tries to make him foolish as he says, “The man wore motley. He had on a tight- fitting parti- striped dress and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells” (Poe 161). Montresor is aware that Fortunato considers himself a connoisseur of wine. Still he talks about Luchesi, another expert on confirming fino[true] Amontillado’s authenticity, as an alternative which urges Fortunato to keep moving towards the dark and nitre-f... ... middle of paper ... ...Baraban, Elena V. "The Motive For Murder In ‘The Cask Of Amontillado’ By Edgar Allan Poe." Rocky Mountain Review Of Language & Literature 58.2 (2004): 47-62. Literary Reference Center. 26 Apr. 2014. Lewis, Micheal J. "The Explicator." Refining a Fortunato Amontillado 69.4 (2011): 179-83. Literary Reference Center .Web. 12 May 2014. Nevi, Charles N. "Irony and ‘The Cask of Amontillado’.” The English Journal 56.3 (Mar 1967): 461-465. Literary Reference Center. Web. 11 May 2014. Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. Ed. Alison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. 161-165. Print. Whatley, Rehana. "CONFESSION WITHIN A CONFESSION: POE’S BRAVE NEW WORLD IN ‘THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO’.” JOURNAL OF GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE & POLICY 5.7 (2012): 56-59. Literary Reference Center. Web. 11 May 2014.
Baraban, Elena V. "The Motive for Murder in 'The Cask of Amontillado'." Rocky Mountain Review 58.2 (Fall 2004): 47-62. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Vol. 111. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 7 Dec. 2010.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Cask of Amontillado. Mankato, MN : The Creative Company, 2008. Print.
Poe, Edgar Allan. “ The Cask Of Amontillado.” Heritage Of American Literature .Ed. james E. Miller.Vol.2.Austin:Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,1991.20.Print.
Edgar Allen Poe uses irony and poetic justice all throughout “The Cask of the Amontillado”. The places where irony and poetic justice hold the most significance are the scenes where, Montresor speaks of the wronging done to him by Fortunato, where Montresor and fortunato speak of the coat of arms, and where at the very end when Montresor traps Fortunato in the catacombs and leaves him to die. These scenes clearly show the use of these two tools that Poe used to tell the story of Montresor and
“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.
Edgar Allen Poe’s gruesomely fascinating tale of vengeance and murder, “The Cask of Amontillado”, achieves its effect only through its usage of the first person point of view. This unusual perspective enables the reader to view the characters and conflicts through the eyes of the narrator, as he first discusses and justifies, and eventually, carries out his plans for the ruthless murder of his friend. The eerie tone and disorienting and materialistically-related setting of the story contribute to its theme of defending one’s honor and name and avenging all wrongdoings, even something so small as an insult.
Poe’s first-person narration style in “The Cask of Amontillado” allows the reader to experience the story from a different level and the ability to look at the story from a different light. An unusual perspective. From the mind of a killer, the narrator and main character making him familiar with the reader. Poe focuses more of the thoughts and emotions of the main character rather than physical attributes of Montresor which made for a more intimately disturbing story for the reader.
Evans, Robert C. "Edgar Allan Poe , "The Cask of Amontillado"." 212. Literary Reference Center. Web. 1 May 2012. .
The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe describes how Montresor confesses the sequence of his well-designed or nearly flawless murder or revenge against Fortunato due to he is a threat to him. In his confession of a perfect crime, Montresor, who “vowed revenge” because of Fortunato’s “thousand injuries,” first say that his “heart grew sick” and then immediately add, “ it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so because he believes Fortunato insults him many times that his hatred against him become bigger and bigger. This makes him cannot stand for Fortunato’s behavior anymore as well as the setting completely makes everything prefect as he believes Fortunato deserves the punishment. The nature and family hold a significant role
Poe, Edgar Allan. "A Cask of Amontillado." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Orlando: Harcourt, 1997. 209-14.
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, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” The Norton Anthology: American Literature. Ed. Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gurpa, Arnold Krupat. New York: Norton, 2007. 1612-1613, 1616. Print.
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado." Trans. Array Literature An Introduction to Reading and Writing. . 5th. Glenview, IL: Pearson , 2012. 226-230. Print.
In 'The Cask of the Amontillado'; Edgar Allan Poe uses symbolism, imagery, and the atmosphere to help fully explore the sinful nature of pride and its serious consequences within the short story. The character of Fortunato is the main capsule for the explanation of the dangers of being prideful of ones self. By examining Poe's use of symbolism, images, and effective backdrops around Fortunato the reader may begin to understand the importance of the deadly sin of pride.
Poe, Edgar Allan. “That Cask of Amontillado.” Ibiblio. U of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.d.