Examples Of Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado

Irony in the Cask of Amontillado

A well-known writer and poet, Edgar Allan Poe, is extremely familiar with the use of irony. Ordinarily, when a writer uses words that have one explanation, but actually mean the opposite, he is employing irony. Ultimately, this is usually done for humor or to add emphasis. Accordingly, Poe’s use of this literary tool is dramatic and can require the use of critical thinking skills to figure out. The author uses several examples of irony in his story The Cask of Amontillado. Irony is illustrated in this story when Montresor meets Fortunato and expresses that their meeting is quite fortunate despite his eventual fate, when Fortunato is dressed as a fool, and by Fortunato’s name representing “the fortunate one”. These three examples have been selected to best exemplify the author’s use of irony.

The first of the three revolves around what appears to be a chance meeting of the two men at the carnival.

The villain, Montresor, has a plot to kill Fortunato in the catacombs. He searches our Fortunato at the carnival and says, “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met” (237), as if this meeting is, in fact, a fortuitous event for both men. Actually, there is nothing propitious about his encounter with Montresor, in view of the fact that Montresor lures him into the catacombs where Montresor can exact revenge by interring Fortunato while he is still alive. Consequently, this is a prime example of irony, as there was nothing beneficial about having met Montresor on that fateful evening. Similarly, this one example can be followed by the visual aspect of Fortunato’s

clothing.

In my opinion, Fortunato’s attire is another notable example of irony. Poe describes him as wearing “… a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells” (237). The “conical cap and bells” (237), is the hat of a jester or also of someone known as a fool. Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs by requesting Fortunato’s expert opinion of a particular wine. It is peculiar that his dress epitomizes someone who is usually thought of as not incredibly bright when he is being sought after as a person of knowledge. It was the egotistical self-esteem of Fortunato, which causes him to never question the intentions of Montressor and allows Montresor to easily to lead Fortunato to his death at the end of The Cask of Amontillado. His apparel was more appropriate than he ever imagined, but this not the case when considering his name.

Finally, Mr. Poe utilizes the same literary tool in the selection of Fortunato’s name. Fortunato’s name has the meaning the fortunate one. The definition of fortunate states “involving good luck or fortune”. This is sardonic in the sense that Fortunato is not lucky or “fortunate”. Fortunato’s brief future is anything but what his name implies. Poe’s use of irony in this example would seem to be a little more apparent.
The author’s use of irony in The Cask of Amontillado is brilliant. Surprisingly the humor added to a horror story by implementing this element gives the reader a deeper understanding of the character of each man. It is an unexpected element component considering the genre. These three examples allow the reader to better understand the personality of each individual, and this is one of the many reasons Poe is considered to be such an excellent writer. People such as those written about do exist, and that is the source of the horror. Edgar Allen Poe remains a popular