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Literary insight on the cask of amontillado
Edgar allan poe about the cask of amontillado
Literary insight on the cask of amontillado
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"The Cask of Amontillado": Critical Interpretations Among Poe's most intriguing tales is "The Cask of Amontillado," first published in Godey's Lady's Book in November of 1847. A surface reading of that story reveals only a simple description by Montresor (the narrator) of how he kills another man who was called, ironically, Fortunato. Montresor exploits Fortunato's vanity concerning the connoiseurship of wine; specifically, Montresor pretends to want a wine cask of Amontillado verified as genuine. Montresor chooses a time when Fortunato is drunk to dupe him into going down the spiral stairs into the catacombs, which serve as a sort of family burial grounds for the race of Montresors. But rather than a mere cask of wine, Fortunato finds his death; for Montresor bricks him into a niche of the catacombs which has remained undisturbed for the fifty years since the murder was performed. How simple! How simple, indeed--at least until we examine a group of irreconcilable paradoxes in the story. To begin with, the names Montresor and Fortunato are synonymous. (Hoffman 223) Secondly, we find that the motive for the crime was some unnamed insult. Motives for killing someone should be important enough to detail. Why does Poe have Montresor gloss over the motives? One view is that Montresor relates the details of the murder not to justify his actions, but as a form of confession. But if this be confession, where is the regret? Again, Poe leaves his readers mystified concerning the time and location for issuance of the narrative voice. If Montresor still lives, he must be a very old man. If so, the phantasms of his deed may have horrified him all of his life. Then why does he not seem horrified? If this be confession, then why does he seem not penitent? Perhaps Montresor is coerced to confess his crime by his own imp, like the narrator of Poe's tale "The Imp of the Perverse," who lives for a time in apparent peace with his conscience, only to spill all the beans when his perverse spectre grabs hold of his will. One of the beauties of "The Cask of Amontillado" is that it will bear many interpretations. I do not lay claim to the definitive analysis of this tale. Instead I shall present diverse theories that support my general thesis: that Montresor and Fortunato represent a doppelganger illustrative of perversity. Consider this ... ... middle of paper ... ...ng Fortunato ever deeper to effect this execution, is committing the murder of his father-figure in the act of possessing the mother's body.... So by interring Fortunato, Montresor at once has symbolically slain his own father and the rival for his mother's affection, and forever interred his own passion, his own fertility, his own vitality. (224-25) Interesting assertions! They even fit Poe's biographical profile: the love of the mother closely associated with the images of death, Poe's interment of his own vitality, Poe's need to avenge the abuses of John Allan. In fact, Kenneth Silverman calls "The Cask of Amontillado" a "meditation on the art and passion of revenge" (316). Silverman believes that it is no accident that the Montresor family motto "Nemo me impune lacessit" is Scotland's national motto, and that as one of her son's, "'Scotch' John Allan, much resembled Fortunato in being a man 'rich, respected, admired, beloved,' interested in wines, and a member of the Masons." (316-317) Poe likely had Allan in mind when formulating the vengeance motif for the tale. Placing the cap and bells on Fortunato may have tickled Poe at the root.
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.
When they arrive at the Montresor estate, Montresor leads Fortunato down the stairs into the catacombs. Down here is where the Amontillado Fortunato is going to taste and where the revenge of Montresor is going to take place. As he get closer and closer, the narrator opens up more and more to how he is going to kill his "friend". It sound like it is a premeditated murder. Montresor seems so inconspicuous that he acts like he cares about Fortunato which is still a part of his plan.
In Edgar Allen Poe’s story The Cask of Amontillado the main character Montresor tricks his friend Fortunato into his catacombs and buries him alive. Edgar Allen Poe’s character commits this deed out of a need for revenge because of some hurt that was committed against him. Poe conveys this need for revenge through his attention to the small details within his story.
This source takes a look at the possible motives that Montresor would have for murdering Fortunato in “The Cask of Amontillado” and argues that he feels no remorse. Baraban starts by stating that, Montresor never directly gives a motive for the murder of Fortunato and that he is just a man taking pleasure in the fact that he committed a murder and did not get caught. She incorporates other writers quoted phrases as examples of there being no evidence of empathy towards the victim,
With a premeditated motive to commit such an act, the culprit, Montressor, thinks, constructs and orchestrates a presumed murder against his insulter, Fortunado. “Poe begins by describing, in characteristically precise and logical detail, Montresor’s (and Poe’s) idea of perfect revenge. At the same time, he needed to end his story by telling how his revenge had affected him. When Fortunatosays, “For the love of god, Montresor!” and Montresor repeats, “Yes, for the love of God,” Poe is indicating that Montresor is already experiencing the closure he sought”(Delaney 39) Unbeknownst why he wants retribution, or what it is that his victim has done to compel Montressor to kill him. What is given is a recount of the night under discussion.
