Deception In The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

The Price of a Vice
The themes of revenge and deception appear throughout literature. In the short story “Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, the themes of revenge and deception are present. Montressor plans to murder Fortunato by gaining his trust, leading him with his vice, and then burying him alive. Poe uses many literary devices to make the reader question whether Montressor is being truthful while he is telling the story. Poe uses foreshadowing, verbal irony, and situational irony in the “Cask of Amontillado” to illustrate the themes of deception and revenge.
To begin, foreshadowing appears in the story to let the audience know that Montressor is able to deceive Fortunato and that he succeeds in his revenge. In the beginning of the story, Montressor talks about how Fortunato wronged him. “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I [have] borne as I best could, but when he [ventures] upon insult I [vow] revenge” (183). Montressor tells the audience that he could not stand the insult anymore and he plans to get his revenge. This foreshadows Fortunato’s death because Montressor feels that the only way to exact his revenge is to kill Fortunato. Another example of foreshadowing is when Fortunato asks if Montressor is really a member in the Masonic Order. Montressor replies that he

is one and then “[produces] from beneath the folds of [his] roquelaure” (185). He is a stonemason and he is letting the audience know that he is planning to build a stone crypt for Fortunato.
To continue, Montressor use of verbal irony keeps the audience guessing whether his sane or not. Montressor welcomes Fortunato like a good friend by saying that they have met by luck. Montressor says "[my] dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day. But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts” (183). The audience knows that it is not lucky for Fortunato to have met Montressor that night because he plans to kill Fortunato that night.
Another example of verbal irony is when Montressor finishes building the tomb while telling him to rest in peace. This is ironic because he does not care for Fortunato and he wants to make him suffer. It is also ironic since Montressor cannot forget about his crime. He still tells the story in such detail and clarity it is easy to believe that he feels guilty of his crime. He even hesitates before he leaves the tomb. “My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so” (187). This shows the reader that Montressor knows what he is doing is wrong but he ignores his feeling of regret and leaves in sin.
Finally, Poe uses situational irony to allow the audience to see that even people who seem normal are capable of great evil.

For example, Montressor asks if Fortunato is okay when he has a coughing fit. It is ironic because he is planning to murder him in a short time. Fortunato says, “the cough's a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough” (185). “True-true” (185) says Montressor. He really does not care about his well-being, however, Montressor wants Fortunato to trust him enough to follow him down the catacomb. Poe also uses situational irony when he named Fortunato. Fortunato in Italian means “fortunate”, however, the audience knows that he is very

unfortunate.
In the end, Montressor is able to successful deceive Fortunato and exact his revenge. Poe
uses foreshadowing to tell the reader that Montressor is able to deceive Fortunato and to keep the reader in suspense for when the moment will happen. He also uses verbal irony in order to make the reader question whether Montressor is credible in the retelling of his story and if he is sane. He utilizes situational irony to show that almost any one is capable of great evil. Poe illustrates the themes of revenge and deception by uses foreshadowing, verbal irony, and situational irony.

Work Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado." Barnet, Sylvan, William Burto and William E. Cain. Literature for Composition. 10th ed. New York: Pearson, 2014. 183-187.