Fortunato Character Analysis Essay

Readers frequently wonder while reading a fiction book, if the character could live in the real world. In the short story, The Cask of Amontillado, written by Edgar Allan Poe, the relevancy of the question that could be applied flawlessly. Although Fortunato is not the main character, he plays an important role in the overall plot structure. Fortunato, the antagonist who is a greedy and untrustworthy man, is arguably a believable character. This is because of his motivation, character traits, and the irony that is correlated with his situation.

In the fiction story of The Cask of Amontillado, Fortunato is believable because of his character traits of being very greedy and untrustworthy. This is because he says multiple times that he does not want

Luchesi to go to drink the amontillado that Montresor offered him. He does not want Luchesi to get the wine because he want to taste and drink it all to himself. “(...) I am on my way to Luchesi, if anyone has a critical turn, it is he. He will tell me-” “Luchesi cannot tell amontillado from a sherry (Poe, 3).” replies Fortunato. The statement said makes him sound very greedy because he wants the expensive wine all to himself and does not want to share it with Luchesi as stated previously. Even though Fortunato has a severe cough that could be life threatening he continues with going down to the cellar to get the wine. “ (...) “ugh! ugh!” My poor friend found it impossible to reply for many minutes. “It is nothing,” he said, at last. “Come”, I said, with decision, “we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchesi—” “Enough,” he said; “The cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough (Poe, 4).” He continues to go down stairs and does not want to go back up when Montresor offers, because he does not want to risk losing the amontillado to Luchesi. It also creates a presence of Fortunato disliking Luchesi, causing him to despise that Montresor would pick Luchesi over himself. Thus making him prove himself by not going back upstairs because of a “small” cough. He is untrustworthy because at the beginning of the story, behind Montresor's back, he makes fun of him. “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge (Poe, 1).” This causes Montresor to gain revenge and fulfill his code of arms. Because Fortunato was greedy and untrustworthy to Montresor it ultimately leads him to his death.
Since Fortunato possesses the desire and motivation to proceed to get the wine, it shows that he is a realistic character.

Previously the word “greedy” showed up for being a character trait that he has. This is because of the correlation between his greediness and his motivation to get the expensive wine and to not allow Luchesi to get the wine. Fortunato is mainly motivated by proving Montresor wrong that Luchesi cannot tell the difference between two wines. “(...) I am on my way to Luchesi, if anyone has a critical turn, it is he. He will tell me-” “Luchesi cannot tell amontillado from a sherry (Poe, 3).” replies Fortunato. The expensive wine, that Montresor supposedly has, is a motivation for Fortunado to go down into the cellar and drink it. Fortunato has no hesitation when it came to him going down stairs into the cellar, allowing the reader to sense that he is very motivated for the wine. “(...) Fortunato possessed himself of my arm. Putting on a mask of black silk, and drawing a roquelaire closely about my person, I suffered him to hurry me to my palazzo (Poe, 3).” The way Fortunato firmlydoes not want Luchesi to get the wine and that he would risk his life, shows readers how high his motivation and desire

is.
Throughout the story dramatic irony occurs multiple times toward Fortunato. In the story there are many scenes where dramatic irony is very obvious to the reader, but not to Fortunato. Since the readers already know that something is going to happen to Fortunato because of the opening sentence, it creates large waves of dramatic irony throughout the story. An example of this is when the readers know he's not going down into the cellar for wine, but ultimately his death because of making fun of Montresor. This occurs because Montresor's family code of arms or motto. “And the motto?” Fortunato asks. “Nemo me impune lacessit (Poe, 5).” Montresor replies. The motto means if someone messes with Montresor or his family, than an act of revenge will occur on the culprit. Or in shorter terms, hurt Montresor, than revenge will be acted upon the oppressor. This allows the reader to easily know that something's going to happen to Fortunato, since it previously said that Fortunato was making fun of Montresor. Without Fortunato even knowing that he was being set up or even suspecting Montresor's trap he ends up getting buried alive. The dramatic irony that was shown throughout the story gives readers hints to help them figure out that Fortunato was going down into the cellar not for wine, but to his death.
Fortunato, a greedy and untrustworthy man who is not to be trusted is a believable character.. Fortunato, a unknowing sole following Montresor to his death without him ever suspecting a thing. The following of Montressor down into the basement for “amontillado” caused dramatic irony throughout the story. His motivation for doing such things as talking behind Montresor's back, accepting the offer to go to drink some amontillado in the cellar, demanding they must go on even though he was very sick, and himself trying to prove himself as being better than Luchesi, all led up to his departure in the afterlife. Fortunato, the antagonist who is a greedy and untrustworthy man in the short story The Cask of Amontillado, is arguably a believable character. This is because his motivation, character traits, and the irony correlated in his situation.