Throughout this short story, Poe uses details and the character's true emotions create the eerie mood. “I continued, as was my won't, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.” In the beginning of this short story, Montresor states how he plans to kill Fortunato. His smile was not genuine or sincere. He states how Fortunato did not realize or see through his sinister
Accordingly, Poe is well responsive to this psychological trait of the human brain. Likewise, Poe employs the perception of perversity and remorse in “The Cask of Amontillado.” The reason of burying Fortunato is not only vengeance, but also a robust reaction that is described in “The Black Cat”. There is a passionate yearning in Montresor to hurt Fortunato even if he has not made any harm to him. Although Montresor asserts that he has been injured several times by Fortunato, he cannot defy calling him “respected, admired, beloved,” admitting his “good nature,” and also calling him “noble” (Little 212). These expressions confirmed that Fortunato is a good quality person and the expression “injuries” used in the first phase of the story is simply a hyperbole that Montresor’s psyche has fabricated. Furthermore, wickedness does not come unaccompanied, but it carries itself a sense of remorse. Even if Montresor reflects himself as the diplomat of his family for deafening down rivals, he suffers remorse while walling up Fortunato. Consequently, Poe’s clasp of unreasonableness and culpability of the human mind is
Poe describes a change in Montresor, a dynamic character’s attitude, toward Fortunato, where in the beginning of the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor thought of Fortunato as a living thing but near the end he no longer had this thought. In the beginning of the short story, the author described Montresor’s point of view toward Fortunato as acquaintances, which makes the reader think Montresor wasn’t impacted deeply by the incident between him and his “friend”. According to Poe, my dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day!” (Poe, 2). In this quote, Poe conveys the relationship between Montresor and Fortunato. Montresor is considering Fortunato as a friend and greeting him. He also shows his underhandedness because later in the story his feelings change. By the end of the story Montresor’s point of view changed and had gone from compassionate to heartless. For example, after Montresor buried Fortunato alive he mimicked his “friends” screams. “I reechoed -- I aided -- I surpassed them in volume and in strength” (Poe, 6). Montresor had changed his attitude toward Fortunato by this point in the story, he was now only considering the man as nothing more than a sound in the wind.
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
In his article, he mainly wanted to answer two questions; 1) What could have been Montresor’s motive to kill Fortunato? And 2) Why did he wait fifty years to tell the story? As I finished DiSanza’s article, neither of those questions were actually answered. I guess that’s because no one but Poe himself could really tell us readers why. Bales, Kent and Gargano were DiSanza’s most used sources and even those authors couldn’t answer his main questions, which he based his article around. I found that while reading “On Memory, Forgetting, and Complicity in “The Cask of Amontillado”” by Raymond DiSanza, Edgar Allan Poe’s short story causes the reader to ask many questions. In which, those questions interconnect more frequently than you’d think. DiSanza makes you realize Poe never mentions Montresor’s motive because he knew exactly how the readers would react. A great tactic Poe brilliantly uses, purposefully leaving out information in order to create suspense and mystery; causing the reader to wonder. Poe wanted us to overanalyze and try to figure out the many possibilities behind these questions, he wanted us to think in a way we wouldn’t have. He is able to avoid giving examples of what these injuries Fortunato put upon Montresor were. Poe 's problem in writing this story include keeping the reader somewhat sympathetic for a man who was able to bury another man
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.
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. Montresor’s personal narration of the events of the story does not justify his crime in the audience’s eyes, but it does offer a unique opportunity for the audience to view a murder from the perspective of a madman killer. It is Poe’s usage of this unique angle that causes the story to be so captivating and gruesomely fascinating. As the story opens, Montresor explains why it is necessary that he “not only punish but punish with impunity” to avenge for Fortunado’s insult to him. This justification for his crime is a piece of information that the audience is able to learn only because they are permitted inside the mind of the protagonist. In the final scene, when Montresor is carrying out his murder pl...
In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Edgar Allen Poe uses indirect characterization to show the different traits that Montresor possesses while carrying out his revenge. Montresor’s deceitful character is shown by his speech. For instance, it states in the text, “‘And I, Fortunato — I drink to your long life.’” Montresor says that he drinks to Fortunato’s longevity with irony, knowing that later on, Fortunato will face death as a result of his vengeance. Another example states, “‘But is it not late? Should we not be going back? They will be expecting us. Let us go.’ ‘Yes. Let us go.’ As I said this I lifted the last stone from the ground.” In this part, instead of freeing Fortunato the way he sounded like he would, he did the exact opposite. Montresor covered up the only opening of the room. His speech, as he desires strongly to do harm to Fortunato, shows that he is a deceitful man.
This immediate familiarity helps the reader to see inside the calculating mind of Montresor, whom we later learn is a killer. When talking about the past insults of Fortunato, he takes on a cold, determined tone: “At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled […] I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (Poe, 618).
The major characteristics of the narrator and main character, Montresor, are anger, hatred, and revenge. In the story, he is angry with Fortunato because he believes that Fortunato has wronged and insulted him many times by saying, “thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could…he ventured upon insult…” (Poe). In addition, Montresor’s hatred for Fortunato goes so far that he believes he must kill Fortunato. He mentions this in the story as, “[y]ou, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat” (Poe). He seems to say that his soul is made of hatred and goes on to say he must give Fortunato the utmost punishment: death. Montresor even shows traits of revenge when he says, “…but when [Fortunato] ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” and “...I would be avenged…” (Poe). He is saying that he will get revenge on Fortunato, whom he is angry with and hates for being insulted by.