Essay On The Cask Of Amontillado

Edgar Allan Poe’s Elements of fiction

Edgar Allan Poe’s revenge driven short story “The Cask of Amontillado” is a tale in which an anti-hero narrates his account of how he carried out a plot to exact his vengeance against his nemesis “Fortunato”. Poe engages the reader with the use of first-person point of view, as the speaker gives an insidious play by play of his deeds to set the tone. Not as quite apparent as this plot for revenge, are the subtle usage of foreshadowing, and symbolism, helped along by the setting used by Poe, to set up the climax. The speaker’s tone and word choice hint to the reader, that something a bit more nefarious is just around the corner. The speaker lures his prey through devious action, to venture into the catacombs “in pursuit of a pipe Amontillado” (536). Unfortunately, all that awaited Fortunato was his undoing. Using these elements Poe eloquently constructs a tale of revenge that builds suspense before a satisfying surprising conclusion.

The Cask of Amontillado begins

with a narrative to which the speaker gives a summary of what has led the Speaker to the completion of his revenge. “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Pg. 536, Poe). This opening sentence serves not only to deliver exposition; but also sets the tone of the story for the reader. The narrator states “you, who so well know the nature of my soul, not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat” (Pg. 536, Poe). This is the speaker’s way of telling the audience that although he has malicious intent, he is a reasonable man who normally would not take such action under normal circumstances. Poe is using a bit of irony within the narrator’s declaration of his character; the statement made is to claim that he is no villain but in fact the hero of his story. Upon reading the story the reader can identify that the protagonist has more qualities related to an anti-hero and not that of a hero.
In The Cask of Amontillado, Poe uses the first-person view point to share what devices the speaker intends to engage while taking revenge upon his foe. “It must be understood, that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good-will” (Pg. 536, Poe). Deception would be the protagonist’s first device, as he has stated. By giving no alarm to the Fortunato, he may be able to remain in his trust allowing the protagonist to set in motion his plans. The protagonist then explains that he knows what Fortunato’s weakness is. “He prided himself on his connoisseurship of wine” (Pg. 536, Poe). He would go on to say that unlike his peers Fortunato was truly a man who was “sincere in this matter” (Pg. 536, Poe). This is a very important piece of foreshadowing by Poe, the audience now can suspect that this too is a device to which plays a role in how the protagonist gains his revenge. These things have more of an impact because of the first-person point of view, if given in third person it would lose the personal element. Poe is allowing the reader to place one’s self, in a position to gain further perspective.
The stage now set, Poe focuses on building the story’s climax, with the introduction of the protagonist’s victim Fortunato. “It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend” (Pg. 536, Poe). This is giving the audience an image of the setting for these events, one can now picture a grand festival with drinking, large crowds, and the sun setting. The use of the words “my friend” are ironic considering what the reader knows all too well the relationship between the narrator and Fortunato at this point. Upon this meeting, the protagonist starts to weave his web of deception before Fortunato. “I said to him: “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. How? Said he. “Amontillado?” A pipe? Impossible! And in the middle of the carnival!”” (qtd... Pg. 536-537). Within this exchange, the protagonist has established himself as no threat to Fortunato by way of flattery. The protagonist has also gained Fortunato’s interest by informing him that he has acquired a large keg of Amontillado. According to award-winning wine blogger Ruben Luyten the “Amontillado is often considered the most representative style of sherry since it displays qualities of both styles of maturation” (Luyten). Knowing that Fortunato is a wine connoisseur, the narrator has chosen a wine that is to be held in high regard. This is to only motivate Fortunato to remain engaged with the protagonist, so that he may lure Fortunato to what would be his final resting place.
Upon convincing Fortunato to come inspect a pipe of Amontillado in the catacombs beneath narrator’s home where his wines are held; Poe gives the audience insight into the protagonist’s character. “There were no attendants at home, they had absconded to make merry in honor of the time. I had told them that I should not return until morning, and had given explicit orders not to stir from the house” (Poe, 537). This is evidence that the plan had been made in advance and with detail; hiding the events that had transpired with Fortunato who was in narrators company. This had been a per-meditated murder, as the protagonist will bury poor Fortunato alive. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines an anti-hero as “a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities”. These are qualities that Poe installs into the main character of his story. Another example is the narrator’s own internal dialog ““He is an ignoramus”, interrupted my friend” (Poe, 539). On the surface, the protagonist acts as one would come to expect of a hero as he pretends to care about the well-being of his company Fortunato, as they trek the catacombs in the hunt for the Amontillado. “Come,” I said, with decision, we will go back; your health is precious...” (Poe, 538). The façade would label him as a “hero”, but it only hides the true nature of the protagonist.
What subtle details may have been lost within the text at first glance, can be decoded through looking within the text for the hints already given by Poe. Initially a line such as “he said, “to the buried that repose around us.” “And I to your long life””(qtd… Fortunato and Narrator 538) . The line is saying more than it would seem, the narrator is not just giving a toast or merry makings. Instead he is ironically wishing Fortunato to have a “long life” considering that he intends to bury Fortunato alive. Poe gives the line a double meaning that only comes to light after the conclusion of this tale. Poe marries symbolism and foreshadowing within a conversation the men have regarding the protagonist’s family motto. “Nemo me impune lapune” or in English “No one wounds me with Impunity” (Meyer 538). This in essence defines not only the main character’s motivation for revenge but the plot and climax of the story. The plot is driven by the protagonist’s need to rectify these “injuries” he has suffered at the hands of Fortunato. The motto serves more than a symbol or family creed, it reflects more that of a prediction to the fate of Fortunato.
The title of this short tale The Cask of Amontillado is not without purpose, although before reading the story it may seem so.

The major plot device in Poe’s tale is, in fact, this cask of Amontillado, which is driving Fortunato to follow blindly into a trap. The protagonist’s plan would have never come together accordingly, if not for the promotion of his acquisition of this wine. Setting plays a critical role in making this title come alive. Contextually, the cask of Amontillado could not exist in any other place in the world other than Europe. According to certified sommelier and creator of the NYT Bestseller, Wine Folly, Madeline Puckette “The top 3 major wine regions of the world are France, Italy and Spain. They produce almost half of all the wine produced in the world” (Puckette). Poe has knowingly chosen Italy for this reason; contracting a story that takes place in Italy Poe gives himself an opportunity to center the story around something like

wine.
A barrel of wine may not seem frightening, but when used as such by Poe one might reconsider. Poe uses one man’s passion as a tool for his narrator to obtain his revenge. With brief exposition, the reader is given a world of information regarding the relationship between the protagonist and his prey Fortunato. In use of the first-person point of view, Poe’s audience is shown the nefarious, and deceptive nature of this protagonist. The narration shows the irony in how the main character’s actions and internal dialog seemingly contradict one another until you reach the conclusion of this tale. The narrator’s motivation is summed up within his symbolically family’s motto, “Nemo me impune lapune” or “No one wounds me with Impunity”. Poe’s storytelling makes for a suspenseful build to the climax, by creating an aggressive search for The Cask of Amontillado believed to be held in the main character’s cellar. Upon reaching the conclusion of the tale, one can reflect on the subtle details that foreshadowed the outcome of Fortunato. Poe has shown that with the use of various elements of fiction that one can make a story driven by a cask of wine, and make it tell a tale of revenge, deception, and murder.